Nuvi 855 to keep it or not?

Not sure what you mean by restart--does it reboot itself spontaeously.

I don't get that, but as do others I do see it freeze totally, or sometimes just forget how to accept touch input. Although I think it just about has to be software bugs interacting with the current location and data, I've seen no pattern, and definitely not noticed a temperature variation.

If I did not know the forced reboot trick that would be a catastrophe, but it is just a large annoyance.

I paid a lot more than you for mine, and have no second thoughts.

Yes it has rebooted as I scrolled thru upcoming turns with the map of the turn. Thus far the reboots are not enough to really matter.

Thanks for the info regarding no problesm with the temperature in the summer.

I just want to be sure that if I want to give up the speach recogntion feature, then in that case another unit would be a better.

Thanks for your comments, This is my first gps and I'm a little green as to what the other models might offer.

I've had my 855 for more than a year and use it literally everyday since I'm a courier. If you are still able to return it I would do so. My 855 will go for months without crashing, freezing, or restarting then all of a sudden it will do one of the above nearly everyday for a month straight. Sometimes more than once a day. Heat does seem to be a factor sometimes. I know of one way to get it to crash nearly every time. Here's how: select any destination and press GO. Once the route has been calculated and shown on the screen go search for any new destination or POI and press Show Map. Most of the time this will cause it to restart. Being that I use it for deliveries this is unacceptable. Also, if you have a car that is noisy from road noise the speech recognition will not work well. I bought the unit just for this option but I've found I don't use it as much. I can type the information I want much faster than speaking to the unit.

As I recall, the 8xx models have a removable battery. If so, I would try to clean the battery contacts if possible. Use a white pencil eraser and blow out any crumbs that might remain. Or a q-tip moistened with alcohol. If you still get the intermittent reboots I'd request an exchange or return it for a refund.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=134

This is one place to look. Garmin has a bewildering array of models and they continually obsolete some and add others. Some of the feature laden discontinued models (if they have the features you want) can be terrific bargains.

Unless the practice has changed and I'm unaware, all newly purchased units are eligible for one time, the latest map updates. Want to say it is 60 days from the date of 1st satellite acquisition.

Also this site has some side by side comparisons and it looks to be fairly current.

http://gpstracklog.com/compare/garmin-nuvi-comparison-chart

As reported by several folks here since the 855 was introduced, the 855 is much more likely to be prone to reboots, freezes, etc. than other Garmins. Some have great luck, others not so much. Mine is prone to reboots/freezes and nothing I've been able to do has resolved the issue. I'm well beyond a return or warranty repair so I just live with the issues. The 855 is a great GPS when it's working and I usually put up with the reboots, etc. rather than use my stable 750.

Also, make sure you have updated to the latest software - it seems to work better.

That is a good site to compare models. How about a Nuvi 265? Seems to get good reviews, got to research its features a bit more.
Things I like on my 855 or would want on its replacement.
1. Detour option
2. Speed Limit ( I'm surprised how much I check this out.)
3. I would like to be able to have the elevation screen up more and still have the map up as well not sure what models allow this.
4. Lane assist
5. Kind of like the powered mount but not sure the pros and cons of the power going to the GPS vs the mount.
6. Maybe lifetime maps
7. Want a stable device not a problematic one.

Why not contact Amazon first, and ask IF you return it...and the replacement is defective, will you have an extended period to decide whether or not to return THAT one? Perhaps you will run no risk to your warranty period with a replacement.

I agree with others that the 855 is well worth having IF it is reliable. You may have to accept a refurb if you exchange it (but ask Amazon about that). [I have read several dozen reviews and comments that indicate Refurbs ARE reliable, and are not ordinarily scratched or otherwise damaged.]

You should also be aware that Garmin has an excellent reputation for exchanging faulty units during the first YEAR of ownership (no matter if you bought at Amazon); it is very likely you would get a refurb in that case.

Point: If you have a high enough tolerance level, it is worth it to keep trying at least a couple of replacement units, until you finally get one that works right. [Then again, mine has worked great for 1.5 years, and I haven't had the frustration that I've read about with literally hundreds of other users...in online forums and Amazon reviews: That is my honest estimate!]

I've had that similar problem with my 880 and so far it has been working fine. In fact I use my 880 all the time instead of my GPS that came with my car.

I had nothing but trouble with the 855 that I bought from Amazon for $119 (a real steal, I thought) and had to return it for a refund. Thankfully, Amazon has a great return policy, including paying for return shipping.

The problems I had: Sometimes I could not get it to turn on unless I removed the battery to do a hard reset. Then it worked until I turned it off. When I turned it on again, it would sometimes lose audio (text to speech turns, etc.). I tried all the hard reset tricks and Garmin customer service couldn't suggest anything that fixed the problems. And I did all the firmware, software, and map updates as soon as I received the unit, so those were not issues.

On the plus side: The voice activated commands worked pretty well.

I then purchased a refurbished nuvi 765T from CompUSA for $149 and have been totally happy with that unit, absolutely flawless performance.

I think OP's having real issues with his unit. I'd suggest replacing it, Amazon is easy that way

It is real unfortunate that you are having this issue. I have an 855 that has been rock solid and never has exhibited the symptoms lot of people mention about the 855. Maybe it is because I bought it refurbished from amazon couple of years ago.

My recommendation would be to return it to amazon and get another model that will give you peace of mind.

The 765t has similar features to the 855 except no voice control. The newer Garmins would be similar except no MP3 playback - a deal breaker for me but perhaps not for you.

I use a 885 - has bluetooth - in my bimmer. The voice control works pretty well except if I am on the highway with the top down. It will work then but not if there is a lot of traffic. It seems a little quirkier than my 760 in my SUV. But I've had it more than 6 months and it is no quirkier than when I first got it. Sometimes it takes awhile to turn on, for instance. Usually it does this if it has been out of the car on the separate portable mount. It acts funny if I switch power cords changing the MSN to a different traffic receiver. I have not had it reboot itself while in route, however.

I would look into how much a 765t would cost you after returning the 855. If you do not want voice control, you would probably like it better.

Jim

I just got another Christmas suggestion from my son. He has a 2008 2 series nuvi and the maps are a bit dated. He also has two vehicles. Rather than pay $70 (or is it $60 this week) for lifetime maps, I bought him a new GPS. Amazon has the 265WT for $115 which inclues lifetime traffic. It is close to the 765t (has bluetooth and newer display layout with turns in the upper left) but less expensive. He likes his current 2 series so this seems like a decent way to go. Now he will have a nuvi for each vehicle (and one nicer one with bluetooth etc.).

Thanks for the ideas. I should add my 855 is not what I would consider defective...1-2 reboots in 4 weeks. I just don't know that I'll use the voice recogntion much and was wondering what I would get if I send it back. So maybe a 265 or a 765?

My 855 restarts itself, but if on a route, it picks up where it left off.

I also have a 265wt I use for work. I have had ZERO problems with the 265 and love it. I bought the 855 for the Lane Assist view, which works pretty good, but I can live without it. ANd I tried the voice commands, but found them awkward....easier to have wife just grab the unit and do what I need.

Hope this helps

Had mine for about 16 months, run it from -10F to about 120F. If doesn't like temps over about 110F.

It only crashes when I overload the CPU. Something like max detail on the map, shuffling about 1000 MP3s, using voice commands and making it recalculate a new route. Doesn't happen too often.

No problems with it rebooting on its own.

Sometimes it is slow recognizing typed commands. Haven't figured out the pattern for that.

Overall I like the 855 and have no desire to change it.

On the road yesterday simply following the 855's directions and realized the 855 was totaly locked up. Luckily I was only 1/2 mile past my turn. I had to pull the battery to get it going again. Now it is on probation again. May have to seriously look at something else...reliable is paramount for me, if this had happened as the wife used it, it would have been very bad.

Too bad. I haven't had a freezeup recently with my 855 although it has happened to me several times in the past. My biggest issue is the reboot issue. In addition to the added time to get the GPS running again, a spontaneous reboot on my 855 has about a 85% rate of returning my Voice to Jill from whatever else I happen to be using at the time.

I also have the issue reported by others that there's a 5-10% chance that I'll find my 855 with a dead battery 24-48 hours after I know it had a full charge.

My experience with the 885 (same unit just has Bluetooth) is most lockups are POI related. It can be a file that operates just perfectly in another unit but for some reason locks up the 805 series. The 800 series, from my understanding, is built on a different OS than the others. It is for this reason I usually rework all the CSV files I pull from POI-Factory, converting them to GPX.

Now, don't take that to mean you have to convert all the files, or that the unit only works all the time with GPX. I load both, almost 200K individual points.

Go back over your route where the lockup occurred and see if a custom POI was in the vicinity or was recently passed. It would point to a possible file, icon, or alert that may be the problem. And don't forget to look closely at the suspected file, the malformed - and I use that term in the sense that it means something is not correct for your 855 POI entry and not that there is something wrong with the file. Now, not all CSV files have problems and I can't say which, if any, of the ones I convert would have issues with my 885.

I had trouble with lockups using poi.gpi alert files previously created with wav sounds. I converted to mp3 sound files and it solved this.

It also has locked up when I had multiple alerts sounding together (cracker barrel, truck stops, rest area, ...).

Never had a problem with my 855, but I don't have all those poi files loaded either.

My 855 has also locked up when multiple alerts came at the same time. Once I recognized this I fixed the problem.

I would not trade my 855.

I have no custom POI files on my unit so far. The problem yesterday came during a simple home to destination trip.

My wife has a 255wt, and I just found a 855 for $70 locally (unit only, display model). After reading the problems I think I'll pass..

She only uses the gps when she needs it (obviously) and having an unreliable unit is worthless imo. The only reason she even wanted it was because of the voice commands - She'd like to be able to "tell it" where she wants to go instead of typing it. But we live in texas, and during summer here we regularly hit 100 degree's or higher.

Oh well, I guess she'll have to stick it out with the 255wt. And from what I'm gathering, none of her existing cables, traffic receiver, etc . will work with the 855 either. I guess $70 for the module itself is no deal.

The base unit is of no use without the cradle. If it includes the cradle, then it isn't a bad buy - especially if it has never been registered or had satellite lock.

While some report problems, my 885 is pretty solid. I haven't had any lockups in over a year and I do use the voice commands. They aren't always as convenient as typing, but it is great when you are out in the middle of nowhere (that's a little NE of Lake Lebarge) and you hit the button and say GO HOME and it calculates a route.