GPS Surgery - new battery?

[easysurfer]

One pet peeve is that the battery of my GPS pretty much isn't portable anymore. That is, one time, after a charge it would last about 5 hrs on battery power. Now if lucky, it lasts 45 minutes.

Why couldn't the manufacturers of GPSes make the batteries easy to change like cell phones as the lack of battery power over time seems like a common issue.

So now I'm debating, do I try to roll up my sleeves and get a battery kit? Or chicken out?

It would be nice to have a portable GPS again. Yet if I mess things up, I might have to go GPS shopping soon, which I really don't wish to do.

 

[NW-Bound]

Aw, come on! All the steps are spelled out for you already. This is simple, compared to dissecting a laptop to replace internal parts, which one can also do by carefully following instructions on the Web.

Eventually, with some practice, you may even graduate to self-operation for appendicitis.

 

[BigNick]

Garmin's outdoor GPS devices use regular AA cells. You can use alkaline batteries or NiMH rechargeables, and carry as many spares as you need. I guess that marketing determined that for car GPS systems, a nice, small, flat unit sells better, and people don't plan ahead. This model seems to work pretty well for Apple, who make pretty expensive devices with non-replaceable batteries; somehow they've made their products so desirable that people tend to replace the entire unit with the newest version before the battery lifetime sucks too badly. Genius marketing (I own no Apple products).

 

[easysurfer]

Well, I took the bait and ordered:

Amazon.com: Battery Replacement Kit for Garmin Nuvi 260 with Installation Video, Tools, and Extended Life Battery.: Electronics

Soon, either I'll feel like a champ and successfully replace the battery or feel like a clutz and mess things up.

Since I'll be driving like mad in May/June, I want an adequately equipped GPS.

 

[NW-Bound]

All right, good for you!

My superior memory tells me that you are in a dry climate that caused you to zap your laptop once before with static, through the USB port where the mouse was attached.

Am I impressing anyone here with my memory?

So, you would want to take precaution before poking around that GPS with its tender guts totally exposed.

When I do not feel like wearing a wrist-strap to bleed static electricity, I would just take my work out to the back yard patio. There, I sat with my bare feet planted on the concrete floor, and my body and earth become one. I also put the work on a static-free surface like a wood table. No static for me!

 

[Redbugdave]

I have replaced mine. It's not that hard. And before you know it you will be working on your friend's GPS's, too.

 

[easysurfer]

I have replaced mine. It's not that hard. And before you know it you will be working on your friend's GPS's, too.

That's good to know. Did you buy the same kit with the included tools?

 

[Redbugdave]

No, I did not. I looked at the UTube video. Then went to one of those battery stores and got the battery and did it myself with my own tools. About like changing a watch battery.

 

[easysurfer]

Thanks. I got the kit anyhow. It should arrive in a few days. Looking forward to the "surgery" on my gps

 

[Redbugdave]

And now onto the next Utube for pacemaker batteries...

 

[easysurfer]

The battery is on it's way. I got a tracking number sent via USPS. One thing I noticed, looks like the post office made some improvements as updates seem more frequent and it even tells me an expected day of arrival.

 

[target2019]

The battery is on it's way. I got a tracking number sent via USPS. One thing I noticed, looks like the post office made some improvements as updates seem more frequent and it even tells me an expected day of arrival.

I have heard that the mail carriers have so little to do, that they can drop in for a cup of coffee and do the battery swap for ya!

Just kidding.

 

[easysurfer]

I have heard that the mail carriers have so little to do, that they can drop in for a cup of coffee and do the battery swap for ya!

Just kidding.

That's funny . I like that.

 

[Rich]

I had Sharc . net (put the words together for the correct site address) repair a Nuvi 350 for me. Found him to be reliable and not expensive. You might consider that option.

Rich

 

[easysurfer]

Rich,

Thanks for the tip. I went to the website (SHARCNET-USA: Out-of-Warranty GPS & Digital Camera Repair Center) and the place looks pretty nice. The rate for battery replacement is very reasonable (much less than another place I was looking at). My new battery is already on the way and I'm gonna try and replace it myself, but the tip you gave me is a bookmark to keep in my favorites for the future.

 

[Lakewood90712]

And I was just about to send my Garmin w/ bad battery to the e-waste bin . Just ordered a new battery on line under $30.

 

[easysurfer]

I like this page from the url that Rich gave:

SHARCNET-USA: Out-of-Warranty GPS &amp Digital Camera Repair

Scroll down and see the before/after of the case repair.

 

[omni550]

I like this page from the url that Rich gave:

SHARCNET-USA: Out-of-Warranty GPS &amp Digital Camera Repair

Scroll down and see the before/after of the case repair.

easysurfer,

From the video you included in your initial post, the GPS's clamshell case is held together by 2 [hidden] screws that are covered-up by a long narrow label.

Anyone who is unaware of these screws would naturally attempt to separate the 2 halves of the case by prying them apart along the groove which occurs at the split between the 2 halves. That is how that very graphic case damage occurred.

It's almost a scare tactic.

omni

 

[easysurfer]

easysurfer,

From the video you included in your initial post, the GPS's clamshell case is held together by 2 [hidden] screws that are covered-up by a long narrow label.

Anyone who is unaware of these screws would naturally attempt to separate the 2 halves of the case by prying them apart along the groove which occurs at the split between the 2 halves. That is how that very graphic case damage occurred.

It's almost a scare tactic.

omni

True. For those who take a step back and look at the video, it'll be no problem. I took it as self-advertising, the before and after pictures.

My new battery should be here tomorrow!

 

[omni550]

True. For those who take a step back and look at the video, it'll be no problem. I took it as self-advertising, the before and after pictures.

My new battery should be here tomorrow!

Awesome.

You'll do great with swapping-out the battery!

omni

 

[easysurfer]

Awesome.

You'll do great with swapping-out the battery!

omni

Got the battery today. Surgery was a success!

The patient functions fine and is now recharging in my recovery charging area .

 

[omni550]

Got the battery today. Surgery was a success!

The patient functions fine and is now recharging in my recovery charging area .

Congratulations! A double bonus...not only did you resuscitate the 'patient' but you kept him out of the landfill by doing so.

omni

 

[easysurfer]

Congratulations! A double bonus...not only did you resuscitate the 'patient' but you kept him out of the landfill by doing so.

omni

That's true. Overall, the "surgery" was easy. The DVD that came with my kit was for a different model than mine (I think a garmin nuvi 200 instead of my 260), but the process was very similar. The orginal battery was stuck on tight with mounting tape, so I had to use a butter knife and give a little force to remove.

 

[easysurfer]

Wow. My initial post on the "GPS Surgery" is almost 4 yrs ago. How time slips by.

The replacement battery and my old Garmin nuvi 260 is still going strong. I have a Lifetime Map Update that I purchased for $100 a few years back. Post surgery, the GPS is still the only one I really need .