DS 65 fails to start.. or just a black screen?

Is the device shutting down completely or just going into sleep mode, when you turn turn the vehicle off? If in sleep mode your battery may be draining down to much to get a fresh restart. See https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=TiDz048p5C6qe2dMv5tNU7...

Depending on the make of vehicle, some of the ACC outlets are powered off when the vehicle is turned off. If you have that type of vehicle and don't do anything, then as others have pointed out, the GPS will just go into standby mode, resulting in a continual drain on the battery. Among other things, this can in time significantly degrade the battery due to the discharge/charge cycles.

I agree with charles, the DS65 is going to sleep rather than turning off.

Since the problem has only occurred twice, I'll guess that prior to these two instances, the vehicle hasn't been driven for a couple days which gives the 65's battery more time to discharge in sleep. Also, the cold weather in Edmonton, now that it's winter, can lessen the GPS battery's ability to supply the needed voltage or amperage to start the GPS.

I drive relatively infrequently and since I don't know when I'll next take the car out, I always cancel my GPS's countdown when I shut off the car, then do a long power-button hold until I'm given the option to fully power down the GPS and power it down. Since I remove my GPS from its mount, case it up, and store it under my drivers seat, it's easy to do a full shutdown since I have it in my hands already. Even fully powered down, I frequently see a weak battery if I haven't driven for a few days, so regardless of whether I need to use the GPS for directions, I also connect the GPS to its mount and have it start up when I take a drive so that the battery can be recharged through the "cigarette lighter" socket.

A potential test of the 65's battery when this issue arises again is to repeat your long power switch hold-down, then when it reboots, disconnect the 65 from it's cable and let it fully boot up, then check the battery level indicator on the 65. My guess is that it'll show a very low charge.

Yes indeed, and since the OP states that upon turning off the vehicle, he gets the Garmin "count down," the vehicle is one that isn't keeping its socket powered, so the GPS is going into sleep mode.

Since the GPS is in the car at all times, the battery gets cold this time of year. Just like car batteries, a cold GPS battery has up to 50% less capacity than a room temperature battery.

My gps's go for weeks between uses. Make sure to fully shut down when done. Probably not the best idea to keep the gps in a freezing cold car¿?

Thanks all for the comments/thoughts.

I do believe it has gone into sleep mode but fails to refresh/wakeup when next powered on. Or, does wakeup but as the screen stays black.. I don't know which state it is in.

Both times this has happened is after driving a considerable time/distance so temperature should not have been an issue. And both times it happened after a very short shut down. As in, stop car, go into store, buy a few groceries and come back.

I have wondered if the voltage of my car is not sufficient to "wakeup" the DS65. But this has so far only happened after operating in a warm car and not first thing in the morning with a cold car when the voltage could be at its minimum.

My concern is that is an issue that may get worse and at what point do I contact customer support.

Make sure the GPS is getting a constant source of power. Cigar lighter outlets are not made to exact dimensions or standards. They are notorious for intermittent connections.

If the Garmin power cord or traffic receiver is not seated firmly in the socket so that the center pin contacts the live terminal, then the outlet should be replaced. There usually is a red LED pilot light on the Garmin cord. Make sure it is always lit when the engine is running.

Garmin GPSs are not like cell phones that can run on their battery all day. The Garmin battery is smaller and the electrical load is larger than that of a cell phone. If the GPS is not connected to 12 volts, the battery may only run the device for several minutes before going dead.

Let's not forget the connector at the other end of the cord! What shape is that in? Does it seat firmly or wiggle around? Is it dirty? Use contact cleaner. The connecter on the GPS could have broken away from the printed circuit board.

Until this is solved, charge the Garmin every day with a wall charger, something every GPS owner should have.

Pretty sure it is not power related.. My cigarette lighter connection is actually hardwired into the ACC circuit with a new cigarette lighter connection that the Garmin male plugs into and is firmly tucked and taped under the dash.

With a permanent installation the connection to the Garmin sees no vibration and very little use so I don't think it a problem either.

My Garmin is cycled dozens of times a day as I use my vehicle.. and, this issue has not occurred again since my original post.. so whatever is causing it is very intermittent.

But, thanks for your thoughts/advice, all valid.

It’s probably a glitch in the firmware/operating system. In the GPS. Like all computers and smartphones, they need a hard reset/reboot once in awhile. I would try this and see what happens.