Garmin Australia says I must replace my Colorado because the o ring is worn out

[gallet]

I explained to two separate people the problem and they both said the same thing.

 

I told them I have a colorado 300 that's about 3 years old and the large o ring that surrounds the battery case is worn out. The local Garmin supplier said I needed to contact Garmin Australia.

 

I was told by two people that Garmin Australia cannot supply a new 50c o ring for my $500 Colorado, and that I need to replace the entire unit.

 

Currently I'm waiting for a call back from their manager.

 

What do Americans do when they need a new o ring for their Colorado's?

 

EDIT: the manager called back and is going to send me out a second hand one. So that's something I suppose.

 

I do know that the o ring is glued in but it's not like putting a new band on an etrex, it's just an o ring in a groove. Not really a full blown repair issure I would have thought.

Edited December 5, 2011 by gallet

[+Tim2AKAT2]

Measure the length and thickness of the 0-ring and go to a major industaral supplier and order one for a few bucks you can replace it . If not you can order an O-ring making kit off the internet pretty cheap. Tim2

[Grasscatcher]

T2 is right...

If you can get the old one out in one piece, measure it and get an exact duplicate....or

 

Find one at an industrial supplier the correct cross sectional DIAMETER but longer......then

 

With the old one out, use a piece of wire laying in the groove and determine the needed length...then

 

Cut the new excessively long new one to (temporary) length using the wire as a guideline..... then

 

Cut an additional "X" amount off to provide desired tension.

 

Clean ends with alcohol and glue together with "super glue"

[gallet]

Thanks, yes I will do that. btw I copy below the official reply from Garmin for your amusement.

 

Thank you for contacting Garmin Australasia Support. My name is Darren.

 

As Garmin Australasia does not have a repair centre we do not carry any spare parts and can only replace the whole unit and Garmin US will not service customers out side of there region.

If you would like we are only able to supply you with a refurbished unit at a cost of AUD$119.90 (inc GST) which will come with a 90day warranty.

 

With kind regards,

Darren F

Garmin Australasia Support Specialist

[+Road Rabbit]

Perhaps Garmin Australasia Support would give you the O-ring specifications. That would make it easier to buy one locally. Wouldn't hurt to ask.

[gallet]

I'll see what condition the second hand one is in or I probably will just look for my own.

 

this is a copy of my correspondence after phone contact.

 

Subject: colorado o ring replacement

Message: I need a new o ring for my colorado the large one that surrounds the battery compartment. Garmin Australia says they cannot supply that and that I must replace the unit. This is obvious a ridiculous answer. I just want to put a new o ring in. Can I purchase one from the US? Thanks

 

Thank you for contacting Garmin Australasia Support. My name is Darren.

 

As Garmin Australasia does not have a repair centre we do not carry any spare parts and can only replace the whole unit and Garmin US will not service customers out side of there region.

If you would like we are only able to supply you with a refurbished unit at a cost of AUD$119.90 (inc GST) which will come with a 90day warranty.

 

With kind regards,

Darren F

Garmin Australasia Support Specialist

[+baloo&bd]

Does anyone know if it uses the same o-ring as the 400? If you PM me, I would be willing to try to order one for my unit here in the states and send it over to you.

[+splashy]

The first gen had a problem with the ring so they changed something, I'm not sure if they really changed the whole cover.

 

Why don't you make one from silicone? Just out of a tube with a tiny hole, let it dry and the next day put the cover on, if it's wrong take the silicone off and try again now knowing what went wrong the first time.

 

It's ridiculous they don't have a ring, because this was one of THE issues with the Colorado, and Garmin sent MANY all over the place free of charge.

Edited December 6, 2011 by splashy

[gallet]

The first gen had a problem with the ring so they changed something, I'm not sure if they really changed the whole cover.

 

Why don't you make one from silicone? Just out of a tube with a tiny hole, let it dry and the next day put the cover on, if it's wrong take the silicone off and try again now knowing what went wrong the first time.

 

It's ridiculous they don't have a ring, because this was one of THE issues with the Colorado, and Garmin sent MANY all over the place free of charge.

 

 

I think you might be referring to the seal around the SD card slot that people complained allowed water into the battery compartment. If you imagine the o ring as a rectangle with rounded corners, then the back cover is placed over and straight down overlapping the short side of the rectangle and contacting the two longer sides. THEN, the cover proceeds by sliding along the o ring pressing down on it. This is fine as it slides along the sides. However by the time the leading edge of the cover reaches the final short side of the o ring it starts to pop the final bit of the o ring out of it's groove.

 

Even if the o ring is glued in securely, rubber, being what it is, will still want to stretch along the surface facing the cover even if the lower surface is securely fastened to the groove.

 

Bearing this in mind I realised that the solution is to keep the o ring well lubricated and I have obtained just the product suggested from this thread.

Edited December 6, 2011 by gallet

[+sailorsam20500]

Garmin sure does NOT consider customer support at reasonable prices to be in their best interest - only selling new stuff. I had a problem with a Dakota 20 - the rubber flap that covers the USB port cracked and was tearing off. Garmin would not send me the part and wanted >$100 for a refurbished unit. I had bought the unit at REI and was able to take it back to them and upgraded to an Oregon model and got my original purchase price as credit to the new model. Additionally I have a Nuvi 1450 with the traffic receiver/power cord. The connection from the power cord to the Nuvi was breaking off. I stupidly went for a refurbished model ($75 including shipping and insurance, I could have bought a brand new one for $90). I've had that for a month and there is something wrong with it. The GPS keeps powering on and off. If I use the power cord from another unit everything works fine. I just tried calling Garmin - they are already closed for the holidays!!! I wonder if they will be closed on Monday. We'll see how much they want to charge me to replace the defective power cord that the sent me a month ago...