Montana 600 broken power button

[Mick F]

My 600 is showing its age.
I had difficulty powering down this afternoon, and saw that the button is broken.

It looks like the button is part of the main case assembly. Is this correct?
If so, a repair could only be done with a new case.

Can these be bought separately, or does the whole thing need to go back to Garmin?

Maybe I can get inside and see if I can fix it.

Advice please.
Can't put a picture on here to show.

Mick.

[GPSrChive]

Now, without seeing a photo, I must advise you:

Unfortunately, your best bet is to call Garmin and beg for mercy. They will offer you a reman unit for a fair price, and this I feel is better than trying to replace/repair this issue yourself.

Is the switch inside broken? Or is the case compromised?

If only the microswitch, you can see it (barely) in the Hardware > Behind The Scenes > Complete Montana Tear Down > Disassembly > Step 22 image.

If you had the talent and the resources, I suppose one could source and replace this microswitch for much less $$. But that would be up to you!

[Mick F]

Thanks for getting back to me.

The microswitch is fine, it's the button on the case that's cracked. The case and weather-proof-ness has been compromised. I guess my only course of action for a good repair is to send it back to Garmin ............ or buy a new one. I can buy a reconditioned unit from Burrows. Mine came from them as a reconditioned unit too.


I Joined the Garmin forum yesterday, and their website allows for photographs. I asked the same question on there even though they don't have a page available for handhelds. Here's a link to it, and you can see the photo.

Their advice is to contact Garmin too.

Thanks,
Mick.

[Mick F]

Looking at the hardware stripdown instructions and pictures, it looks like I would need to totally strip it down just to get at the button in the hope of glueing it back together.

This seems pointless, as I could break something else trying to do it.

I've emailed Garmin UK.

Thanks,
Mick.

[GPSrChive]

If the microswitch is broken you would need to source a new one, desolder the old switch from the board and solder the new one in... Not a small task unless you are Brek Martin!

Since your case is actually compromised, a refurb is really the only good option!

[Mick F]

I got tired of waiting for a reply to my email, so I went on Online Chat with them.
It was sorted in a jiffy, and far quicker than waiting in an endless queue on the telephone.

They're sending me a complete new refurbished Montana. The old one is now in a box and wrapped with their address on. They will ship out the replacement when they receive mine.

Cost?
I bought mine in October 2013 as a refurbished unit complete with Garmin City Navigator on a SD card for £389.98 inc VAT.
They're sending me another for £118.67 inc VAT free postage, though I have to pay to send mine back of course. Possibly send it off later today.

This is a bargain, I reckon.
As for trying to fix the minor issue of a broken button, I don't think it's worth the hassle because if I ruined the whole thing by poking my nose inside, I wouldn't have a leg to stand on in getting a replacement.

Maybe a week or two before I'm up and running with the new one. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Mick.

[Mick F]

PS:
They don't want any accessories or SD cards, so the unit is going back as a bare item.
I took it that the Li battery pack was an accessory, so that's not gone back, and neither has the charger unit.

They never mentioned the battery, so I didn't either. With a bit of luck, there'll be another one in the replacement box.

Mick.

[GPSrChive]

PS:
They don't want any accessories or SD cards, so the unit is going back as a bare item.
I took it that the Li battery pack was an accessory, so that's not gone back, and neither has the charger unit.

They never mentioned the battery, so I didn't either. With a bit of luck, there'll be another one in the replacement box.

Mick.

That is always how it has worked for me. I keep the battery and cables etc. They just get a bare Montana back, and a new one with a fresh battery will be delivered to you!

[Mick F]

New Montana arrived this morning.

I say "new" but obviously it's not.
It came in a brown cardboard box with bubble-wrap and a delivery note. Yes, there was a Li battery pack, but nothing else.

It's fine, looks and feels brand new and faultless. I've set it up as I want it now, and the new Li battery is on charge in it.

What I didn't do before returning the old one, was to copy the whole file structure etc to archive it so I could transfer it to the new one. I did consider it, but thought it would be better as a learning curve to start from scratch. All ok, and hunky-dory.

Yet to connect to the computer to check on the software update etc. I'll connect up to Garmin WebUpdater later this afternoon. I suppose it's possible that it isn't quite up to date.

Anyway, all ok here with New Montana.

Best wishes to all,
Mick.

[GPSrChive]

Good to hear Mick F!

That is always how they come, in non retail package. The unit is better than new, as these are all manually tested by hand before shipping. Retail units are not!

Probably a firmware version or two behind, so a quick firmware update once the battery is charged is in order!

And, it is best to start fresh and create new profiles. Too many issues can occur when copying this kind of data from one unit to another!

Enjoy!