The units that fail early go back, are repaired, and are sold at a discount. I have a high-end Magellan GPS that I bought refurb'd for $99 + shipping. Works great!
Roadmate 760 possibly? We bought a Mag 760 new from Crutchfield a few years ago for about $500 or so...just a few months ago, we ran across the same make/model for sale on Ebay for $90...we bought 2 or 3 of them, and they've been just as good as our $500 unit. We took it on our vacation to Florida to use in the rental car, and some friends were with us and were so impressed by it that they had me buy them one...so I did, had it delivered to them, they get it and open it up, and the model/serial number had been scratched off, there were scratches on the face of the unit, and it never could find the satellite and kept showing them as bieng in Texax (they were in Missouri)...unfortunately, they didn't open the package until they were going down the road on a mini-vacation to Branson, so they didn't know it was junk. Anyway, it was in the case, had all the accessories, and was sealed in a plastic bag just like our previous ones...I called the place, and had to eat the shipping back to them, but they're supposed to be replacing it. Lady on the phone told me it wasn't there responsibility as to whether it worked or not, but it was the manufacturers! But, for under $100, you can't beat it...but ours have been flawless so far.
BTW: this is our 3rd different GPS (had a Garmin oringally and another brand) and the Magellan is head & shoulders above the rest, IMO...
Another reason for the high failure rate is the fact that they are frequently left stuck to the windshield while the temperature inside the vehicle (usually a car) soars to 150+ degrees.
David
Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people seem bright until you hear them speak.
Bought two refurbished Garmins last Christmas for gifts. Both are still working flawlessly. Paid less than half of what they sold for new. They were refurbished by the factory and came with updated maps. When the time comes to replace mine I know what I'll be buying.
2000 4X4 Excursion Limited 6.8V10, 4.30, 124,000 miles
Hellwig Rear Sway Bar
Roadmaster Active Suspension
2000 Coachmen 297 RKS (Approx. 9000lbs loaded)
Reese Dual Cam Sway Control
I WORK FOR FORD, SO I DRIVE A FORD!
Here is a copy of an e-mail exchange I have had with Garmin.... Just to prove that it was NOT operator error!!
Dear Sir,
Thank you for contacting Garmin International. If your unit is not
acquiring satellites, the first thing I would have you try would be
updating your units software, which you can do online free of charge by downloading and running this program: http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=931
If the unit still does not acquire satellite signal after the update,
please attempt a master reset on the unit to make sure there is no
corrupted data stored inside the unit.
To perform a master reset:
1. Turn the unit off.
2. Press and hold the lower right-hand corner of the touchscreen (using pencil eraser works well) as far in the corner as you can.
3. Press and hold the Power button.
4. As soon as the unit powers on, release the Power button.
5. As soon as the white lettering appears at the bottom of the display, remove your finger (or pencil eraser) from the corner of the screen.
6. A message will appear saying "Do you really want to erase all user
data?". Press "Yes."
After performing the master reset, the unit will need to be placed
outside in a safe, fixed position with an unobstructed view of the sky
for a minimum of 20 minutes to acquire and lock on to satellites
With Best Regards,
Product Support Specialist
Automotive Team
Garmin International
Original Message Follows: ------------------------
Form Message
Subject:
Garmin keeps losing satellite signal
Message Body:
On my recent trip from Ontario to Florida the Garmin (for about 30% of
the trip) kept cutting out with the message "Lost Satellite signal" This is even happening here in Florida when there are no clouds in the sky?? Sometimes this will stay in this mode for an hour or more and then suddenly for no apparent reason it will come back on. Other times, if I move it around it will suddenly pick up the signal again. I think there is a loose connection inside that is causing the problem. This is my second Garmin.. the first was replaced under warranty because of other problems. At this point I am NOT a happy camper! It is very frustrating when I am in Florida for another three months and I need it here! Is there anywhere in the Tampa area of Florida where I can get it replaced? All my paperwork (receipts etc.) are at home in Ontario. Please contact me by e-mail since I am not at home and would like to have this problem resolved as soon as possible. Thanks very much! If you need to contact me by phone.. my cell number is (000)
000-0000. Thanks Again
Next e-mail exchange:
As you can see from the above exchange I do not think much of my Garmin GPS! Since the master reset was done last year I have tried to use this product almost exclusively during the winter when I am in Florida.. that is when I need it most, since I am a 'snowbird' and do not live here year round. Well, now that I have been in Florida for a month I am having the same problem again. The da-n thing cannot pick up the satellite signal. I had to do a master reset three times on the trip down here (3 days) and now I have to reset it every day.
To-day, even the master reset function no longer does anything to help the unit lock on to the satellite.
This Garmin GPS has got to be the most frustrating piece of equipment I have ever owned. I have been tempted many, many times to throw it out the window on the InterState and hope it gets run over by a massive truck.. but I would probably get more satisfaction if I used a large sledgehammer on it and had a video of that posted on U-Tube!
Since I am in the Tampa area of Florida, can you tell me where the closest service center for these things is.. or should I give up, buy a TomTom or another manufacturer's GPS and just tell everyone I meet never, never, ever, to buy a Garmin product!!
It was a very expensive product when I bought my original unit.. and
now, to me, it is a piece of JUNK!!
Thanks for letting me vent.. I would like to hear from you.
-----------------------------
Now Folks, if you got this far.. the rest of the story is better. I received a replacement unit.. it had outdated mapping.. older than I had with the unit I shipped in, and although it took about 6 weeks for them to finally resolve that issue, I finally appear to have a unit that works the way it should.. to which I say Hallelujah!! I'm knocking on wood.. but I CAN say that with enough pushing,... they do stand behind their product!! (Now where is that block of wood?!)
I don't know which unit you have but I would suggest going over to GPS Passion and look around there. There are some really smart folks that can direct you to a number of diagnostic screens (they call em' Easter Eggs) that Garmin won't talk about and these guys can decipher the results for you.
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