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garmin colorado 300 or 400


kervano

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I don't think RonFisk would try it unless it was in a ZipLok bag! I think what he's trying to say is, why risk it? It should be waterproof enough for gc'ing, and if you try this test and it fails, then, well, you're out a decent chunk of money.

There is down time and shipping one way to Garmin but the darn things are to a waterproof specification industry standard. It may not be to a mil spec but I don't think Garmin is going to play games with the industry waterproof standard. If it really leaks you probably should remove the batteries and dry the unit off inside asap...but wouldn't that require splitting the case? And wouldn't that void the warranty? I'll bet this is another one of those questions that has been worked out before a long long time ago in this forum? Call Garmin up and ask _exactly_ what the waterproof spec means--and share their answer here. Maybe this is one reason for the cost--to help Garmin subsidize the free to you repair costs? What if the seals are intact and you drop it in a creek for the first time six months past its 1 year warranty period. The latch is found to be defective? Hey, do GPSr's have extended warranties? Garmin? DeLorme?

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My first CO (I am now on my third) leaked so bad that in a rain storm, I had water in the battery compartment.

 

The back cover is not the greatest. If you have a CO, check and see how fit the back cover fits to the top (silver) part of the case. If you can see silver between the joint, look out!!!!!!!!!!

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My first CO (I am now on my third) leaked so bad that in a rain storm, I had water in the battery compartment.

 

The back cover is not the greatest. If you have a CO, check and see how fit the back cover fits to the top (silver) part of the case. If you can see silver between the joint, look out!!!!!!!!!!

But the seal isn't between the battery cover and the unit - the seal is around the battery compartment and around the SD card slot. Open it up and feel the rubber ring around both. It is irrelevant how well the cover fits against the body - the important thing is how well this rubber seals seat and you can't really observe that since it is inside the cover when installed.

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There was a letter writing campaign to Garmin's execs recently addressing the Colorado problems. Maybe one should discover who issues and controls this IPX7 standard and inform them what has been going on? But first it might be very important to understand exactly what this standard is saying and what "waterproof" really means? At this point I'm not at all certain that it means you can deliberately dunk a unit in water although wouldn't an avid kayaker always be doing that?

 

I agree and I've written it before that IMO Garmin's Colorado user manual and Garmin's phone technical support often has left much to be desired. Standards are serious business and should not be joked or guessed about by any of us.

 

If no one can get anything definitive from Garmin, and who can now when we hardly trust anything Garmin (tech support) says, then find some other source--like this IP standard.

Edited by Ratsneve
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Depends on what you call waterproof and how nice garmin is feeling.

 

Aside the issue in the post below of a kayaker having a colorado leak and garmin at first refusing to warranty it (they later changed their mind after he pursued it further) one has to be weary of using them if they get wet. Garmin's original stance was that splashing creates more pressure than a lab controlled submergence, and therefore they would not cover it. IMO this is complete BS, garmin markets the unit as rugged, waterproof and suitable for outdoor use. Splashing could be rain, kayaking, dropping it in a puddle etc. etc. it basically gives them open season to refuse any water related issue. I think I've even seen a garmin video showing them dropping their own product into the water.

 

I have since heard a couple other stories, admittedly second hand but of similar situations with the same response from garmin, however again when pushed they did warranty the units.

 

I've been a garmin user since the 12xl came out, and I've owned probably half a dozen different garmin units, but I have to say the mess that the colorado unit has been, and some of the lacking customer service reports as of late make me less enthused about them. The edge 705 is not doing much better, it still has tons of issues after 3-4 updates such as the unit shutting itself off, changing screens due to vibration, inaccuracy in cycling functions and altitude tracking, etc. etc. Nothing like a $600 bike computer that doesn't work, thing should pedal FOR you for that kind of $.

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Garmin's original stance was that splashing creates more pressure than a lab controlled submergence, and therefore they would not cover it. IMO this is complete BS, garmin markets the unit as rugged, waterproof and suitable for outdoor use. Splashing could be rain, kayaking, dropping it in a puddle etc. etc. it basically gives them open season to refuse any water related issue. I think I've even seen a garmin video showing them dropping their own product into the water.

Not to mention the fact that this violates their claim of an IPX7 rating. If a unit cannot take "splashing water" then it isn't rated higher than IPX3. See the chart on the Wikipedia page for more info. Even IPX6 specifies protection against "powerful water jets" which is a prerequisite for an IPX7 rating and IMHO specifically and strongly counteracts their claim that any type of moving water could be somehow "worse" than immersion.

 

[Hmmm... I might be making an assumption as I haven't actually read the spec, but my assumption is that if you are rated for IPXn, then you must be rated for all IPXk for k < n as well...]

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OK, let's all calm down a little.

 

There have been reports of leaky Colorados. There have been reports of Colorados that were waterproof in a typical accidental dunking. There were also reports that some early units had incorrectly installed or incorrectly sized seals around the SD compartment. And there were reports that at least some of those units were replaced under warranty.

 

Now a little debunking and common sense. The gap between the back of the unit and the silver top bezel is irrelevant. As somebody pointed out, there is a seal arond the battery compartment itself. As long as that seal is intact and makes adequate contact with the back of the unit, water will not enter that way. (There have been a few reports of this seal "rolling" out of its mounting when opening and closing the unit. Watch for that.) It is normal and acceptable for water to get between the bezel, the back of the unit, and the unit itself. In fact, there is a well-publicized hole near the latch. That said, if your unit gets dunked, it's a good idea to shake as much water as possible out of it before you open the back. This avoids transferring water into the battery compartment as you open the unit.

 

There is second seal around the SD card slot in the bottom of the unit. In order for this seal to work properly, the back of the unit must be as far up as possible. The latch will not ensure this seal. You must manually close the unit firmly before latching it. THIS is where you want to pay attention to that gap between the back and the silver bezel. It's not the battery compartment you have to worry about if the back is not all the way up -- it's the SD slot. Again, shaking out the water before opening the unit is a good plan.

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