Broken sat nav

[GavC88]

Hey all,

Don't know if anyone would know how to fix this but thought I'd ask before I bin it!

I have a TomTom one that has been superb for years.

I went to turn it on a few days ago and got nothing.

When I plug it in (car and home) it doesn't illuminate the green light at the top, and it doesn't turn on at all.

Anyone got any ideas to save me some money??

Thanks!

[willis1337]

Try replacing the battery. Does it work when connected to the charger into the mains? Try a long press on the poswer button or see if there's a tiny reset button anywhere on the unit.

You may need to buy some "special" screwdrivers to get the unit open to do a battery change but these are only a couple of quid from ebay. I suggest that you google the model of sat nav you have with the words "replacement battery" and see how much they cost. Swapping in a new one is a doddle, just a matter of pulling out a couple of pin connectors and dropping the new one in. Obviously this is a gamble as if it still doesn't work with a new battery the curcuitry is prob bust so doubtful if it'd be cost effective to repair.

[GavC88]

willis1337 said:

Try replacing the battery. Does it work when connected to the charger into the mains? Try a long press on the poswer button or see if there's a tiny reset button anywhere on the unit.

You may need to buy some "special" screwdrivers to get the unit open to do a battery change but these are only a couple of quid from ebay. I suggest that you google the model of sat nav you have with the words "replacement battery" and see how much they cost. Swapping in a new one is a doddle, just a matter of pulling out a couple of pin connectors and dropping the new one in. Obviously this is a gamble as if it still doesn't work with a new battery the curcuitry is prob bust so doubtful if it'd be cost effective to repair.

Thanks, gave it a go, but no, its given up the will to live!!

Thanks anyway!

[JimmyTheHand]

GavC88 said:

When I plug it in (car and home) it doesn't illuminate the green light at the top, and it doesn't turn on at all.

is the fuse OK in charger?

I fixed one where the solder join for the power connector had broken from the board

[catman]

I had exactly the same fault with my Garmin. I don't know whether you have a re-set button on your sat nav.

On my Garmin, I just held the on/off switch down for 30 seconds and released it and all was well again.

Tim

[allojon]

My (old) Tom Tom is struggling to find signal, it can take up to an hour. Does this mean end of life or is there anything to do to improve this?

[GavC88]

allojon said:

My (old) Tom Tom is struggling to find signal, it can take up to an hour. Does this mean end of life or is there anything to do to improve this?

My understanding is tht you can link them to your computer which updates the satellite locations and should speed it up.?

I've bought a new one!

[Deva Link]

Even if you can get it going again, it'll fail just when you really need it.

Touch wood, we're usually pretty lucky with this sort of stuff, but the family TomTom (used very little) lasts about 18mths. On our 3rd now, but took an email to TomTom's CEO to get the last one replaced.

I've resolved that when that fails I'll buy its replacement from Costco as they effectively guarantee most things for ever.

[allojon]

Thanks, appreciate your answers, that's very helpful.