Kudos to Garmin!

Howdy,

Some of you may recall that while in Colorado in July, I flipped the GS and my GPS was under it... So it got quite smashed.



When I called Garmin, they replaced it with a brand new unit for $100. This was a 60CS, about $400 or so new! I was impressed! A short while ago, the power button started acting up and finally the unit would no longer come on. I called them up, got the RMA number and sent it in. A week later, it came back good as new and working perfect.

Actually, it came back in even better shape than it was in when it left! While in North Carolina in September, I was riding Dyna Sport's KTM Vibration Master 9000. The GPS vibrated in the mount so badly that the rubbing etched the GPS case everywhere the two made contact. It appears that Garmin replaced the entire outer casing of my unit!! No extra charge and I did not even ask them about it! I'm sure it is the same unit as it still shows the same serial number and works with the same unlock code in City Select. How's that for awesome customer service!!??

With service like this, I will be buying another Garmin when this one bites the dust, which hopefully won't involve flipping the GS

Yes, Garmin rocks! I've owned a couple of their products. Customer service such as that which you experienced is rare these days.

I received my Garmin 76CS as a Christmas gift last year.

Back in early October one of the battery contacts broke off.

I cut the leg from a fuse and poked it down between the battery and the battery contact to make it run.

Finally about two weeks ago I also got an RMA # and shipped it back to Garmin with an explanation of the problem and a bare statement that I got it as a Christmas Gift.

Yesterday I got it back with my internals installed in a new case - NO Charge.

-

From what y'all have put these Garmins through, I've decided that when I do finally get a GPS it will most certainly be one of theirs.

The cost is quite high for me considering how infrequently I ride alone, but it's still something that I want and will get once I get the funding worked out. ...anyone know the next set of lotto numbers?

That's great news! My wonderful gf bought me the GPS V for Christmas and I'm loving it. Still haven't figured out how to use it on the bike yet since the SVS has clip-ons. Nice to know that there are still large companies out there that beleive in customer service.

Jesse H said:

Still haven't figured out how to use it on the bike yet since the SVS has clip-ons.

Click to expand...

I've heard of mounting in a lot of places with clip-ons. I can't find it now, but I remember seeing something where the mount was added to the tank bolts and then an extension bar came up to help the mount clear the tank.

You can also make a plate to add it onto your mirror:

I think we should cc Garmin a link to this thread, and be sure they know we appreciate that kind of customer service. I want to buy one of these units sometime soon, and would like to assure they will still offer this level of customer service. heheh.

I will get on it right away.


Vaughn

Looking at the two units mounted, both use the same brackets. I am trying to design something under $20 to hang my 60CS on my S40. I had just a plain speaker bracker from Radio Shack, that I adapted to one of their mirror antenna mounts, but the vibrations kept shutting the GPS off. It was like a timed out but if I touched any of the buttons it would come back on, like the batteries had lost contact, or a board was loose. So for the past two days I have been working on using the same mount, and adding rubber gromets (those ones you screw into furniture legs) and making what looks like the enging mount for a car, just smaller. With a rubber gromet on each side of the bracket, and the hole thru bigger than the blot, it seems to be firm but pliable. Then I added mouse pad to the plastic plate and velcro and a velcro strap to go around the unit. Need to mount it and try it on the street, but the cold front is here and we aren't expected to be above 40 today.
I'll get photos once we see the sun again next week.

I read thru the forum last night and also watched the Hill Country videos and now I'm ready for spring and some bluebonnet trail rides. I must have met several of the group last year and the year before as those videos look like the bikes we encountered while on our Bluebonnet quests. Cheers
Bill in SJT

I've owned this Garmin GPS III Plus for many years. I can't remember how long I've had this one. In the setup menu, there is a TIMERS sub menu. In the 'since factory reset' box, mine shows 5186:12:45 which is FIVE THOUSAND hours, 12 minutes and 45 seconds (and counting). I use this GPS in my daily driver hooked up to 12 volts, in the factory mount. The NMEA data is parsed out to my ham radio which is a Kenwood TM-D700. The Kenwood has a TNC (packet Terminal Node Controller) and uses the NMEA data position, course and speed, which is used to transmit my location out to the VHF APRS network on the ham radio frequency 144.39 mhz. Check it out here:

http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=n5cwm-9

Here's a good 'who-what-where-when-why' about APRS in general for those interested. http://www.aprs.net/

My GPS III Plus has performed flawlessly. It's a solid unit, very tough. The newer big-screen, color LCD units with the nice big memory chips for storing map data are great but they're a bit out of my price range right now. Plus I can't imagine having spent that kind of moolah only to see it fall off my bike at highway speeds and go bouncing down the road! OuCh!

The Garmin website has a section for updating the firmware and maps under Updates and Downloads. You'll need the data cable to connect the GPS to a computer. Either DB9 or USB. Those are available at most Boating supply stores such as West Marine.

Firmware updates typically have new features, bug fixes, etc for your unit and they are FREE so long as you have the cable to connect your GPS to your computer.
The map updates are an extra cost option, although it's a nice option to have in the event you have or buy an older GPS and desire current maps.

Chris

Chris
Also being one who doesn't like things falling off, I got one of the wrist straps that come with cameras, or the gps, added a simple snap clip and attached one end to the bolt holding the gps bracket to the handle bar and the clip to a small ring I replaced the gps strap with. So I can unclip it to take off the bike, and not have the wrist strap with the gps, or have it clipped on, so it it bumps it stays close to the handlebars. Works esp when the screws on the bracket work loose. I haven't had mine out that much, but the biggest problem has been the vibration. But I got it for geocaching, from car and then walking. So this is a new use. And I had APRS long ago, but felt the laptop and vhf were a bit much to lug in and out when on the road. Plus in the Hill country the Hot Rocks connection has lots of holes, and just like cell phones you have to find the right valley or hilltop. Someday we will have a two way satellite link. I know other hams are working on that now. Most of the ham satellites are not geosynchronous, so they aren't there all the time.
Cheers from the West
Bill
WB5ZAM

Actually there is a satellite orbiting with dedicated APRS equipment on board.
It's called PCSAT, and is NO-44. I have not tried it lately but it is currently operational. I need to fire up my STSPlus satellite tracking progam and see how the footprint looks for Texas over the next few days and try to beacon via the satellite.

http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/satellites/status.php#NO-44

http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/pcsat.cgi

http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/pcsat.html

http://www.tapr.org/aprs.html

Here are the latest Keps for all satellites.

http://celestrak.com/NORAD/elements/

Tourmeister said:

I was riding Dyna Sport's KTM Vibration Master 9000.

Click to expand...

Yea-a-a-a-a-ah, I-i-i-ts no-o-o-o-ot smo-o-o-o-oth l-i-i-i-i-ke the-e-e-e-e ge-e-e-e ess-ss--ss-ss-

Yep. Garmin service is nothing short of excellent. A lot of people will save 25% of the cost by getting one of the other brands, but in my opinion it is worth the couple extra dollars because you know it is backed by Garmin's superb repair/replace service.

Back in 98 or 99 I purchased a Streetpilot for work (tax write off) and occasional personal use. Last summer it finally quit powering up, so I sent it in to Garmin fully expecting the repair cost much more than the value of the unit.
They repaired the unit for $100 and shipped it back to me. For some reason the unit would not work with my unlocked software. I called Garmin back and they requested that I send the unit back to them for an adjustment.
The unit was promptly returned to me and has been working perfectly.

Garmin-great customer service.
I am currently lusting over the SP2730...may be time for another gps for "work".

I have mine on the tanks bolts. If you have a RAM mount U-bolt thingy that usually bolts to handlebars, ditch the U bolt. The distance between the holes on the RAM mount where the U bolt goes into is exactly the same as the distance between the tank mount bolts in my 2 VFRs. Get two a bit longer bolts from your local HW store to compensate for the thickness of the RAM mount and voila

It is nice, right there in the middle, clears the bars, does not prevent you seeing the gauges and when you take the RAM arm off, you can barely tell there can be something mounted

Jussi

Squeaky said:

I've heard of mounting in a lot of places with clip-ons. I can't find it now, but I remember seeing something where the mount was added to the tank bolts and then an extension bar came up to help the mount clear the tank.

You can also make a plate to add it onto your mirror:

Click to expand...