Old Garmin systems Vs. their new ones - major shortcomings, customer service no help.

I have a 3597LMTHD and it has a powered mount. Just hold it close to the mount and magnets snap it into place. No plugging in of a cable required, although I do pull the plug out a bit from the 12 VDC outlet as it is not switched. Won't run the battery down overnight if I forget, just being cautious.

It does take a bit of skill to get the 3597 off the mount though, as you have to press down and pull from the bottom at the same time, else the Beanbag mount will slide.

Only 1 complaint about the 3597: firmware problem with recognizing that your power source is sufficient. If that comes on, you get no Traffic.

Looking in the INDEX To FAQs And Other Pages, I find for the 760

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwKZXTEFcsA

Do you have evidence that the 3597 mount draws power when the nuvi is removed? I bought a second magnetic mount for my Ford Ranger pickup so I didn't have to move the mount from the car to the truck every time I wanted to use the 3597. The Ford also has an unswitched (always on) power plug, and I leave the mount plugged in all the time. So far I have not had a dead battery, and the truck sits outside ... sometimes not started for several days.

For your icon issue on the map screen, you can have all your custom POIs appear on the map screen (when you have a route entered) by insuring that all the bmp files in your POI folder on the computer are as follows:

"each bmp file MUST be saved as 256 color bitmap"

Saving at another color depth will result in the icon not appearing on the map screen. This is true for the 3597 but I can't speak for your other choice. Also to properly see the icons on the map screen the size should be approx. 44 x 44 pixels.

What I do is load the .bmp file into Paint and then do a SAVE AS. In Paint I then get an option to save as a jpg, bmp, etc file and I pick bmp. On the Save As screen there is a drop down box called "save as type" where I can pick 256 color bitmap. Once selected I can save the loaded bmp file, insuring it's the same name as the POI file.

For your "nag screen" issue - I never see this on the 3597, so maybe Garmin has fixed it.

Also they must have fixed any screen touch issues as I find the 3597 to have the most responsive screen of any Nuvi I've owned.

As far as displaying POIs along your route is concerned have you tried pressing the "Searching Near" box in the upper right corner of the Where To screen. One of the options there is "My Active Route" which may give you what your looking for. I suspect that it will only give you search results from your current location to your next waypoint but you can test that out (I don't use my Nuvi like you do.)

The other option that may work is to use the Up Ahead feature on, at least, the 3597. Tap the 3 Bar icon in the bottom right corner of the map screen when you have a route entered on the Nuvi and select Up Ahead. By default this displays the mileage and direction to the nearest gas station, bank, and restaurant. Tapping one of these displays gives you a list of those items Along Your Route.

What 3 items are displayed in the Up Ahead App can be customized by tapping the "wrench" in the upper left corner of the screen listing, for example, all the gas stations along your route. When the "wrench" is pressed the Customize Up Ahead screen appears and pressing any of the items listed on that screen will allow you to replace the default with any one of the following items:

Restaurants
Gas Stations
Banks and ATMs
Parking
Rest Areas
Lodging
Custom Search

The nice thing about Up Ahead is that it is continually updated as you travel so if you can set it up with the 3 POI categories you use most often it would update those item automatically as you traveled your route.

I said "I was just being cautious". Electronics do fail every now and then, don't they? Could start a fire, but the chances are very, very small.

I may have alluded that it draws power. And it does draw a very minuscule amount of power - it has a red LED on the plug that is lit up when the GPS is disconnected and the plug is in all the way.

All the other electronics in the truck, even while the ignition is turned off, certainly draws more power than a single LED.

For instance, OnStar is still active and they can do their monthly check at any time of the day - many times when it is sitting in the driveway locked-up for the night. OnStar queries the vehicle and my truck transmits a report, therefore the OnStar equipment's receiver is on all the time. Also the vehicle can still be located with the ignition off (still need a battery connected though).

Thank goodness for microelectronics. Generally, the smaller the chip, the less current drawn.

Garmin cigar lighter plugs have fallen apart before. This is not designed for constant use. I leave it in.

dobs108

I have both a 760 and 3597. The 3597 has a very responsive screen when selecting menu items or zooming. The 3597 did have a "keyboard delay" when new. When "searching near" another city and entering the name of the city or the location to search for, there was a delay of up to several seconds on pressing each key until that letter was displayed in the search field.

In my opinion, this indicated that the processor was overburdened by doing something else. After several firmware updates, this has gone away for the most part, but not completely. I recommend keeping the unit fully updated.

The 3597 has features that are different from the features of the 760. Like t923347 says, they are hidden in the menu. It takes a lot of effort to find all the capabilities of the newer units, but after becoming familiar with them the newer units are even better.

dobs108

Searching for the optio. For my 3597 to have a cup o'coffee ready for me when I'm a out to get I to the car. But, alas, I've not found it ..... yet.... Can some kind soul shorten my option hunting?

1. Out of warranty -- No Support
2. New Maps only fit on SD Card
3. Can't backup files(3+ years ago, I found out the Directory structure is scrambled, yet it still boots & works as a GPS)
4. Due to above, and space limitations, I have not changed from CSV filetype or MP3 to Wav files, and therefore stopped using HD Radio interface (Which has incredible sound on an HD Radio, by the way!)..
5. Power plug fell apart a couple of times, but reinforced, and now is solid, though cable insulation has shrunk away from windshield mount, but it still works with a bit of tape supporting the wires now.

I'm lucky that the display version is the good version... Yes, it is what??? 8-10 years old?

I'm still on original Battery... I bought a spare, but never put it in!

But, even with the above mentioned limitations....

1. It still works reliably, scrambled directory or not! !
2. I picked up Lifetime Maps ~$40, 5+ years ago.
3. I picked up Lifetime Traffic at same time, cheaply, and it has also paid for itself!
4. My favorite POI's still load & Run using the version of POI Loader that existed with the last 660 firmware upgrade (2.5.4.0), and all POI's still work (except for the updated Diners, Drive-ins & Dives, which no longer supports CSV files)
5. I can load & run new maps on SD drive quickly & efficiently.
6. Support here Supersedes Factory Support!!!
6a. Cracked into Speech, changing phrases at will
6b. POI's here are the Best!
6c. I know know more about the GPS than any factory manual would Provide!!

So, until our 660 becomes non-functional.....
I see no reason to Upgrade

$.02 !

(As said by the guy who restored a 1917 wall mounted magneto crankphone to fully operational status 5 years ago, and uses it daily) !

I don't have your model, but I measured the power draw of my 3790LMT cord (which includes a traffic receiver).

I forget the exact number but think it was about 30 mA.

That is about the total power draw from other sources in my 2002 Audi A4, so I do take the trouble of pulling it out of the (always on on this Audi) socket routinely.

This is much better than the 855, which famously did not really turn off when you turned it "off", and drew something like 120 mA. That one took my battery down for enough on a two-week vacation that the car would not start. Good thing we took the other car to the airport!

One thing I miss on the 2557LMT that I had on the 765T is Tools with conversions. Well, I guess you can't have everything.

Why replace it with a crappy new one when there is a guy who fixes older NUVI's. I suspect he uses mostly used parts on the old units as new ones aren't available anymore but that shouldn't be a problem. His web site is:

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

I'll use him if my 750 ever quits.

I like the way you always add a smile to any post.

The Zumo series have powerd mounts. If you are willing to pay the price.

Thanks for the explanation. I never thought about the power cable LED. That tells me why I have not had a problem with keeping the mount powered. I don't use the Garmin GTM-60 power cable in my truck; just a generic USB adapter and USB cable. So I have no LED and don't think the mount is drawing power when the nuvi is removed. At least my Ford started last week at -10 degrees after sitting for a couple of weeks over the holidays. So I think I am OK.

When I decided it was time to replace my aging 750, I went with a 3597 and initially had a case of buyer's remorse. It was different and it seemed unable to do many of the things I had come to expect. But I gave it some time and discovered it was able to do all the things I was used to on the 750, many better. No going back to my 750 here.

I love mine!

When I decided it was time to replace my aging 750, I went with a 3597 and initially had a case of buyer's remorse. It was different and it seemed unable to do many of the things I had come to expect. But I gave it some time and discovered it was able to do all the things I was used to on the 750, many better. No going back to my 750 here.

The only thing I really had to change was a couple MP3 alert files to wav format.

add the correct version of SOX to the POI Loader program folder.

...unless TXRVer is using a Mac.

I’ve owned over 50 Garmin GPSr’s since the GPS II back in 1996. I buy and sell them, mostly on eBay, and keep the ones I like. While I agree with you about the changing functionality of Garmin products, my opinion is, in general, they are improving the overall usefulness of the units they sell. Rather than compete with Smartphones, Garmin has chosen to link to that technology via Bluetooth in many of their newer models to keep prices down.

I too have been disappointed about the demise of some of the older features I liked. As other posters have pointed out, there are workarounds for most of the points you mention. It does require some digging in the increasingly complex menu structure of the newer units and in some cases some computer savvy to modify files.

I disagree with what Garmin told you about no powered mounts on current models. As pointed out above, your 3597 had a magnetic powered mount. It is not listed as a current model but Garmin is still selling the unit. There are also five 7”, 2015 models offered with powered mounts. The Dezl 770, RV 760, 2757, 2797 and 2798 all have that feature.

The knowledgeable folks here at the factory have provided ways to modify my 3597 that satisfy all my initial complaints. In fact, I now believe the 3597 to be the best unit Garmin has produced to date. My advice is to give your 2598 a chance and play with the unit a while before deciding to return it.

The 760 has a lot of loyal followers like yourself. The old 855 was another good one which I really liked. If you are serious about replacing your aging 760, I've got one you can have if you'll cover the cost of shipping to your location.

I sold the unit on eBay last week but the buyer is returning it. He says the screen is too small. I accept returns for any reason so I refunded his money.

I picked it up at a yard sale for next to nothing. The seller said he replaced the battery which appears to hold a charge, at least for the limited testing I did. I verified the unit works but nothing else. It's in good physical shape and the screen looks normally bright. The original mount and cord set are included. In any case, contact me through POI Factory if you want it.

As about power draw. I have nuvi 770, its 760 with Europe maps. If it's in mount and shut down it's not powering off completely. It's goes into something that can be described as sleep mode. If battery is not fully charged it is charging battery. If you have power socket powered all the time it may draw some power, but how much I never checked.

How I know it's not powering down completely? Because if you turn it off with power button (when powered all the time from power socket) and than turn it on it's ready to work instantly. So be aware of this, and better take 760/770 from cradle if your car has weak battery.

Wow, thanks everyone for all the responses!

@ Metricman; the 3597 LMTHD sounds ideal! However, I'm concerned because Garmin customer service thinks the 3597 has the nag screen problem (if you pick a destination by name, such as a store, when you turn it on to leave the place, it asks you to rate it every damn time, with no way to turn off the annoyance). If the 3597 does not have that problem, I'll try it. However, it's discontinued so I'd better buy it ASAP.

@ JGermann; thanks, but replacing the battery is the easy part. I need a new screen, too; mine got damaged due to, ah, a gravity problem resulting in a collision with a rock. It still works, sort of, so I'm still using it, but if I can't find a suitable replacement, I'll need to fix it somehow.

@t923347, thanks! Okay, if the 3597 has no nag screen asking you to rate the place you've just visited, I'll probably order one.
As for the "search along route" issue, searching along the active route (search near active route) is what I meant. You're right, it only does it
up to the next waypoint, unlike my 760 which does it for the whole route. Unfortunately, I use that feature a lot, and Garmin's crippling of it is going to cause me headaches. However, I'm resigned to having to accept some issues.

@Dobs 108; it sounds like the 3597 is the best pick, thanks! I'm rather saddened, though, that Garmin has discontinued it - none of their current line have powered mounts now.

@ Billybovine;
The Zumo line sounds interesting! Thanks for the tip on them, I'll look into them (pricey, but not too bad).

@ bdhhsfz6
The 3597, according to Garmin, is discontinued. They don't sell it on their website, but I have found it on Amazon and a couple of other places. It sounds like a great unit, so I'll give it a try.

According to Garmin, they no longer make any powered mount units. However, the Zumo line (for motorcycles) is still made by them, and is powered mount.

Thanks for the offer of the 760! I'll be delighted to take you up on that, plus some extra $ for your trouble, if the 3597 doesn't pan out. To be honest, I do like the voice command feature on some of the Nuvis I've tried, so I'm willing to try a 3597, but failing that, I'll go back to the 760. Thank you!!!

Interesting. The 3597 is still listed on the Garmin site as the only Prestige model currently being offered and lists the MSRP. But when going to the actual 3597 page, I see that you're correct and there is no longer an "Add to Cart" button. This may mean that Garmin has finally officially discontinued the model even though it's still be listed as the only Prestige device available.

There are still vendors selling new and Factory refurb 3597s and I suggest you seriously look at the refurbs. Many here have Garmin refurbs and are very happy with them given the discounted price paid. There are many 3597s offered on eBay and they typically sell for $200-280 or so. Normal eBay precautions apply, but for me eBay is a place I still would always consider for a purchase.

Regarding powered mounts: yes, the loss of powered mounts is a serious issue if Garmin wants me to ever consider buying a new unit. In addition to the Zumo that you mention, one new dezl (trucker model) also has a powered mount.

If you do go ahead and buy a 3597, play with it for a while, then check the various threads here discussing it. It is quite a change from older nuvis. A 3597 will come with only two English language voices and only one speaks street names. More English language voices can be added though.

Yes, I gave up on Windows when I retired. Life it too short so now I can go barefoot

When you get your 3597, make sure you keep it away from your credit cards and motel keys ... the magnet for the mount will destroy those cards. I have trashed more than one motel key with mine

I’m in no hurry to relist the 760 on ebay so I’ll hold on to it while you test drive a 3597. Let me know if you want it.

BTW, the GPS Store currently has 3597 refurbs available for $229
http://www.thegpsstore.com/Garmin-Nuvi-3597LMTHD-Refurbished...

yep they gone that far downhill.....

I found this puzzling and then I stumbled on the answer and possibly a bug in the software on the 3597.

Like you, beginning with my 750, I have been accustomed to selecting a destination and then using search near active route to select fuel and lunch stop POIs, etc. The 750 and 760 and others automatically arranged the selected points in an efficient order from start to destination.

When I did the same thing with my 3597, contrary to your experience, mine did find additional POI beyond my 1st waypoint but I had to manually slide the selected POI into the proper order else the route would run back and forth on the same road between the waypoints.

I then discovered the Route Optimization modes under Traffic preferences. I changed it from On Request to Automatic and guess what??? I can no longer find any POI near my route beyond the 1st defined waypoint. I must assume the route optimization's focus is to alter a route if a better choice is available should a traffic delay appear on the current route. Doing so breaks the ability to find additional POI beyond the 1st waypoint.

From this I discovered a workaround but it is only useful if you know all stops you want up front. Add your desired waypoints searching POI near your current route starting with the one closest to the destination and work your way back. You can also insert a Recent waypoint into the route, but as mentioned earlier, you will need to slide it into the correct order among the others.

Alternatively, you can find additional waypoints beyond the 1st if you select On Request for the Traffic Optimization preference, but you have to order them manually. It also seems necessary that the preference be selected before starting a route.

The ability to find an additional waypoint beyond the 1st seems to be broken as is the ability for the 3597 to automatically arrange waypoints in a route in a logical order. The only thing I haven't tried since I discovered this Automatic Traffic Optimization is to see if it will find a POI ahead near my current route once I have physically passed that 1st waypoint in my route. More experimentation on my next trip!

That is a stout magnet! I'm in the habit of stacking my nuvi and wallet on the desk in the hotel room. That might be a bad habit. Thanks for the heads up.

Never had a problem with the nuvi on a desk but don't put it in your pocket with the cards

I used my truck's key fob remote one time without taking it out of the same pocket that the motel room key was in and then I couldn't get into the room!

The front desk had to re-code the card. They said it was completely blank when they checked it!

It appears that the magnet mount draws enough additional power to let the 3597LMTHD go to battery mode. The traffic cable is on an RMA. A power cord from a 255W seems to adequately power the 3597, but when connected through the magnet mount, it cycles between Bat and Ext power at regular 3-second intervals. I'm waiting to see if the RMA traffic cable also does that through the magnet mount.

I suspect it is the power draw because the magnet mount does circuitry in it (and may have active circuits), and because the regular cycling between Bat and Ext suggests a power consumption issue.

Has anyone swapped power cords on a Garmin magnet mount and observed the results?

I use a cheap generic USB power connector and standard USB cable with my 3597. It works fine for me, I have tried several power adapters ... some work, some give the "incorrect power adapter" error.

I don't usually use the bulky GTM-60 cable because there is no traffic coverage in my area and the heavy cable and large cig ligher plug is so awkward. When I travel to a city that has coverage, I pull it out of the glove box and use it, but normally I operate my 3597 with the generic adapter and cable.

My c580 had more options than any new garmin

The 3597 powered mount does consume power because it has active circuits in it. (Mine had to be replaced because it wouldn't power the GPS.) It is not clear whether this circuitry is active without the GPS, but at least the power cord draws power because it converts to the 5 volts and runs the LED. I think it's best to pull it out. If the integrity of the plug is an issue, you can always get a 2-socket splitter. (I use the type with 2 cords in mine so I can also run a cell phone charger.)

I've seen elsewhere that people with the "1A/2A" USB adapter plugs found that the lower power one works. Supposedly the higher power one is for Apple devices, and maybe has a resistance or voltage at one of the data ports.

One of the problems with Garmin is that they have never been able to put out firmware for their units that don't have some bugs.

And when they start to get close to correcting most of them, they put out another "new" unit.

Their definition of a "new" unit is to add a feature but remove a feature at the same time, so not much progress is ever made in the feature set of the units.

Hi Jack,

We appreciate the vote of confidence! Thank you!

I just wanted to comment though, that we don't use used parts in our repairs, unless it is a full board swap or case swap, as it is not always possible to obtain a new board or new case from the manufacturer.

The manufacturer may no longer make the model, but parts like speakers, switches, headphone jacks, batteries, touchscreens, LCD displays and other electronic parts are still readily available through companies such as Newark, Sager, Digikey, Mouser, MCM Electronics, eBay, etc. If we can't find the original part, many of these companies offer drop-in replacements made by other manufacturers.

We also buy in bulk to obtain better pricing. There are some parts that we just can't buy in single-piece quantities and therefore we have to make the commitment to spend a lot of money to make a large purchase, hoping we will use up all of the parts over the next few years.

When we replace a board, we go through the process of reinforcing the power switch and USB port, adding ESD protection, so that the customer will not have the same problems that we have seen in the past on certain models.

The parts are out there!

Again, we appreciate the recommendations!

Since this is my second reply to this same post, I can inform what has changed since my first post:

A powered mount is fine, until it stops working....
When it quit working, we had no battery charging, no Traffic, No FM modulator.
We had this happen with our 660 since the first post.
The mount interface between 660 and traffic receiver/FM Modulator in dc plug died. Thinking it was the battery, I changed that, but no, it wasn't that. Also verified the cable between 660 and Plug. That, too was OK. It was the 660's interface is what has died.
I eventually determined I could power the 660 off of the USB port, and posted a Pinout of the cable that would do this here somewhere. With this custom made USB cable, I lost Charging, Traffic & FM Modulator, but at least the 660 would work at all via a usb cable.
So I have 2 different USB cables for the 660 now: The 'Stock' USB cable for firmware, Vehicle, Audio, and POI Loading..... And a Custom Made USB cable that powers the 660 for normal operation.

Seeing that we have possibly the only 660 that has worked on both a powered mount and USB cable, I actually prefer the USB cable 660.

Our 2689LMT is limited to a USB cable.

My beef is different than yours: I miss the MP3 Music capability of the 660 in the 2689LMT
I wish Newer Garmins kept MP3 Music!
I did not know that the 660's transmitter was both Regular and HD FM until I got our escape, and HD FM with MP3 music we selected and placed on the SD card via the 660 was simply great! (Of course we lost this when the powered mount died!).
Only then did I find out that POI's and MP3 music did strange things together... wouldn't keep track of what music had been playing prior to POI, and went to a different song instead of continuing where it left off. That is Complaint #2

Because there is no MP3 support in the 2689LMT (Learned this when MP3 POI Audio prompts didn't work!), I haven't tried to see if there is an FM Transmitter capability in the 2689LMT. This is also true since we now have Sirius radio in the escape, primarily due to the loss of MP3 Audio in the 2689LMT, which, due to our moving and wife wanting to listen to football games from another part of the country.... probably would remain, even if Garmin did re-introduce MP3 audio capabilities again!

Try SHARCNET-USA. they specialize in GPS Repair & Accessories and did a great job on my Nuvi T765. http://www.sharcnet-usa.com.

Following with MUCH interest!!!!

You can get external batteries these days that power USB devices. Plug the "A" side of a USB cable into the battery and the other into your GPS.

Here is a link to an example. (I provide it as an example, not an endorsement of this particular item.)

http://www.amazon.com/Powerful-Portable-RAVPower-Technology-...

That said... I haven't been happy with Garmin Customer "Support" either lately.

We've seen problems with wires breaking free from the plug that plugs into the cradle.

In the cradle itself, there is a PC board and we've seen the receptacle pins on the board break free, causing the plug not to make contact with the board.

On the 660, there are gold fingers on the back of the unit that are located underneath the flip-up antenna. These fingers make contact with the cradle pins.

We've seen the gold fingers bent/twisted, preventing contact with the cradle. On the inside of the 660, the other end of those fingers are compressed against gold pads on the 660's PC board.

We've seen those distorted and not making contact with the board --- Just something to check.

The (2) screws that hold down the 660's PC board are what also compresses the board to the fingers. We've seen some DIY repairs where the screws were either left out or not tightened, causing a poor connection between the board and the gold fingers.

The charging chip that charges the internal lithium battery is shared with both the side USB port and cradle mount, so if the unit charges OK with the side USB port, then the chip is most likely OK and a bad connection exists between the cradle and 660 PC board, provided that the charger cable/plug and cradle are OK.

A picture of the internal gold fingers can be seen here:

http://www.sharc.net/images/bloated_battery6.jpg

http://www.sharc.net/images/bloated_battery1.jpg

The board is secured over the fingers, making contact between the board and the fingers.

SHARCNET might be good, except they're not accepting new business:

Yes, we're still here and we're still in business! However, due to the large volume of incoming repairs, we will not be able to accept any additional units for repair or be able to answer your GPS/Camera questions until our repair schedule has been cleared.

Phil

Phil,

We receive emails everyday from people with questions & requests. Site was open for new repairs for 2 weeks until just late last week.

According to your hit to our site, you haven't checked it very often.

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IP Address: 75.39.24.150
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City: Mentor
Visit length: 3 minute(s) 54 second(s)
Entry page: GPS Repair
Exit page: Repair / Quote Form
Referring URL: http://www.poi-factory.com/node/44032
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Relax Phil and Chill....

I changed the batt in my 765 and 1490. That isn't a big deal, but the screen is another issue.

the USB plug supplies 5V and Nuvis run on 5v, so the Auto power plug includes a 5V regulator. That would be what is running and lighting the LED. You may be drawing 15 to 30 MA with no unit plugged in.