I have a Garmin 810, which I bought second hand. Not long after getting it, the touch screen started to fail. I sent it back to Garmin for their “fixed price repair” thing, and they swapped it for a refurbished unit - £69+VAT, so about £82 in total. That was 18 months ago.
A few weeks ago, it broke again. Different fault - when I plugged it into the USB and connected it to the computer, it “went a bit bonkers” - charging indicator constantly flipped between about 40% and 100), it beeped continually, then shut itself down after about 30 secs.
Closer inspection showed that the USB port on the back, under the little rubber flap, had been damaged by the plug. One of the pins was bent.
I didn’t check it out, but reports on this forum recently suggest that the “fixed price repair” is now £195. More than it’s worth - Aldi was selling them new for less than that a while back!
I’m reasonably good at electronic repairs, and quite handy with a soldering iron, but this port was virtually impossible to access. I opened up the garmin, stripped out all the innards until I reached the charging board, but it was epoxy’d in place, and it would have been virtually impossible to get it out to solder on a new socket, assuming I could find one with the right pin pitch.
So off to t’internet to find a part. I was searching eBay for a broken Garmin that I could cannibalise, but I found several suppliers selling parts. Some in China, one in Russia.
I chose the Russian one, and ordered a replacement back for £14.36, plus about £4 postage. The chinese ones were a little cheaper, but delivery longer.
Online tracking is great - I watched it leave the factory, travel north towards Moscow, then to St Petersburg, A few days in customs, then heathrow. 2 weeks after ordering, it arrived.
Used part, but in good condition, complete with gasket.
Tonight, armed with a good pair of glasses, and some small screwdrivers, I fitted it.
The only specialist tool I needed was a T5 torx driver.
A few weeks ago, it broke again. Different fault - when I plugged it into the USB and connected it to the computer, it “went a bit bonkers” - charging indicator constantly flipped between about 40% and 100), it beeped continually, then shut itself down after about 30 secs.
Closer inspection showed that the USB port on the back, under the little rubber flap, had been damaged by the plug. One of the pins was bent.
I didn’t check it out, but reports on this forum recently suggest that the “fixed price repair” is now £195. More than it’s worth - Aldi was selling them new for less than that a while back!
I’m reasonably good at electronic repairs, and quite handy with a soldering iron, but this port was virtually impossible to access. I opened up the garmin, stripped out all the innards until I reached the charging board, but it was epoxy’d in place, and it would have been virtually impossible to get it out to solder on a new socket, assuming I could find one with the right pin pitch.
So off to t’internet to find a part. I was searching eBay for a broken Garmin that I could cannibalise, but I found several suppliers selling parts. Some in China, one in Russia.
I chose the Russian one, and ordered a replacement back for £14.36, plus about £4 postage. The chinese ones were a little cheaper, but delivery longer.
Online tracking is great - I watched it leave the factory, travel north towards Moscow, then to St Petersburg, A few days in customs, then heathrow. 2 weeks after ordering, it arrived.
Used part, but in good condition, complete with gasket.
Tonight, armed with a good pair of glasses, and some small screwdrivers, I fitted it.
The only specialist tool I needed was a T5 torx driver.
- Remove 6x torx screws from back.
- Lift front cover away from body, with a small flat screwdriver unclip the ribbon cable for the touchscreen
- remove 2 more torx screws inside
- lift the screen module up, and release the ribbon cable underneath
- prise the main PCB upwards (it’s socketed onto the USB/power board underneath)
- disconnect the battery connector, remove the battery (it’s held in place with double sided tape)
- Battery back in to the new back, reconnect
- Press the main PCB in - it’ll “click” as the connector mates
- Re-install the screen - push the ribbon cable end into the socket and push the plastic bar down. Screw screen in place.
- Click the front screen connector in place- it’s a bit tricky - close up the case and put the 6 torx screws in
