Automobile GPS model with user replaceable/rechargeable batteries?

There are numerous services that will replace the battery for you if you do feel up to it. Personally, I'm still using my 2450 which is coming up on 5 years old. Yes the battery doesn't last long, but It's plugged in whenever I use it anyway so who cares.

There should be videos sowing how to replace your battery.
Also search to see if you can find a battery for your unit, maybe BatteriesPlus.

I have used youtube to replace Kindle, Nexus 7 and other batteries.

The only Nuvi that offered user replaceable batteries that I'm aware of was the good old 855. These units are available on eBay if you seriously want one. It's an older unit and batteries are getting hard to find however.

I agree with jfossy and mgarledge. Newer Nuvi batteries aren't that difficult to replace. Nuvi's are automotive units and are usually plugged into the vehicle. Battery power isn't that important.

I am unaware of any Garmin auto GPS that has a replaceable battery. The batteries in Garmin devices give good service for the most part. It is not very often we hear in these forums that a battery has failed prematurely.

If you have had trouble with a battery I would question whether the battery itself had failed or if an intermittent connection did not provide the proper charge. There seems to be no standard for cigar lighter outlets; some are better than others.

Please be sure to use the cigar lighter outlet - it has a large capacity. Many cars today have a USB socket which has a limited capacity. Modern auto GPS units have faster processors and hi-res screens which draw a lot of current. This begs the question - are you sure the battery is bad? The latest GPS units will not run very long when not plugged in to 12 volts before the battery is depleted.

As others have said, there are reliable companies who will replace a built-in battery at a fair price, as well as supply kits with the parts and tools including video instructions to do it yourself.

GPS devices are no different from other devices such as tablets and phones which are moving toward built-in batteries.

dobs108

although very expensive is the Garmin Montana which is a handheld device rather than an automotive device. Since it is a handheld device, it does have replaceable AA batteries. And if you add the automotive mount with speaker and City Navigator map, the Montana will give you "nuvi-like" road navigation with TTS prompts and lane guidance. Note that you cannot add traffic service or Junction view. And with Garmin no longer offering the City Navigator map on DVD, it may not be possible to add a lifetime map update subscription.

The Garmin Nuvi 500/550 and some others have a battery that can be replaced easily by the end user. https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the-road/discontinued/nuv... Further examination shows that it used by the following Garmin devices:

Aera 500

Aera 510

Aera 550

Aera 560

Nüvi 500

Nüvi 550

SafeNav

Zūmo 220

Zūmo 660

Zūmo 660LM

Zūmo 665

zūmo 665LM

If it were me, and I had to have one of the above units, I might be inclined to look long and hard at the Garmin zūmo 665LM. It isn't exactly cheap, though!

http://g.factoryoutletstore.com/details/56160/garmin-zumo665...

Don't forget the Garmin 295W! I love this discontinued little guy. Slips easy into my pocket, has "pedestrian mode", Wi-Fi, web browser. A smart phone without cell phone capabilities!, lol.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/prod73079.html

The list also doesn't include the 8x0 and 8x5 nuvi models. It is probably just as well as it is now almost impossible to find batteries for them.

I use my 855 on battery regularly. This has been especially helpful when in cars without 12 volt systems, and random cases like on a bus in Greece at night, needing to know in advance when to get off.

i replaced one in a 1490. the hardest part was getting the dbl faced tape that holds the battery unstuck.