Etrex 10,20,30 back cover...

[+Croesgadwr]

Another thread on this forum has raised an issue where the battery cover securing 'D' clip breaks off. Several people have had free replacements supplied by Garmin.

Before the clip on your new Etrex follows suit and breaks...try this, it makes a significant difference!

Remove the back cover, smear the 'T' piece (inside the back cover) with a 'touch' of vaseline (petroleum jelly) - dont over do it, just a touch will do the job.

Refit the back cover, you should find that it engages much easier and requires less effort / strain on the 'D' clip - therefore prolonging its life expectancy.

It takes just a few seconds, cost nothing and clears a potential future problem.

Croesgadwr

A North Wales geocacher

[tr_s]

I guess this will be the achilles heel of the new eTrex series, just like the rubber band hell on the old series....

 

Sigh...

[+riffraff9000]

I just tried this, albeit with a small drop of machine oil instead of Vaseline. It does make a noticeable difference in the effort required to turn the latch. Good job.

[seldom_sn]

I just tried this, albeit with a small drop of machine oil instead of Vaseline. It does make a noticeable difference in the effort required to turn the latch. Good job.

 

Anybody asked Garmin about this? The latch is pretty close to the gasket and some petroleum based solvents can deteriorate some rubbers. Don't know if this applies here, but it would be nice to have an official response.

[tr_s]

Here you go, a picture, for raising awareness about what issue we are talking about. The term "D-ring" may not be familar to some.

 

 

The only acceptable response from Garmin would be: "All battery covers having this design flaw will be replaced by a new version not having the problem (by express mail). And here is a coupon valid for up to $200 in maps."

[seldom_sn]

Here you go, a picture, for raising awareness about what issue we are talking about. The term "D-ring" may not be familar to some.

 

The only acceptable response from Garmin would be: "All battery covers having this design flaw will be replaced by a new version not having the problem (by express mail). And here is a coupon valid for up to $200 in maps."

 

They're replacing yours aren't they? And who needs $200 worth of maps? Aside from City Navigator ($70) there's plenty of high quality free maps available.

[+Croesgadwr]

I just tried this, albeit with a small drop of machine oil instead of Vaseline. It does make a noticeable difference in the effort required to turn the latch. Good job.

 

Anybody asked Garmin about this? The latch is pretty close to the gasket and some petroleum based solvents can deteriorate some rubbers. Don't know if this applies here, but it would be nice to have an official response.

Personally I wouldn't use any form of oil. I have a firm background in electronics (see my profile), and whereas I'm no expert in the field of GPS manufacture etc, I am fairly confident that the smallest amount of vaseline should cause no ill effects when used in a mechanical / lubrication sense. In short, if you can see the vaseline on the 'T' piece then you've used too much!!

Its your choice to do / not do as I've done, I just thought I'd pass on my personal 'remedy'. One things for sure if you choose not to lubricate...be prepared to change the 'D' clip...indefinitely!

[tr_s]

 

They're replacing yours aren't they? And who needs $200 worth of maps? Aside from City Navigator ($70) there's plenty of high quality free maps available.

 

Probably. I haven't had any great deal of problems with Garmin's customer service, they are pretty nice. It's going thru and releasing something like this I have a problem with; I suspect it is a systematic problem rather than isolated incidents with a few devices. A proper mechanical design review would have caught it without a doubt.

 

As for maps the only sufficiently good topo available for my country costs about $200 - for one third of the country!

[seldom_sn]

As for maps the only sufficiently good topo available for my country costs about $200 - for one third of the country!

 

What country? GPSfiledepot has free 24k topo for all of the US. Talkytoaster has it for the UK. Opencyclemap and OpenFietsmap have it for most or all of Europe.

Openstreetmap and GPSfiledepot also have tutorials if you want to brew your own maps, but the data described by GPSfiledepot are pretty much limited to the US.

[david_adam]

Thanks for this. I used a tiny bit of silicone grease and it does seem a bit easier.

 

Re: the comments about price of maps. Garmin Topo Australia is exactly $20 less than I paid for my Etrex 20 i.e the map software is AUD199!

 

It would be wonderful if someone produced free Aussie maps of the same quality as are available in US & Europe :-)

[seldom_sn]

It would be wonderful if someone produced free Aussie maps of the same quality as are available in US & Europe :-)

DIY:

Excellent tutorials using cgpsmapper here:

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/tutorials/how-to-create-garmin-topo-maps/ (US data)

http://home.roadrunner.com/~creek/garmin.htm (also US Data)

 

Also, mkgmap is a compiler for OpenStreetMap data (wading through the wiki is a chore) and www.garmin.openstreetmap.nl is a source for free routable maps of the whole world.

A place to start for OSM data is http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/mtb_map

Edited March 7, 2012 by seldom_sn

[+user13371]

Another thread on this forum has raised an issue where the battery cover securing 'D' clip breaks off. Several people have had free replacements supplied by Garmin

Did yours also break? Or did you do this bit of preventative maintenance in time?

[tr_s]

Unbelievably substandard repair policies! Garmin is not sending me a new battery lid but telling me to send the whole unit in for service.

They are though refering me to the reseller to possibly come to a simpler solution.

Edited March 8, 2012 by tr_s
removing language

[+BAMBOOZLE]

Another thread on this forum has raised an issue where the battery cover securing 'D' clip breaks off. Several people have had free replacements supplied by Garmin.

Before the clip on your new Etrex follows suit and breaks...try this, it makes a significant difference!

Remove the back cover, smear the 'T' piece (inside the back cover) with a 'touch' of vaseline (petroleum jelly) - dont over do it, just a touch will do the job.

Refit the back cover, you should find that it engages much easier and requires less effort / strain on the 'D' clip - therefore prolonging its life expectancy.

It takes just a few seconds, cost nothing and clears a potential future problem.

Croesgadwr

A North Wales geocacher

 

The 62S has the same D clip and looking closely at it I think it could be prone to the same failure. Its located further toward the bottom of the cover increasing the leverage and cutting down on the torque needed to compress the gasket so I'm guessing thats why there hasen't been a problem with the 62.

I think once you insert the back cover you should compress it with your thumb prior to turning the D clip...in other words, don't let the D clip do the work of " dogging down " the cover.....with the cover depressed in this manner you'll find there is way less torque required in turning the D.

I applied Vaseline to mine and it is easier to turn.

[+Croesgadwr]

Another thread on this forum has raised an issue where the battery cover securing 'D' clip breaks off. Several people have had free replacements supplied by Garmin

Did yours also break? Or did you do this bit of preventative maintenance in time?

In my case its purely a preventative measure. My Etrex 20 is still in one piece...well, I suppose you could say 'two pieces', the main body and the back cover...

[+Ed_M]

I think once you insert the back cover you should compress it with your thumb prior to turning the D clip...

 

This ^.

 

It always felt like something was about to break when closing the battery door, so I started doing the above. So far, so good.

[tr_s]

Screw of a friend's 20 now broke as well - More support to that this is a systematic design failure.

[+user13371]

...a friend's 20 now broke as well - More support to that this is a systematic design failure.

Hmm... how many now do we have real reports of breakage so far? Not "I think it's a bad design" or "It's hard to torque that thing down" - but really "It broke!" kind of reports?

 

Regarding Garmin's support, probably having you return it to the reseller is the most time and cost effective for all concerned.

[+Hasty Javelinas]

Years ago when I first discovered GPS and GeoCaching, I purchased a Rhino 130. On my very first outing with it, the supplied belt clip broke while I was hiking out or a canyon, and the unit tumbled about 50 yards down the hill into the rushing water below. After hours of searching down stream, I was unable to recover the unit.

 

I was furious. The supplied method of attachment to my body broke and my brand new expensive unit lost. All that remained was the half of the belt clip that was still behind my belt.

 

The next day I called Garmin support to explain what happened and see what they could do for me.

 

After a few phone calls to various people I was offered a brand new replacement for the price of $100, which was explained to be the cost of service of a unit.

 

They basically explained to me since I had no unit to send them to show something was defective, they had to take me on my word that my story was indeed true and it was the best 'deal' they could offer.

 

I took them up on it and received a new unit a few days later.

 

Thinking back on it, it's true. How could they have known something was defective with the broken off piece and the rest of the device washed down river somewhere in very rugged terrain? Ever since then I have always bought Garmin.

 

The reason for this story? If it breaks, call them. They will take care of you.

[tr_s]

Yeah, maybe I was a bit harsh. Afterall these two GPSes (20 and 30) were bought from the same store, so it might be a series manufacturing failure.

[+user13371]

...a bit harsh....

Completely understandable. I'd be very annoyed if mine broke.

 

But I've tried to give mine a mighty twist and can't figure out how I'd could break it if I wanted to. Maybe take a screwdriver or some other tool to over-torue it. Twist it backwards, maybe. If I have any complaint about the thing is that it's too small to get a good grip on sometimes -- but that small size actually works AGAINST applying too much torque.

 

And in spite of Croesgadwr's saying several people have gotten free replacements from Garmin, I can only find one reference (yours) from anyone who actually broke theirs. So either you and your friend got a rare device -- or applied some novel way to open the back -- or other folks who broke theirs aren't complaining here (or on other product reviews sites and forums where I looked).

Edited March 11, 2012 by Portland Cyclist

[+The Yinnies]

Mine did break and they sent me a new one. Mine broke while taking the cover off.

[+Croesgadwr]

...a bit harsh....

Completely understandable. I'd be very annoyed if mine broke.

 

But I've tried to give mine a mighty twist and can't figure out how I'd could break it if I wanted to. Maybe take a screwdriver or some other tool to over-torue it. Twist it backwards, maybe. If I have any complaint about the thing is that it's too small to get a good grip on sometimes -- but that small size actually works AGAINST applying too much torque.

 

And in spite of Croesgadwr's saying several people have gotten free replacements from Garmin, I can only find one reference (yours) from anyone who actually broke theirs. So either you and your friend got a rare device -- or applied some novel way to open the back -- or other folks who broke theirs aren't complaining here (or on other product reviews sites and forums where I looked).

My statement about 'several' people having recieved replacements is based on postings in another thread (Etrex 20,30 firmware 2.70 update). It was on that thread that the 'D clip' problem was initially raised. My response was posted there first...then, In effect, I 'moved' the topic to its current location (here!). My reasons for publishing the vaseline remedy was based on the fact that I was concerned about my own 'D' clip breaking off, particularly as it did require more than a bit of effort to secure the back-cover. I make no claims as to just how many 'D' clips have actually broken, or to how Garmin will respond 'IF' the issue is raised to epidemic proportion. To me the fact that 'D' clips could be prone to breaking was reason enough for me to react by looking for a countermeasure. Vaseline on the 'T' piece does reduce the strain on the backcover, and I'm comfortable with that. My GPS'r is still intact, and I'd like to keep it that way.

Please don't over analyse, or try to validate my every word... I just tried to help!!

Croesgadwr,

North Wales geo-cacher, who for his part, is putting closure on this topic.

[tr_s]

...a bit harsh....

Completely understandable. I'd be very annoyed if mine broke.

 

But I've tried to give mine a mighty twist and can't figure out how I'd could break it if I wanted to.

 

Well, in my case it didn't break, but snapped off. As it is so hard, putting it back would be impossible without some sort of exotic special tool. Maybe there is a fault in the mounting process, so that some D-rings aren't "pushed in" well enough into the spindle.

[+user13371]

Croesgadwr - Sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot I did start reading this thread thinking "hmm, do I have to worry about this on my own eTrex" because Tr_s (not you) originally framed it as a widespread, serious defect.

 

But after turning and twisting my 20's own D-ring every which way, and looking for more information, well, there ain't much out there.

 

And thanks for the vaseline tip. Worried or not, better safe that sorry. I used a bit of plumber's silicone grease and it does make the ring turn easier.