| Author | Message | ||
     Sharcnetusa Username: Sharcnetusa Registered: 12-2008 |
Having replaced literally hundreds of batteries in Garmin Nuvi products, I was intrigued that a company offered a DIY (Do-it-Yourself) Battery Replacement kit for the Nuvi 660. The video can be viewed on YouTube and is a little over 7 minutes long. The following comments are based upon many hours of repairing Nuvi's and developing a procedure of my own. The video is well put together, however the soundtrack Boléro by Ravel (well known from the 1979 comedy movie, "Ten" with Bo Derek) throughout the entire video becomes annoying rather quickly. The first thing that catches my eye is the supplied miniature torx screwdrivers. From experience, I can tell you that you won't always be able to obtain adequate torque to remove the screws under the antenna. The self-tapping screws are often difficult to remove, even with a larger handle torx screwdriver. Sometimes these screws are so tight, that I have actually snapped the heads off of them, trying to remove them. I always coat the screw threads with lithium grease when putting a unit back together. One tip that wasn't mentioned, was to hold your finger over the end of the antenna's axle before removing the antenna. This prevents the inner spring and axle from shooting out across the room. If your not familiar with the parts which can shoot out, you won't know what your looking for on the floor. If you lose these parts, the result will be a limpy antenna that won't stay in the case. The second thing that raised an eyebrow, was how the antenna was allowed to just hang by its flex cable. Not a good thing to see. The flex cable is wrapped in a spiral position and the cable can be accidently pinched or cut if left hanging. I prefer to keep the antenna in the closed position, held in place by a piece of scotch tape across the back. The same holds true for the LCD display. I cringed when I saw stress being placed on the (3) LCD flex cables. You don't want to tear or pull out a flex cable from its connector. I've repaired a lot of Nuvi's with broken flex cable connectors that were pried off or snapped off during the battery replacement process by the "Do-it-Yourselfer". It seemed like it took a long time for the person in the video to open the case with the tool supplied. It should take no more then 10 seconds with the proper tool and proper technique. If the person in the video is having a tough time opening the case, how can you expect someone with less experience to do it? Removing the older battery takes a little more effort than what was shown. The original battery is held in by a double-sided adhesive, which makes it difficult to pry the battery up from the case. There was also no mention about using caution to make sure that the sealed pouch around the battery isn't punctured or about the risks of cracking the case. The supplied case opening tool isn't the right tool for prying the battery out. I prefer to use a 1/4" wide, flat-blade screw driver, which will give you better leverage. There was also no mention if the replacement battery comes with a new piece of double-sided adhesive or whether it has to be salvaged from the original battery. Sometimes it can be difficult to salvage the original tape as it wants to fold over on itself and stick together before you apply it to the new battery. If that happens, forget about trying to pull the ends apart. I prefer to use new double-sided tape; the kind that is used to apply raised emblems to automobiles. The procedure that I developed, is a lot different than the video and places less stress on all of the connectors. Speaking of connectors it wasn't mentioned that you can accidently swap both the battery and speaker connectors if you are not careful. They both use the same type of connector. Extra caution must be taken when snapping both halves of the GPS together, otherwide you can flex the LCD display and crack it. Overall, the video is OK but greatly lacks a lot of missing tips that could make the difference between a successful job and a disasterous one. You'll notice their disclaimer that essentially says that if you damage your Nuvi, that their not responsible. Translation: If you break something... you're screwed and it was YOUR fault. The bottom line is... if you don't feel comfortable with this sort of thing.. then please DONT ATTEMPT IT! You take the risk of damaging your unit. I don't recommend this kit for beginners. If you would like SHARCNET-USA to replace your internal battery, please check out the following battery information page & quote page: Nuvi Battery Replacement Services Request a Quote (Message edited by admin on April 15, 2010) |