Garmin Mechanic ecoRoute HD & a Nuvi 255W help/advice

I'm fairly certain my dēzl 770 and my Nuvi 2789 both still have the leaf icon. I will check when I get home.I have been on the hunt for the Garmin Mechanic dongle for mine.

As far as a reset, give the procedure at https://www.gpscity.com/questions?qid=5514 a try. Just do a backup within Garmin Express of you saved places.

Thanks, save everything and will give it a try. I don't recall if the ecoRoute thing was built in, installed itself or required some download on my part. Are there any files one can "adjust" to "drop" the previous vehicle, which I am guessing is why I can not access the proper icon(s)

hello

According to google, the ecoroute HD was released march 2010, whereas the 255w was released 2 years prior. You're likely reading a manual for a 1xxx series device, as I just tried that settings path on my 1690 (sep. 2009) and it's the exact same.

Thanks Zakaria. It seems the Nuvi 255W was in a Nuvi 2595 box. And on reflection I believe I gave the 2595 away. So… guess that ends the project. Interesting that the 255 does show some portion of an ecoRoute app, where it wants info on the price of gas and fuel economy.
I did try a reset, top right while powering on but the only thing that accomplished was setting up the ecoRoute vehicle thing again.
Thanks to all that considered my problem, much appreciated. Might see if I can purchase a model that does work, be nice to see the info that the ecoRoute gadget displayed. I bought a OBDII (BlueDriver) it shows some info but…..
Anyway
Cheers
Ralph

Evidently, according to the models supported on the box, the Garmin Nuvi 1390 LMT works with the ecoRoute gadget. So wasting(?) ~$18 & 17 shipping to purchase one from ebay. Should arrive in a couple of weeks? Will see if that works...

So my NUVI 1390 came some time ago, (paid more for shipping than the item). The “eco” part seems to work, in that I have a Green Leaf icon in the Tools Menu.

Where did the “Mechanic” part come from? Was this a separate app that needed downloading. Where/how was it accessed on the NUVI? The Garmin site (https://support.garmin.com/en-CA/?productID=38354&tab=topics) shows no software available. Video at the site show the leaf but when I go thru the installation/pairing process I do not get the “mechanic” part.

Possibly with the 1390… I got what I paid for… a semi useless unit.

The Garmin Mechanic app (Android only) required a hardware dongle (ecoRoute™ HD) that plugged into the vehicle's OBD-II port and transmitted data from the port, wirelessly via Bluetooth to the GPS.

According to the website link below, it was compatible only with the nüLink!® 1690 LIVE and the nüvi® 3790T (I don't know if those were the ONLY ones but that's what it states).

Garmin Mechanic with ecoRoute™ HD
https://www.garmin.com/en-CA/p/38354/

Without the ecoRoute HD dongle, you can not get the hardware-level data from the vehicle to the GPS.

I always wanted one of these when it was released but I was on iOS (Apple) and my car (1994 Mustang GT) predates the now bog-standard OBD-II..it's OBD-I and required a very early code scanner or adapter to use. You can manually read the error codes by jumpering a couple of pins on a socket under the hood and counting/deciphering the "check engine" light flashes.

So ecoRoute™ HD was incompatible with both my car as well as my iPhone.

All very confusing as to which models are compatible. I did come across the two models you mentioned... and then could not find it again. If, one Googles models compatible with the ecoRoute HD mechanic it returns quite the list. The box the ecoRoute HD mechanic came in also has a long list and why I purchased the NUVI 1390.

Evidently the amount of info that's available varies by vehicle as well so possibly "nothing" is available from my 2022 Palisade.

Might try to find another model on eBay and try again... or give the idea up.

Thanks again

Yeah, mine was not a LMT device, I purchase lifetime map updates when i bought it and it will not update the device at all. It says I have updates but it fails when I try to install the updates, the map being one of them. So the device is what it is now, no further updates will install.

Corresponded with Garmin re my effort to get my Garmin Mechanical ecoRoute HD and Nuvi 1390 working, here is their response:
Hello Ralph,

Unfortunately, both items are retired. Garmin no longer makes, repairs or exchanges the Nuvis. Garmin Mechanic with ecoRoute HD has been retired for a very long time and there is no live technical support for it or the Nuvi.

And when I asked if the software was built in or needed downloading (thinking the 1390 is a dud and perhaps a different model)their response:
Hello Ralph,

It's not built-in, it would require a download or installation unfortunately. Since it's no longer hosted for download, there's unfortunately not a way forward on this one.

So, back in the redundant shoe box it goes. Thanks to all that were involved,
cheers

If you're willing I might be interested (and in the US) in buying it off you. I have been looking for one to mess with for a while...

I sent you an email using the poi-factory option to contact members. Not sure it works though, I asked for a copy be sent to me and I have not received it...

There used to be a very complete archive of legacy Garmin software at /www.gawisp.com/perry, This was a really valuable resource, containing all the old software that garmin pulled from their own site. But (AFAIK) it's long gone now. Some previous discussion of that here

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/50787

That would have been the place to find your old download. Don't know, it's possible that it might still be available through archive.org, maybe worth a look?

The story about the end of the perry archives is interesting, from what I was told. The archives grew into a pretty big website over time, but the owner was only paying for a small, basic web hosting plan. One day, the hosting company noticed how big it had become and said he would now have to pay a much higher hosting fee due to the amount of data. Either he couldn't afford that or maybe nobody was minding the store and just ignored the problem?

But one way or the other, the site was taken down and all Garmin users lost an important resource. What a shame Garmin doesn't do this themselves, with officical "clean" copies of old software. Of course, they don't really want you to keep using your old devices though, they're in the business of selling new ones. Their products, their website, I don't dispute their right to run it as they please. But it's just a shame.

And to make things even worse, they keep re-organizing their website so that old links to FAQ's and stuff constantly break. Another shame, it's like they feel the need to constantly scrub all records of the past...

Joe and Jack's site is still up...kinda. I don't know if either of them are even still around since nothing new has been posted for many years now. Still a ton of useful info there, especially for vintage devices.

http://gpsinformation.net/

I remember the Allory Deiss link archive being linked to from Joe and Jack's for the longest time. FWIW, it's still active at the link below. I've had this in my bookmarks for decades now. It's still being updated (as of June 4 2026). Didn't look to see how far back it goes but it seems that it's links to the official Garmin site links. It's NOT the full archive of actual firmware update files that we knew from way back but still useful nonetheless.

http://gpsinformation.net/allory/new.htm

Never saw that site before, looks like it's just a page that links to Garmin's newest firmware. You're right, that certainly is not anything at all like the Perry archives. That was actual Garmin software, going back many years. And the whole point was... Garmin didn't have it on their own website anymore. The old site was the place to go you when you needed older Garmin firmware. That other site is just a convience, putting some actual Garmin links on one page.

Now, it looks like archive.org has copied the site. Did not spend any real time there, but clicking on any of the links just produced empty folders. Not sure if there's any real firmware, or just the hollow shell of the old site. Maybe archive.org doesn't have it because of copyright issues? They have enough problems in that regard already (an old friend actually got sucked into one of their lawsuits).

https://web.archive.org/web/20180329193443/www.gawisp.com/pe...

I think this is a backup of the site. At least a chunk of it. I found it while unbricking a few units.
https://archive.org/details/Garmin_Nuvi_Firmware_Archive_Per...

This one seems to be a full dump
https://archive.org/download/garmin_perry_archive

I have not seen anything come though. I Just sent a email though the service as well to see if it works going that way. So far I have not received a copy either.

That may be better. I just randomly chose a date earlier. When the file I wanted wasn't found, the wayback machine searched and said it (Nuvi 1390 firmware) wasn't anywhere in the wayback machine. There was just an empty folder.

But I don't see it at your link either, unfortunately. There's a Nuvi3xx folder which at first glance looks like it, but in fact it just contains files for the Nuvi 3700 and 3500 series. So, these are all from a newer vintage (I think the 3700 and 3500 may have been the last Nuvi's actually?)