Frequently Asked Questions
Charging Issues (i.e. my Garmin won't hold a charge)
- Computers should not be used to charge a Garmin device (if you can avoid doing so).
- There are technical reasons for this that will result in incorrect battery percentages (e.g. shows 100%, but only lasts 20 minutes).
- The AC wall block is supplied for a reason ... If you aren’t supplied with an AC wall block, but do have one from a different device, you should be able to use that instead
- For watches, OFTEN caused by dirty contacts...
- Clean well with a cotton tip and a bit of metho, then using a pin, gently scrape the contacts surface with a pin a few times and gently clean again; fixes ~80% of issues
- Regular maintenance WILL prevent this (e.g. rinsing the watch after an ocean swim, gentle clean/rinse with soapy water - do NOT push any buttons!)
- Corrosion can be an issue - general maintenance is key!
- Broken contacts - often result from not cleaning for quite some time!
- Rub a drop of WD-40 on the device end of the USB cable and gently work the cable in and out a few times.
- This is a good idea to do a) soon after purchase, and b) every month or two, reducing the likelihood of any possible corrosion, from a poorly-sealed weathercap/USB port.
- Possible faulty charging cable...
- Test with a different Garmin USB cable or from a new one, in-store; often the supplied cable is not being used.
And, as always...
- Remove any excess activities!
- The files on your device can become corrupted when too many activities are stored
- Removing excess activities will prevent this - aim for no more than 10 activities
Last updated Mon, Jul 6 2015 14:32