160GB Classic Requires Multiple Syncs

Question

My iPod seems to require multiple syncs, and I haven't the foggiest as to why. Here's the lowdown:
1) I recently completed a mass re-encoding of my music collection.
2) I restored my iPod in iTunes (in OS X).
3) After the restore, it automatically started syncing my library (just shy of 28000 songs).
4) Syncing completed. I unplugged and went about my day.
5) After modifying the album art of 2 albums (with about 12 songs each), I plugged my iPod in to ensure it was kept up-to-date.
6) The iPod (or possibly iTunes) decided to delete 519 of its songs and re-sync them.
This happens without me modifying any of the songs themselves. Sometimes it decides to just "arbitrarily" delete and re-sync ~3000 songs--this is extremely irritating when I'm just looking to add the one album I've added to my library and I have to leave in 5 minutes for work.
I don't get why those extra songs required syncing, and this wasn't the first time this happened. I figured the restore that I did would fix the earlier problem.
I realise that I could just manually manage... but sometimes it's tough keeping track of the modifications when a library is as large as mine.

Answer 1

Hi Areolex,
I work for Dr Pod, an iPod repair company.
It sounds like your hard drive is dying. Sadly, no software can fix this - the hard drive would require replacing. Are you in the UK? This would usually cost around £100 for a new drive, which my company could do for you. As your iPod is 19 months old, it is out of warranty, and Apple would charge you for any repairs. If you are near an Apple Store, you could always take it and see if a Genius would be willing to repair for you. You need to book an appointment for this.
In short, the iPod needs a new hard drive, which is a hardware issue.
I hope that I have helped. Please get back to me if you need any more assistance,
Mark Sweeney
Dr Pod Founder