Damaged Garmin 60cs

[+PumpkinOneA]

A week after I got my unit mailed to me from RadioWorld, I fell on it and slid down a stony hill - and deeply scratched the clear plastic screen cover.

RadioWorld gave me the name and number of the repair place in Canada; I contacted them, and they're estimating over $200. to put a new screen cover on it. (Apparently the entire outer case is one piece and needs to be replaced).

Does anyone know of a cheaper, alternate way I can get this fixed? There's only one scratch, but it's quite deep (about half the thickness of the screen cover), and runs the entire length of the screen.

Sure wish Garmin would come out with protective cases for these units!

- PumpkinOneA

[+Imajika]

Could you try for a warranty replacement?

 

http://www.garmin.com/support/warranty.html

[+MrKen]

I did the same to mine. Garmin will fix anything on your unit for a flat fee of $135. I called and asked.

 

I went to Walgreens and got some stuff to coat scratched eyeglass lenses. Great stuff, for glasses, that is. It will help some, but gouges are basically not repairible. I did this to my GPS III, also. I got some plastic rubbing compound/cleaner and ground away on it with a small buffer wheel. It took mnost of the gouges out but also cut through the finish to leave largish dull areas around the gouge locations.

 

Gouges really stink, EVERYTIME you look at the screen you notice them...

[stevesisti]

That's an utterly rediculous price to pay for a "screen cover" replacement. Could it be the price quoted is for a replacement lcd and not just the screen? Call Garmin directly....I would be very surprised if it was even $50 for replacement.

[Neo_Geo]

You might try that "lens magic" stuff as seen on TV. I got some at the local drug store, but I haven't actually tried it yet.

 

I'm gonna test it out now. I just put a few good scratches into a CD jewel case. Now I'm gonna see if it works. I'll post the results when I'm done.

[MacBandit]

Try a fine auto body finish polish. I've used several brands of such products for years to polish scratches out of plexiglass and water spots off windows and mirrors of cars. Makes sure to get a very fine grade. If they list a scale from 0-10 with 0 being finest use a 3 for polishing a 4 to remove scratches. Also Meguiar's Mirror Glaze is excellent and designed to remove scratches from plastic it also is a two part system with a polish and a cleaner.

[Neo_Geo]

You might try that "lens magic" stuff as seen on TV. I got some at the local drug store, but I haven't actually tried it yet.

 

I'm gonna test it out now. I just put a few good scratches into a CD jewel case. Now I'm gonna see if it works. I'll post the results when I'm done.

Save your money on the Lens Magic stuff. Not only did it not "take out the scratches", but it left a noticeable film over the treated area.

 

To be perfectly fair, the instructions say that it completely cures in 5 hours. So, I guess we should wait until late morning to see how it really works... (yeah, right...)

 

I'll post the final verdict later. If I was a gambling man (and I am), my money would be on the negative side.

[+Team BlackZ]

Send it to Garmin for repair. They have been known to sometimes fix units for free.

[vagabond]

Try Meguiars mirror glaze #17 clear plastic cleaner and or their scratch remover. Its the stuff pilots use on their canopies. The cleaners work great on minor scratches and scuff marks, at about $6.50 for a 8 ounce bottle. Their scratch remover is a bit more expensive, in the $25.00 to $30.00 range, but that is for heavy scratches.

Also if your newer car has the clear plastic covers over the headlites and they are starting to get hazy #17 works great makes them look like new.

[+Quintheeskimo66]

Silly question I know. But did they quote you the price in Canadian or US dollars?

[stevesisti]

Try Meguiars mirror glaze #17 clear plastic cleaner and or their scratch remover. Its the stuff pilots use on their canopies. The cleaners work great on minor scratches and scuff marks, at about $6.50 for a 8 ounce bottle. Their scratch remover is a bit more expensive, in the $25.00 to $30.00 range, but that is for heavy scratches.

Also if your newer car has the clear plastic covers over the headlites and they are starting to get hazy #17 works great makes them look like new.

Garmin has an "approved" product for "repairing" scratches on the 60 CS screens...It's called Nova (something). A call to Garmin will get you the full name of the product. I would assume it might be good for "smaller" scratches...those of the "gouge" type...I'd be surprised if it fixed them satisfactorily.

[+hamgran]

Thanks for all the replies...

the estimate of $200. that was given to me was in Canadian dollars. It was from the Quebec repair company that RadioWorld in Toronto deals with, for Garmin repairs and warranty work. My mishap isn't covered under warranty, unfortunately.

As for lens repair solutions, what I've got is quite a deep gouge - and I can't see anything like that getting rid of it.

I'm going to call Garmin directly - guess I'll have to call to the headquarters in the States. Will let you know how it turns out.

- PumpkinOneA

[+GOT GPS?]

An Idea to try:

 

1) First Polish the Screen of the GPS.

2) Then using some Clear Glossy Finger Nail Polish, apply it along the crack using a needle with a small point, run it along the crack, filling it with the clear nail polish.

3) Let it dry for a couple hours, then apply a screen protector, like the kind you would use on a high resolution color PDA.

 

This may not be perfect, but it may be a way to fill in a large crack.

[+JohnnyVegas]

For future use, get yourself a "Pair" of walking sticks, I bought a pair of titanium walking sticks made by leki over a year ago, they have saved my A** a few times on steep terrain. Call Garmin canada directly for a qoute.

[capt caper]

Also when sending it in to Garmin they go though the unit. They will replace upgrade parts I've found. Maybe new battery compartment terminals,keypad's,etc.

They have in the past for me. When you get it back you will get a printed out statement of the work and parts given.

 

You have a while to send it in since they just came out with them this past spring. Like he said Garmin gives out free bees's once in a while to keep the good faith and word of mouth reputation going.

 

Call them.

[+PumpkinOneA]

Well, I took your advice and called Garmin's head office in the US, explained the situation, and they told me to send the unit to them and they'd charge me $50. to replace the screen - a savings of $100. from their usual $150. fee! I'm impressed. And, only a 7-10 day turnaround.

Thanks for the posts.

- PumpkinOneA

[+Desert_Warrior]

Garmin has an "approved" product for "repairing" scratches on the 60 CS screens...It's called Nova (something).

It is called NOVUS. I use it all the time at work. It comes in 3 grits, which you use depending on the depth of the repair. I have made old plexi-glass lenses look like new again with NOVUS. It does take work, but it can be done.

[+DBleess]

Well, I took your advice and called Garmin's head office in the US, explained the situation, and they told me to send the unit to them and they'd charge me $50. to replace the screen - a savings of $100. from their usual $150. fee!  I'm impressed.  And, only a 7-10 day turnaround.

Thanks for the posts.

- PumpkinOneA

That's always been my experience with Garmin, even going back with my GPS48. They've always bent over backwards in "warranty" and out-of-warranty support.

 

That's the biggest reason I replaced my 48 with a 60C.

[xcrossroadsx2000]

To help protect from minor scratches I covered my 60cs display with a screen protector designed for PDAs. They custom fit them for PDA screens ( I had to cut mine down to fit the GPS ) would be intersting to see if they'll size them for GPS units.

 

Basically there just thin sheets of plastic that keep dust of the screen, prevent minor scratches and reduce glare on the screen. They leave no residue when you peel them away to replace them. I've been using them on my PDA for about two years and they work great.

 

They sell them most places that sell PDAs. I picked mine up at Best Buy. It's called Write Right by a company called Fellowes, in case anyone's interested. I think they were about $15 for 12 sheets.

[DiverMan]

To help protect from minor scratches I covered my 60cs display with a screen protector designed for PDAs. They custom fit them for PDA screens ( I had to cut mine down to fit the GPS ) would be intersting to see if they'll size them for GPS units.

 

I use those on just about anything that may get scratched. They work well and worth the money. I have one on my Legend and radios...

[+Searching_ut]

To help protect from minor scratches I covered my 60cs display with a screen protector designed for PDAs. They custom fit them for PDA screens ( I had to cut mine down to fit the GPS ) would be intersting to see if they'll size them for GPS units.

 

Having dinged up most of my gps unit plastic lenses over time, I too had thought this a great idea and put a custom cut cover over my brand new Vista C. Having just taken my first good tumble with it, I now have a nice deep chip type scratch just on the edge of the actual map/display surface. Don't know if it would have been more scratched up or not had I not had the plastic on it, but I'm dissapointed to say it doesn't help for the big stuff. I'm still trying to decide if I'm jinxed, or it was just a friday the 13th thing.

[Kermode]

What a joke.

If you buy a new car and damage it what do you do.

You get an estimate the get it fixed. End of story. Then you learn from your mistake and dont do it again.

Pretend your GPS is a car and treat it the same way.

[+Quoddy]

Try Meguiars mirror glaze #17 clear plastic cleaner and or their scratch remover. Its the stuff pilots use on their canopies. The cleaners work great on minor scratches and scuff marks, at about $6.50 for a 8 ounce bottle. Their scratch remover is a bit more expensive, in the $25.00 to $30.00 range, but that is for heavy scratches.

Also if your newer car has the clear plastic covers over the headlites and they are starting to get hazy #17 works great makes them look like new. 

Garmin has an "approved" product for "repairing" scratches on the 60 CS screens...It's called Nova (something). A call to Garmin will get you the full name of the product. I would assume it might be good for "smaller" scratches...those of the "gouge" type...I'd be surprised if it fixed them satisfactorily.

I think what you might mean is Novus. I have the combo package of #3 for heavy scratch removal, #2 for light scratch removal, and #1 for clean/polilsh. As "hard" as the Garmin screen is, #3 is almost a must, it takes a lot of rubbing with it to get out the deep scratches. After using the #3, the surface is so good that I seldom need to step down through #2 and #1.