Rejuvenate a Nuvi Battery?

the latter. It sounds as if you got a defective battery this time. Thank goodness battery replacement is easy, and a very inexpensive fix!

Lithium-Ion Polymer cells, the type used in Nuvis, have a limited life. As near as I can find out, they are good for somewhere around 500 charge/discharge cycles. They also appear to have a limited life span dating from their manufacture. The figures I've seen quote from 3 to 5 yrs life span even if just stored on a shelf. The cell's capacity will gradually drop off as it is used/ages.

They are also sensitive to their usage environment. Charging or discharging outside of their rated temperature range will shorten their lives. They like temperatures between 32° to 85° F. They can stand storage temperatures slightly outside of this range without damage. But normal usage of a GPS will subject the cell to temperature extremes that will shorten it's life.

My 750 is about 4 yrs old and I replaced the cell about a year ago. This new one is already showing signs that it will need to be replaced before long. The bad thing is that you have no way of knowing how old the 'new' cell is so you can't estimate how long it will last.

It is required I send the unit back to Garmin to get the battery replaced or can I get the battery and replace it myself? If I can do it myself, where is the best place to get a replacement?

Which of your nuvis needs the battery?

350
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYZKu_ZXa6o

765T
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUemRuhNZdU

Here are some sources for battery and tools needed although eBay can also be a source:

http://www.batteryship.com/

http://www.batteriesonthego.com/battery-shop/pc/Garmin-GPS-N...

http://www.newpower99.com/category_s/215.htm

And if you want someone to do the job, but cheaper than using Garmin's shop, try:

http://www.sharc.net/gps_repair_prices.htm

I expect that a nearby Batteries Plus store might also do the job for you.

Thanks for the info.

Thanks a lot for those links. I have a 765T and wondered what would happen when it conks out. I love the 765T and got lifetime updates for it rather than springing for a newer model.

For those who read your post and wondered how to get a video for their specific unit, I can make a suggestion.

In Google, type the search term
"site:www.youtube.com Nuvi battery xxxx"
where xxxx in the number of the GPS

I took the time to get a number of them so people can see what they would be getting into if they decided to make the replacement themselves.

Which of your nuvis needs the battery?
200: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVrZe62qoG0
205: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbdD66Rl1ro&feature=related
250: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCMg6jnL9p4
255: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwAbKYOgiZg
260: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-hY6-Y8Ca8
265: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_TV-HBCM50
275: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBoXyF2CO2U
285: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jUdNZIzgEM
310: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTf8xSDdff0
350: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYZKu_ZXa6o
360: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GVyWSePEwg
370: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t07DQxhBer0
380: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6ej6oe5Rmg
600: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRXK0EfMaf4
610: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-BsCCmn7GQ&feature=related
650: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEylEGCUrn0
660: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCndkcmYUPQ&feature=related
670: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAR1fEtjl5w
680: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pbOknpt2Qo
705: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WAqhqWWj1A
710: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPxTomvmzyI
750: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfNRnjLrJEk&feature=related
755: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekdPLEgmzqk
760: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwKZXTEFcsA
765: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUemRuhNZdU
770: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGZipm-j-yQ
775: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGrS6Qv3JKs
780: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd3vcThmXUI
1200: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpKgXgX2hGQ
1205: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFzHiwJ7WUI
1250: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkgpEZ7Jryc
1260: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsLmHZLpx8Y
1300: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a_c7YlyYi8&feature=related
1350: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqbYjiPfUow
1390: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQVQD1x2ehE
1450: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA3tzdgINrY
1460: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e6Lu5K5U2I
1490: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shjOXo69Fbs&feature=related
1690: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGrS6Qv3JKs
1695: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdTegMI8nSM
2200: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpoztSr9zBE
2240: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SDSISWPrdc
2250: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RBqnTGWCqs
2300: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CclXsRuPAU
2350: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOV3Ou7DaiM
2360: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuSOEcm1T_o
2370: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuNTA_ewrqA
3700: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUoLdjHYyyY
3750: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCX_N0_kxfE
3760: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nScGIK-LZzc

Great information!

This is the kind of post that makes POI Factory so useful.

Thank you.

Why is there no link to battery replacement for the 8xx series?

Oh, wait - you slide the door and pop out the old battery. Silly me!

Thanks for the information!

NO video for the 295W ?

It is super easy anyway. Just slide down the back and ease out the old battery and tip in the new one.

The manual has a good pictoral guide anyway:
http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/nuvi295W_QuickStartManual.pdf

-jgracey

In Canada, battery for 765T cost under $10 at PiloShop.ca with free shipping & delivered in less than a week. Of course it came from Hong Kong, but for $10 I could change it every year. And they threw in a free screen protector to boot!

I just ordered a new battery for my 660 and linked to the video on how to replace it. I got the battery and two car chargers for 8.15 they should be here sat. Mine is from 2007 and only holds a charge for a short time.

If I can do it...

I'll let you know next week.

OOPs My goog the batter was 20.00 with the tool kit not the other price. That was a battery for my cell phone with the two car chargerd still a good buy.

I think Batteries Plus has a number of stores in different states. They are located in different cities here in NJ. I think there is a POI file on batteries-plus on this forum. I am pretty sure I came across that file. They replace batteries in several devices.
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/14538

Sometimes you come across a bad batch of batteries. Last year, I had to replace an year-old battery with a two-year-old battery of the same type because the new one stopped holding charge.

Yes, the batteries seem to last a lot longer these days, but when you come across a bad one, you still have to replace it. Fortunately, the odds of a replacement working out is a lot better. Unfortunately, it's still possible to come across a dud.

It is important to keep the nuvi (and thus its battery) out of hot environments - like a car in the summer.

The heat is bad for the battery.

I'm going to have to replace the battery on the 360w. It just doesn't hold a charge anymore. I'm a bit leery with taking it apart to change the battery though. I don't want to mess up and damage the ribbon that connects the GPS antenna to the unit.

That is exactly why I purchased the 885t, as well as many other features it has.

ditto

Who do you recommend a battery for the Nuvi 350 be purchased from which has long life?

Thanks.
Fred

Thanks for the info on Youtube.

Also checkout your local like Batteries Plus:
http://www.batteriesplus.com/

I replace the battery in my nuvi a few months back and I walked in, told them the model number and $15-20 later I walked out with the correct battery.

Fred, while I can't vouch for the 350 battery specifically, I replaced one in my 205 with one from http://www.newpower99.com. Great service and tools were included. I can't imagine you could go wrong with a 350 battery from them.

Well I did it and everything works. It is on the charger now getting a full charage. Wow it is much easier than you think but can be intimidating for some. Much cheaper that a new gps.

Way to go, John!! Your 660 has a 2nd life now!

Now, let's just hope that your touchscreen doesn't go bad like mine did... a few months after replacing the battery. If it does, remember Jim at Sharcnet.

Thanks Gary, I checked it today and it still has a full charge which it didn't before. My son and grandson also have 660's gave them the link. Mine is loading and working faster now. Hope all stays that way. It did take a few minutes longer to get the satilites when I first turned it on after putting in the new battery.

I got my replacement battery at Batteries Plus. Could that have anything to do with my replacement's apparent short life?

I would recommend you buy your first replacement battery from a company that also provide a tool kit. Once you have the kit then you can buy from any company. Kit is also useful to open broken MP3 players or a full enclosure cases on a smart phone.

The cooperation and helpfulness in is thread is a great example of what our community is all about, so I've decided to spotlight it in the contributor of the week post.

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/34613

Thanks all.

Jonathan (aka JM)

Thanks for posting all those video links on replacing the battery in different units, great info!

Jonathan, I think this is a great ideal and it will also get more people into some of the discussions. Great Ideal.

I just replaced the battery in my daughter's Magellan Roadmate and it is working just fine. I bought the battery from newpower99.com. I see that they have batteries for Garmin Nuvi as well. The installation went just as they showed in their video.

since my 850 is "on all the time" even when one thinks it is off, I generally leave the battery out of the unit, putting in back in when needed. That means sometimes, I plug it into the car w/o a battery in it. So, when I do need the battery, after 3 years, it works great.

How many of you guys and gals leave your gps plugged into the charger? I assume it's not exactly good on the battery to be connected to the power, but my unit has traffic and I believe the power cord is required in order to get the traffic via FM. What's the recommendation?

Also, thanks for this great thread!

I bought the batt on Ebay good price and the tools.
Replace the battery in August and working well.
To replaced the battery I went to You Turbe and watch the procedure.

Cheers

Thanks for all the great info.

Do they replace Garmin GPS batteries or do they sell batteries and no replacement?

Thanks...while my 780 does not yet need a battery, I am getting in the expected time window.

I never even thought about replacing the battery, so this is all great information! Thanks!

BTW, I have found Batteries Plus to be somewhat overpriced, so I recommend you search around on Amazon and other shopping sites to compare before you buy. You'll almost always find it cheaper and the quality is just as good.

I found when I replaced mine that it was handy to have the video on and just pause it as I was going along. I priced battery plus and they were 10.00 more thne batteryship, plus you get a tool kit as well. Glad this info was avaiable for me.

A couple of things. When takintg the antena off and removing the spring you do need a pointed object th push the spring in to get it to release.

When undoing the two wire pluge it is easy to get them out but a little harder to push them back in so take care,

Watch the ribbon on the antena so you don't break it,and how the antena comes apart so you can get it back together without breaking anything.

Good Luck with all your battery replacements.

This isn't a Nuvi, but my marine-use old-school Garmin 65 is now giving me a "Low Battery" message.
I looked on YouTube and could not find a battery replacement instructional video.

Does anyone know if this can be replaced at home, or must it go back to Garmin??

Here is what the 65 looks like (the built-in, not hand-held unit)
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-65-75-Gps-VHS/dp/B00000IC27

I could just get a new unit, but this is wired into a chart plotter and the removal/re-installation of the wiring would be a major pain.
Thanks for any advice!

...for these links. Very helpful.

great info here thanks for taking the time to post this!

Flip

This information will help many. Thanks

it depends on how much use it gets!

It was so darned easy, I won't mind doing it again when the need arises!

Never replaced mine. Since it stays plugged in mostly doubt I'd even notice it not holding charge

I concur... but there were times when I wanted to save an address or something in my gps before I left the house.