Dead gps

I have a rather old Garmen GPS, with rechargeable battery, that doesn,t work. By that I mean not at all. It doesn,t work even when plugged in to the 12v port in the car..

Is this bc the battery is completely dead or something more serious? Contrary to mfr assertion, battery can be replaced by mere mortals.

Any advice appreciated. T I

Part way down the chord there might be a round peg. Open the peg and take out the fuse to see if it's burned out. If it is, replace the fuse and see if that works.

EDIT: Some models have the fuses inside the part that plugs into your car's cigarette lighter.

Is the cord hardwired into the GPS or is there a port? If there is a port, is it a standard size? My old Tomtom had a miniUSB port, so I could charge it using a standard miniUSB cord (and even connect it to my computer). That way you can at least tell if it's the device or the cable.

Ralph at One-Stop Repairs once offered to take a look at my non-working GPS, but I never got around to taking it in.

Hi,

The round peg doesn't come apart/open; there's no seam.

There is a mini- usb port. Car charger plugs into 12v port (used to be called cigarette lighter). I don't have a brick to charge via wall outlet. I don't understand charging via computer- doesn't charger have to specifically match the device?

if you have a regular USB to mini-USB cable, you can plug one end into the computer and one end into the GPS. That should charge the GPS and might actually allow you to run software on the computer to update the GPS software. Any chance you can post the model #?

Garmin nuvi 255w. Info on 12v adapter is not easy to read(minute); could get it done if helpful.

Have you called Garmin or tried their website? I has a Garmin and one time the screen was acting funky. I called and they were really helpful and even sent me a refurbished replacement (I sent them the one I was having problems with) at no charge. Might be worth it to reach out to them. Good luck.

Mine is home with the cables. I'll see what I have.

Download and install Garmin express. Plug your GPS into your computer. Turn on the GPS. I will charge, if it can. The Garmin express software will update the GPS software if it can.

If you search for your model on the Garmin site, there are some tools available...

Thanks guys. Never thought that a mfr would really be helpful... just, "Send it to us, pay with 2nd mortgage..." LOL

kthnry said:
Ralph at One-Stop Repairs once offered to take a look at my non-working GPS, but I never got around to taking it in.

I took mine to Ralph and he diagnosed the problem. You can buy replacement batteries on Amazon but putting them in seemed pretty complicated to me.

Went to Ralph and he diagnosed the problem as a dead cigarette lighter. Now I just have to add a new 12v socket w/ fuse.

BTW replacement batteries are available on Amazon, There's a company that offers battery, tools needed and installation video.