Using the simulator mode...

I'm not sure why but mine is doing the same on a consistent basis. I put in a destination from my home, it will travel about two turns and then stop. It will not go any further. If I press detour, it starts up again with a new route and this is the only way to get simulator to work again.

Also if I try a new simulation, I can't get it to start from home again. Except to turn off the simulator and turn in on again.

Any ideas.

John
Garmin nuvi 650.

Have you tried a reset? Do you have the latest firmware?

Yes, I have tried the reset button, but it still happens each time. I also tried to restore settings and the unit displays a message "ENABLING BLUETOOTH"

I'm pretty sure my unit does not have bluetooth. and locks up. Then I have to reset it to get it to do anything.

Help me.

You didn't address the question of whether you have the latest firmware (check but don't update via WebUpdater).

Would this be the webupdater on garmin site to keep firmware up to date. If so, then it has been done.

it states that it has the latest software

Is there always a pub at the stopping point? Just kidding. If this happens regardless of the starting point, and not just having a problem getting past a given spot, I would think it time for a call to tech support, since my 660 certainly doesn't behave that way.

Do i have a unit with bugs or is there any other suggestions to try.

Thanks for your time. I'll check into it.

Spoke to Garmin tech today and they indeed felt the unit had some defects after asking me to do some things with it,
They said I could send it to garmin or bring it back to the original store. The unit was still under the 30 day purchase from The Source. Thanks to the sweet lady at the Source for handling it very professionally and restarting the 30 day return from today and not when I originally purchased the unit.

Wish me luck. As this is the 3rd unit after I found out the first unit had a different serial number than its packaging..(whole other story.)

Thanks

Could someone with a Garmin nuvi 650 try something for me? I would love for someone to restore settings in the tools menu. I'm still getting "enabling blue tooth" which is locking the unit. This is my 3rd unit. Probably my last.
thanks

See my post in this thread:
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/11088

entitled: "Bluetooth firmware V2.80". The exact procedure may be slightly different on the 6xx, but I just had the same problem with a Nüvi 310 and that's how I rectified the situation.

I've accepted the simulator problem as being a location problems in the maps maybe. But the blue tooth issure still boggles me.

Went back to store with 3rd unit. Pulled 2 more units off shelf and apparently all are doing the same thing. One of the units I returned came from another province. The store also seemed baffled. I can't be the only person that has gone through this with the 650 series.
Other than these annoyances, I really like the 650. My only concern is if these are the only bugs in the unit. Will there be anymore surprises. I kept the GPS and am going to call Garmin on Monday.
Will post what I find out, may help someone else in the future.
J

Maybe it's simulating a red light

Yeah, the never ending red light.

I tried my 660 on simulator after reading this and it has no problem taking me to the destination I put in. I watched the distance and it announced each turn and it was real close to the intersection.

I've experienced the same problem with my nuvi 660 "freezing up" while part way through simulating routes. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme nor reason other than my unit freezes up at certain turns. I'm not too worried about this behaviour as I just stop the routing and start it back up from its current position. I certainly would be concerned if the unit froze up during actual routing to destinations on a consistent basis.

I'd love to help, but I don't want to risk turning the 650 into a brick...

A Google search for nuvi 650 "enabling bluetooth" shows several people encountering a problem after restoring all settings to factory defaults from the tools menu ("wrench").

There is a thread here at POI Factory that offers some hope:
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/6922
"On a whim I tried to set my Nuvi to the factory defaults using the restore button and I get a message "enabling bluetooth" which the 650 is not supposed to have.

I called Garmin this morning and a software tech (wish I could remember his name) stayed on the phone with me for approx. 40 minutes...[snip]...Neither one of us is exactly sure what did the trick but it is working now"


Except for the restore settings function "enabling blue tooth" and that one and only point on the simulator map, everything seems to be working as it should. Oh and maybe a few weird chosen routes.
It didn't quite turn it into a brick (well maybe for a minute accompanied with sheer panic). It seems to be fine otherwise

Good luck with Garmin and the Bluetooth. The simulator routing is an interesting problem

EDIT: I've experienced a problem with our nuvi 650 "freezing up" when simulating a route, just like buffettck, ridgeliner and petlaur.

I've discovered a local street that causes our 650 (with 2008 maps) to freeze in simulator mode.

Could other 6xx users try this route and report their results?

• Press Where To,scroll down, then press Coordinates
• Enter Coordinates N 43.73578, W 79.78133
• Press Next,Show Map, Set Loc.
• Press the Back button twice
• Enter Coordinates N 43.76403, W 79.75014
• Press Next, then press Go!
• In approx. 2.5 minutes, the display will go wonky
• In another 30 seconds, the display will seem to freeze
• Press the Arrival Time. The speedometer should display 0 speed.
• Press the Back button, then Options, then the Stop button
• Press View Map. The intersection will be Rattlesnake Road

I have a couple of theories...

One theory is about missing/incorrect routing. If the nuvi generated route points which didn't connect (bad routing information in the map data?) the simulator might just abruptly stop when it encountered them.

My favourite pet theory involves speed limits --- I've observed that while simulating a route, your vehicle travels at approximately the posted speed limit. So if a road on the map had a speed limit that was missing/incorrect (interpreted as zero?) you might get stuck at that Never-Ending Red Light and never reach your destination.

Hi WAASup,

I've tried the routing that you've suggested and I get the same results. When you say the display goes wonky I take it you mean the vehicle seems to stall and rotate about the road, not going anywhere. Then a short time later the vehicle just seems to stop with the speedometer going to 0. When viewing the map after stopping the routing my vehicle is at the intersection of Rattlesnake Road. This is really weird!!! We have entered the Twilight Zone or the Outer Limits.

You may have something there with your theories but if there are many more 6xx users out there that have never had this problem I wonder if it isn't just some software "glitch" in our units that only affect the simulator mode. Just my general guess anyways.

What happens when you press detour or change destination from the point where it sticks?

At this intersection it will go straight through but won't turn right with these coordinates. Try if you will. It'll take about 15-20 seconds once coordinates are entered.

Press Where To,scroll down, then press Coordinates
Enter Coordinates N 48.45045, W 123.49288
Press Next,Show Map, Set Loc.
Press the Back button twice
Enter Coordinates N 48.44939, W 123.49549
Press Next, then press Go!
In approx. 15 to 20 seconds, the car icon will just bounce there at the intersection showing turning 14-20 meters.

Little weird.

ridgeliner,

Pressing detour "unsticks" the vehicle and has it proceed eventually to the end coordinates, albeit over a more circuitous route. Haven't tried your example yet but will try it later to see if I obtain the same results as you.

Thanks, petlaur!

One thing I noticed by observing the instrument panel is that the wonkiness is due to the direction of travel oscillating before the freeze. There are two patterns - NE-->SW (about 10 times at 10-15 km/h) then the velocity decreases and the direction switches to SW-->NE-->N (about 20 times at 3-6 km/h).

Very strange indeed...

Hey ridgeliner,

I tried your example, and it "sticks" at Coordinates N 48.44943, W 123.49379.

If I press Detour, the route changes to a 5+km counter-clockwise loop and completes without a hitch.

When it is stuck, re-entering the same destination coordinates completes the route with no problems. Strangely, the usual Set as New Destination or Insert in Route as Via Point prompt is not issued.

Also, if I hit Stop when it is stuck and then re-enter the same destination coordinates, the nuvi completes the route with no problems.

Strange...

Ok I just tried both examples in simulation mode and both time my 660 to me to the destination with out any kind of hic up or stalling or anything just straight to the end .

With the simulation issue and the enabling bluetooth issue, I have returned my purchase once again. Can't find one in the city now without these issues. Have visited every store I know of that carries them in stock and I have failed in locating one. And Garmin was of no help. Just told me they had not heard of these problems and took me through a series of procedures. None of which worked.

I really wanted to like this one as i've heard so many excellent reviews on the 650. Too bad b/c I felt I had gotten it for a good price as well.

At least you won't have to put up with me polluting your forum with complaints and problems anymore.
Thanks for all your assistance

Hey just because that mmodel didn't work for your give some of the other ones a chance try the 660. There was nothing wrong about you posting your bproblems on the forum. It made others do some checking for the same issues Thats what this is all about. Keep in touch

thanks for the info, this helps other users with troubleshooting and/or making a decision on purchasing a gps. don't feel like you're complaining, i just feel bad for you for having to go through all those issues.

ridgeliner,

Sorry about the delay in getting back to you I've been a little busy. I did just try your routing sample and I too get the car icon stopping at the intersection of Hoffman Ave. with my nuvi saying turn in 40 ft (just a short distance from your end coordinates). Mind you my car icon rotated just slightly appearing to make the turn and then the icon abruptly stopped, checking the speedometer it read zero. I guess we have similar problems with our simulator. I'm not so concerned that I will pursue this problem further with Garmin.

Now that the 650 is returned, im thinking a 360 now or a 750 in couple of months. Already excited.

ridgeliner,

Good luck with whatever you choose to go with in the future!

We now have a nuvi 680 so I thought I'd revisit the simulation issues that ridgeliner and I had experienced.

Trying both of the previous routing examples ended up stalling the nuvi 680, just like our old 650 did.

Strange that johnm405's 660 handles the routing properly... theoretically the 680 is functionally equivalent to the 660, with MSN Direct traffic instead of TMC traffic.

Maybe it's just the Canadian Nuvis, eh?

...on a nuvi 760