Repairing Garmen Etrex Vista

[Jay H]

Repairing Garmin Etrex Vista

Has anybody either used a third party source to repair a Garmin GPS unit or has done it themselves?

I ask this because awhile ago, on a bike tour, I broke the click-stick of my Vista. I lost the nub thing but the stick itself worked fine. So, after returning home and finding Garmin's $125 flat fee to fix it (which right now is about 45% of the cost of a brand stinking new Vista), I fixed it myself by using a little pin and a hot stove to heat the pin up and stick it into what was left of the plastic nub underneath the rubber click-stick. Fast forward 2 years or so to this past weekend when it fell out the back of my car and the pin and the plastic thing broke off further.

OK, so I'm really thinking if I can figure out how to open the thing up, I might be able to fix it or if a third party would fix it for what it's worth to fix, then I might consider that. Thought I'd ask if anybody has ever tried to MacGuyver one of these things open. Don't care about the lack of waterproofness, if it gets wet or if it gets run over by a semi, I will then just send it back to Garmin in a plastic bag and say "Fix it!"

Jay

 

[Jay H]

OK, I hacked apart my Etrex Vista last night. (any MacGuyver types out there who want to know how to take it apart, it's pretty simple although you'll probably negate the waterproofness since you have to break two seals.).

Anyway, I took it apart and got to the clickstick that I need to replace. It looks like a SMT (surface mount) chip with the stick on there, so I have to see my friends at work to see if they could work on it. I am going to call up Garmin today and see if I can simply buy the part or buy the PCB that the chip is on. I bet to fix this, they would simply replace the whole PCB and LCD screen.

But, if any of you hacker types are curious or interested, I'm more than willing to share how I opened the case. it's not hard. Need nothing more than a small pocket knife.

Jay

 

[bobandgeri]

We've had great luck with Garmin. Give them a call.

 

[Jay H]

I am, but I think they're left coast so can't call them now. I called them awhile ago to get an estimate for repair and they told me $125 flat fee. Even after explaining to them what was wrong with my Etrex, they still didn't budge with their flat fee. I am very curious to hear them tell me that they can't send me a part... I'll actually be kind of surprised if they would but I'll see.

I personally don't like the flat fee thing, especially for this. I'd tempted to run the GPS over with a pickup truck and then sending it back like that

Jay

 

[wally2q]

Depends who you talk to

I cracked the glass screen on my Vista about 1 or 2 years ago, by jamming the unit into my computer case pocket that was full of other junk.

I emailed them, with the story of my stupidity, and told them I was travelling to the mountains in 3 weeks and needed the unit back in operation soon.

I asked if the glass can be replaced, and how much would it cost. They responded by telling me to send the unit in, and they would warranty fix it for free. This was well over 1 year after the warranty already expired on the unit. They even paid for the shipping costs both ways. I got the unit back in 2 weeks, and it cost me $0.00

all I can say is that I've had no problem with Garmin service.

the wall......

 

[Jay H]

Well, I called Garmin and the guy did the usual wheel and deal "No, we don't replace parts" "I can't sell you the part", etc. etc. I asked him, kind of rhetorically that if I sent you the $125, you would simply go ahead and replace the LCD screen and the clickstick which is epoxyed to the LCD screen. Why couldn't he just sell me and send me that part? At which point he offered to RMA it for $75 so I am going to go ahead and send it to him under that RMA#.

I am thinking that the LCD itself is probably fairly costly and that it might be just about that much money to buy so in the end it worked out OK.

Flat fee repair costs promote equipment abuse, like me hacking the unit apart. But at least I got a reasonable deal and not a ripoff.

Jay

 

[arghman]

ouch, I feel your pain... I don't understand why companies don't strive more to make the most vulnerable parts of their equipment easily user-serviceable.

Having been involved in product design of electronics, however, I can also understand where Garmin is coming from. They want to make sure that if they have a role in fixing a unit, that it is going to work absolutely. That includes high-quality rework and testing. With electronics these days, quality is increasing but it makes repair costs soar in relation to the initial product cost....

IMHO though they should make available every single external part of the unit (the various case pieces & the joystick part), at a reasonable markup, and give people a choice if they want to fix parts themselves.

 

[Jay H]

I agree wholeheartedly. I like doing things myself, I like taking things apart and fixing things myself. It promotes a better understanding of the world around me and makes me a smarter person. If I can figure out what is wrong (like the case with my Etrex), then I prefer to do things myself, like I like to work on my car, my PC at home, my bikes, etc. It makes me a better driver, PC user, cyclist, etc.

Overall, I think I got a good deal after getting the fix cost down to $75. The unit is a few years old, Garmin now has a color version out and I now know how to take it apart. Honestly, I don't think I had the resources to fix the surface mounted chip because there are 4 leads coming out the top, 2 on the bottom, which means I would of had to get a smal tipped soldering iron and very carefully heat the solder up to remove the chip or risk damaging the board itself. I am pretty sure Garmin is just going to replace the whole assembly and I'm wondering how much a B&W LCD screen would go for these days in the size of the Garmin unit which is 2.1"x1.1" Because I did ask the tech guy if I could buy the LCD screen and PCB assembly and just replace it myself.

I even mentioned how fragile those click sticks seem. My old Magellen MAP 410 had the 4 curser buttons which, albeit a slower navigational tool, is more durable.

Jay