76CSx broken battery tabs- what are some repair options?

[nobodyhere]

One of my 76CSx's battery tabs broke pretty quickly after I started using 2.5AHr AA's, and I was fudging it by using a piece of tin foil between the battery terminal and the battery. On the side of the compartment with unbroken tabs, I have to use another piece of tin foil because the battery doesn't make contact very well.

 

It's a horribly unreliable solution- the unit keeps shutting off, and the poor connection also screws up the battery gauge. I can't believe I paid $500+ for this piece of crap that's now useless because Garmin couldn't design the battery terminals and battery compartment properly! I refuse to pay Garmin a penny to fix something a $5 squirt gun manufacturer can get right.

 

Has anyone found a way to repair the tabs or otherwise fix the problem? The unit is useless to me right now because it keeps shutting off.

 

I regularly disassemble and repair laptops, etc and have experience soldering- the warranty is up, so I don't care about cracking it open for that reason. I suspect that as long as any seals are kept clean/greased it will retain its quasi-waterproofness (which is a joke- it once took a minor splash and fogged up almost instantly. I had to leave it on the windowsill with the battery door off.)

[+Thrak]

CALL Garmin. Don't email them, call. 1-800-800-1020

 

They will most likely replace the unit for free.

[+Siskiyou]

I had a similar problem and I messed-up. On one end the tabs can be replaced but on the other end they are connected to the printed circuit board. I tried the foil or metal shim a little, but I ended up breaking the contact with the circuit board.

 

First time I called Garmin the person on the other end sent me new connectors and told me how to replace them. That person did not know that two of them could not be replaced.

 

On my second call Garmin gave me a return number and I sent the unit back to them. They sent me a new unit, and a new unlock code for my City Navigator software.

 

One of the problems consumers face is that not all AA batteries are physical the same dimension. I was working in public safety and we received a shipment of new batteries from a manufacture. We suffered a bunch of broken battery cases. Another example is re-chargeable AA batteries that will not fit in a Mini Maglite. Compare your 2.5AHr AA batteries against standard AA batteries and most like likely they are over sized.

 

Call Garmin support and let them know about your problem.

[+Renegade Knight]

... Compare your 2.5AHr AA batteries against standard AA batteries and most like likely they are over sized...

 

I've noticed this on some battery cases that I Had purchased.

[nobodyhere]

CALL Garmin. Don't email them, call. 1-800-800-1020

 

They will most likely replace the unit for free.

 

Do the new units have a better battery compartment design? Will I have to pay shipping both ways, and how much has this typically run?

 

If it's just going to break again, and cost me a fortune to ship back and forth...

[+Prime Suspect]

Yep, the real problem is the battery manufacturer. There's no scientific breakthrough that allowed NiMH batteries to go from 2000 mAh to 2500 mAh. They're just increasing the amount of chemicals inside by a combination of making the sidewalls thinner, and physically increasing the size of the batteries.

[+Siskiyou]

I paid shipping one way, to Garmin.

[+Thrak]

I paid shipping one way, to Garmin.

 

Same here. Garmin paid to ship me the new unit.

[toddm]

Yep call garmin I had this problem on a 76 and it was out of it's 1 year and garmin still took care of the problem. The battery compartment is really really tight when using some of the larger capacity rechargeable batteries.

[scotch_whisky]

I wish you luck getting a free repair.

 

I had exactly the same problem with my GPSMAP 76CSx and of course it happened outside of the warrantee period.

 

I phoned Garmin and was informed that they have a fixed price repair service for this unit. It doesn't matter if it is run over by a truck or something minor like a broken battery contact. The price is 87.26 British Pounds for us on this side of the pond. I understand it is $150 dollars in the USA. For this you get a new or refurbished unit and return postage. You also get new serial numbers for any software you own.

 

I ended up repairing it myself. It is pretty easy to take apart; just remove the 8 screws and carefully pry it apart. I modified a battery contact from another piece of equipment and glued it into position.

 

The original contact is very brittle and failed through metal fatigue at the bend. If you repair laptops you should have no problems.

Edited April 15, 2008 by scotch_whisky

[cmr287]

I just got done calling the 1800 number and the rep tolls me it would be a 79.00 charge. My Garmin is the 401. I have deployed with this GPS 3 times. The one side battery terminal broke off and thought reading everyone else's post, maybe they would do a one for one swap for me. I am getting ready to deploy again next year and would have liked to have it for that deployment, however I don't think that will happen. Does anyone have a fix for this? If so please email me at cmr287@yahoo.com

 

V/R

SSG Christopher Rogers

Fort Benning Ga

[cmr287]

Hello all, I thought I would take the time to let folks know Garmin charges a $79.00 convenience fee for them to send you a refurbished unit. It doesn't matter how bad you you're unit it's $79 Plus you pay shipping to and from. The only thing wrong with mine is one of the battery terminals had broken off. I have used the Garman foretrex 101 wrist units for three deployments in Iraq and it has served me well. However I was able to take a piece of tinfoil about an eighth of an inch wide and about a quarter minutes long to fix my issue. We will see how long this lasts however I can't see spending $79 to get a refurbished unit when this thing only cost me hundred and $15 back in the day when I bought it, I still have the receipt.