Geko 201 gone out of order

[Jörgel]

Hello,

 

I am owning and using a Garmin Geko 201 since several years. My unit was not used for some months and did not start after this time. It was stored properly, but of course the batteries went low. Nothing was damaged and I think I did nothing wrong.

 

Since the unit did not start, I tried all known ways of doing a hard reset. The system still does not work and I contacted Garmin by email. They know the problem and asked my to send the Geko for repair. I have to pay for the transport and for the repair, since the unit is too old for guarantee.

 

I am really fed up!!! How can a technical system get out of order by a standard use (or non-use)? I did nothing wrong, but did not used my system for some time.

 

Everybody owning a Geko and every potential buyer be warned! If you want to avoid such problems look for another system. After good experiences with the Geko, I kow cannot recommend the system!!!

 

Apart from that: can anybody explain the problem my Geko has? How can it be fixed? I would like to try a repair on my own, since the unit is useless and the repair at garmin is too expensive.

 

Thanks for any hints and help,

 

Joergel

[+Hrethgir]

You got years of good use out of it, how can you not recommend it now? And as for storage, if you aren't going to use it for quite a while, you are supposed to remove the batteries, and it sounds like you didn't, and that is probably the cause of the problem.

[Jörgel]

Hello HondaH8er,

 

Unfortunately, the batteries are not the problem. As I said, there is no damage. A damage due to broken batteries would be acceptable for me, as it were my fault.

 

There is no obvious damage and it was stored in my office in a dry place. I cannot see a reason for the unit to be damaged.

 

Joergel

[SergZak]

You may have already done so but I thought I'd mention it anyways...have you cleaned the battery contacts in the unit? I don't mean simply wiping them off with a cloth...use a pencil eraser and clean them thoroughly. They may look clean but in reality, may have enough invisible oxidation on them to prevent the batteries from making proper contact, especially if the batteries were in the unit for an extended period of time.

 

I once had a Magellan GPS 315 that had a problem with invisible oxidation on the contacts that periodically needed to be cleaned. The first time it happened, I thought the unit was toasted since the batteries I had installed were brand new. Once the contacts were cleaned, it powered right up.

Edited November 21, 2008 by SergZak

[Jörgel]

Hi SergZak,

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

I will clean the contacts, but I have experienced the problem using an external power supply, too. The external power supply uses other contacts. Although, I will try cleaning all of them.

 

Joergel