Need Parts for GDB 50 Cable

i have never had a problem when i had them replace my GDB50 they have had to send me a few of them they even send me a extra to shut me up all i had to do is mail them my old one and they send me a new one when you talk to them offer to mail your one in for a rma see how that goes

Since MSN is going away in 2012, it may be harder to get replacement parts. It might be worth your while to get a splitter or a cig lighter extension on Ebay and do a little soldering.

I leave mine in the car, only take the GPS with me when the car is unattended.

Larry

They were going to charge me "only" sixty dollars WITH an RMA!

Normally our cable stays in the car as well, but we were away for the holiday and we were using it in a rental car. I may have to dust the cobwebs off my soldering iron as you suggest, but I'm still hoping someone else on the forum may know of a source. I can't believe that cap is proprietary.

I would give Radio Shack a call.

Now, why didn't I think of that?

There's one near my home. I will check it out tonight. Thanks, Charlie!

Went to Radio Shack tonight. The assistant manager was very helpful, and he actually found an adapter that looked as though it might have worked, but it came up short. Thanks for the idea just the same, Charlie.

I continue to hope that someone here might help me find a solution that doesn't involve a soldering iron (which, in my case, the FBI has classified as a lethal weapon...)

Like others, I have always has success with just calling Garmin and they would always give me a new one, not even asking for an exchange.

When you say the would always give you a new one, what are they giving you? The end cap and cylinder? Or a whole new GDB 50? When was the last time you did this? Was the GDB 50 still under warranty?

They sent me the entire new cable. I had had the cable almost a year. I'm, not sure what the warranty is on the receiver. Also, I had 4 gpsr's. Maybe they did it because I was a good customer...lol.

Sometimes I can be just the dumbest guy alive.

It took me a week to figure out that:

a) I bought the GDB 50 as a replacement for the GTM 20 cable that came with the unit, and

b) In my hardware repository (known to Mrs. Krull by the name "junk drawer") was the original cable, where it had been sitting since the day I got the GDB 50.

It took me about two minutes to figure out that all of the removable (also known as "losable") parts of the GTM 20 were identical to those missing from the GDB 50. A quick act of parts cannibalism, and we were back in business for no extra charge. This solution has the added benefit of providing me with some much-needed ammunition the next time Mrs. Krull cares to make a comment about my hardware repository.

Thanks to all who offered suggestions!

My GDB 50 plug fell apart while plugged into my lighter socket and the tip fell into the console. Will have to take the console apart to get it back. Not sure if that would fix my problem because looking at the end of the plug it looks like the tip broke off and I think the black round donut is still stuck in the socket. I assume the metal tip is what fell into the console. All I have is the fuse and the little silver ring. Wonder what the chances are that Garmin would send me a new one. I canceled my MSN service a few months ago so I don't need it for that. Just need it to power the GPS. It's ridiculous what they want for one on Ebay.
I will give Garmin a try first.
Thanks for the above tips pointing me in the right direction.

UPDATE!
Just got off the phone with Garmin and they are going to send me a replacement kit that will replace the parts (black part that screws into the GDB 50, the metal tip and a new fuse.)that broke off of the tip of my GDB 50. Even though my unit is out of warranty they said they will not charge me for the parts. Christmas came early this year.

Advice: I think how this happened was I turned the GDB 50 while it was still plugged into the lighter socket and that must have been what broke the tip off. From now on when I need to change the position of the plug, I will pull it out of the socket, turn it to the position I want and then plug it back in again.

Thanks again for making the suggestion about calling Garmin. That had not entered my mind.

That's great news. I must have gotten the one Garmin rep in the world who thinks they don't have the replacement parts. Maybe I should call again and see if they'll send me the parts anyway. I can plug 'em back in to the original cable.

yea most have had a bad rep day i would have called back after a few hours

nuvi 5000 & nuvi 200w
(lifetime maps)

Believe it or not, I was on hold with Garmin that day for five and a half hours! It happened to be the Monday after Black Friday, but that's still completely inexcusable. Then the rep all but called me a liar when I told him how long I'd been waiting, claiming that long a wait time wasn't possible, and that I couldn't have been on hold for more than 40 minutes. My phone also has a call timer display -- I knew EXACTLY how long I'd been on hold.

By the way, I was polite and pleasant to the rep from the time the phone was finally answered, and even when he told me I'd have to have the cable repaired for $59. It wasn't until he started disparaging my statements about how long I'd been on hold that I had to start watching my temper.

Fortunately for me I have a speakerphone with a mute button; otherwise I probably wouldn't be able to straighten out my neck for the rest of my life. I've been buying Garmin products for eight years and this was the first time I've called their support when the experience was anything less than superb. The fact that it was a busy day for them doesn't excuse either the wait time or the way I was treated by the rep. I'm glad that in the end I was able to fix it without Garmin's "support".

wow i have never been on hold that long lucky it was not me

nuvi 5000 & nuvi 200w
( lifetime maps )

Parts are available at www.gpsnstuff.com and instructions come with purchase