Dropped Nuvi Nightmare

I think it is not worthy to spend $175 to fix it. I should buy the new instead of fixing.

Good luck.

I have used Garmin's repair service in the past. Like every other experience I have had with Garmin service and support, they were responsive and helpful.

I'm not certain about this but if they repair your unit and it was still under warranty, then I think your warranty is still valid on the repaired/replaced unit.

Like most others, I've had a great Garmin repair experience (I needed work done on my GPSmap 60CS). But new units with updated maps are just too cheap to spend $175 repairing the 350. Amazon alone has the Nivi 660 for $300... and that was just one quick search. Good luck wharever you decide.

I believe Garmin has placed the 350 on the discontinued list (endangered species for electronic gadgets), so I would invest in the 7xx series.

BTW: you will not get a free map update!

Yeah, I figured. No free lunches.

A broken 660 went for about $70 today on ebay, so I wouldn't be too disappointed to pull 30-40 for mine. Wondering if anyone else has had luck selling broken ones on ebay.

Meh. Spending unnecessary money. Depressing.

Even if it was, the warranty would not cover damage caused by the user.

No warranty? Where did you buy it from, there may be coverage through that store.

I wasn't clear. I didn't mean to imply that the user-caused damage would be covered, merely that if it was originally under warranty then the warranty would still apply to the repaired/replaced unit. But I also want to note again that I am not entirely certain this is accurate.

It was almost exactly a year ago (maybe EXACTLY) a year ago that I bought it at Circuit City. So I highly doubt that *any* warranty would cover this drop-damage.

The 350 was great, ultra portable, and I never had any problems with it (other than when it tried to kill me, sending me the wrong way down a one way street).

I guess, with this forced upgrade, there are a few more features that I would like; I could care less about an MP3 player, bluetooth, picture viewers, language translator, etc.

I'd rather have stuff like multi-point routing, traffic updates, or other trick GPS functions.

It's looking like the 650 may be the way to go? 600-series models are going for around $300-350 on ebay, and similarly on Amazon, (which is what I paid for the nuvi350 first time around).

Yep, I bought mine online for $299. It, by the way, fell off the glass/suction cup and crashed into the console. Luckily doesn't seem to have been affected by the fall!

I would replace the new one since the better models are getting cheaper all the time.

Isn't the 650 discontinued or soon to be? And since you want multi-point routing, I'd suggest looking at a nuvi 750 rather than a 650. I agree with all others who feel that $175 to repair a 350 isn't what I'd do.

Have you checked the warranty coverage your credit card offers? Some credit cards double the manufacturer's warranty and include damage for which the user is responsible.

I have read on here that a lot of people have sent in their unit and got back a totally different one, per the serial number, registered it and got a upgrade for the new maps, and some have got one back with the new maps installed,
check out this link for their warranty.
http://www8.garmin.com/support/outofwarranty.html

If you want multi-point routing, you will have to move up to the Nuvi 750. The 6XX series doesn't have it. 7XX series, especially the 750 are really getting cheap, and (from experience) they are a great device!

Edit: Sorry - CraigW already said that....

Joel

Ok, so someone sell me on a 700-series model.

The big price jump between the 750 and the 770 is due to what, the additions of the EU maps?

If you purchase a 7xx series not only will it get you to your destination, but once you get there the Garmin will park your car for you. Need to pick up dry cleaning? The Garmin will do it for you.

Ok, I may be fibbing a little about the 7xx series capabilities. But it can do a lot.

As far as the difference between the 750 and 770, the only two seem to be bluetooth and EU maps. Here's a link to Garmin's site where you can compare various models. https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134

I ended up picking up a nuvi 650 to replace my Quest and love it. The price is awesome ($257 on amazon) (probably because it doesn't have bluetooth).

Can you really justify the extra cost of a 750? I didn't see too many compelling features for me. Then again, if you do a lot of multi-destination driving, it may be worth it.

Since I don't really care for Bluetooth, MSN etc, I think my best option is to get the nuvi 750 as cheap possible, then load the Europe maps if I need them.

Otherwise, no real reason for me to go to the 760, 770, or 780.

rocktowndiscgolf

Since I don't really care
Since I don't really care for Bluetooth, MSN etc, I think my best option is to get the nuvi 750 as cheap possible, then load the Europe maps if I need them.

Otherwise, no real reason for me to go to the 760, 770, or 780.

reply quote

If thats the case, check out Sams Club online. The Nuvi 750 is $299.22 plus tax and about 5 bucks to ship.

just have your girlfriend buy you a new one .

You say it is still displaying but not able to resd it. Maybe Garmin can change the casing and a few ajustement insinde and it will work again, maybe not that expensive?????????

I dropped garmin c320 a while ago and cracked the screen. I had used a credit card to buy it and the company has a buyer protection plan. I had to package everything up and mail it to them but it was worth it as they covered everything but the original shipping, they covered me shipping it them.
I use that card for all credit card purchases now even though I have the competitors cards too.
Other than that, it might be a good time to upgrade.

@claude:

I wish. Unfortunately, I believe any out-of-warranty repair is a flat fee of $175.

With 750+ series going for $250-300 on ebay and similar prices on Amazon, I think selling the broken one for [whatever I can get] and just buying a new one is the way to go.

Disposable technology. Isn't it wonderful.

Man that's a bummer

I have had great experience with Garmin repair. Sorry that ou dropped your unit.

This come off the Garmin site.

Online auction confirmations are not accepted for warranty verification, and Garmin will not replace missing components from any package purchased through an online auction.

This might just be the ribbon cable from the LCD screen to the PCB, that's been dislodged slightly from its connector...

I'd just buy a new unit, but if you want to repair it you can check out this thread. Not sure how much shipping to UK is though. http://www.poi-factory.com/node/16145

I would buy a new unit, depending on what features I needed. I have to admit I have not used all the features of the Nuvi 680. After MSN expired, I did not renew it. Because my primary vehicle forces me to use the beanbag mount on my console, the bluetooth microphone doesn't work for me. I guess the basic GPS function is the most critical for me, now.
Henry

I had a similar incident where I cracked the screen on my 350 after two days of ownership. I called Garmin and they were able to give me a little better deal on the repair ($125 instead of $175)

I prefer my 360 to my 660. Though the 660 has a much larger screen, due to its weight, it frequently causes the dashboard suction cup mount to fall. The 360 never falls because it is lighter.

seems only fair.

Ted

---well, kinda fixed. But the screen is no longer scrambled!

I figured I could either sell this unit on ebay or spend $5 on a torx screwdriver and see what happens when I crack it open.

So I used the guide located here to open the Nuvi:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/webspace8/

I spent about two hours tinkering with it, trying to snug the the ribbon cables back in their slots when closing the shell (difficult), and finally managed to put it back together.

I can tell the ribbon cable is either damaged or just wont sit in the slot correctly, because when the unit is physically stressed (pushed hard, pinched from top/bottom), it goes back to scrambled screen. But handled gently -- still 100% functional.
GPS works. Touch screen works.

I may not trust it for a long cross country drive, and I'm sure the screen's cable may work its way loose eventually, but for now, it's back to being functional.

To get you another one. maybe a 5000 or so.

I'll wait and see some reviews on the new XX5 series. I wouldn't mind giving this one to the little brother or girlfriend, and grabbing a shiny new one for myself.

Thanks for the link to this little guide. I'll keep it just in case

The new models are much more portable and have many new features not available on your 350. Look at the 6xx series or if you don't mind spending more $$ look at the 7xx units. You'll be glad you upgraded.

gusb

sell it as-is on e-bay or craigslist. and then buy a newer model

You could get a cheap Radio Shack project case and transfer the innards into it, making it a functional, yet more bulky unit.

get garmin to fix it

and replace your bad cable with one from the broken one?

Q

Has the Nuvi 750 for $329

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7958703

the next person who gets that white screen problem, tell me, ill fix it for you for free. thats how easy it is to fix.