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Replace my Garmin 550 junk

3K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  Donut 
#1 ·
My Garmin 550 has taken a dump again (junk) and they want $175 to repair it with only a 90 day warranty and the one I have was a replacement. So now I need to get a new one. Is there anything available that is waterproof with a bike mount. I don't want to spend another $700 for a new Garmin. When you can buy one for a car for a heck of a lot cheaper. Just because it says motorcycle it's $700 bucks.
What else can I get.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I thought those were Livermush bags. At least that's what the guys at the Piggly-Wiggly told me.

To the OP...
I use the TomTom app on my iPhone which is mounted in a case from http://www.ultimate-mobiles.co.uk/
The case is fully waterproof, it has to be, I live in WA State. They also sell chargers. I bought a charger from them but I accidentally shorted it out by crossing some wires. I've since added a Powerlet charger and used my Dremmel to slightly mod the waterproof case so it would fit.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I have a Tom Tom (RAM mount) and use a plastic zip-lock bag for rain. Just a little over a hundred bucks and free updates. Fancy ain't always best.
 
#6 ·
+1 for the Tomtom. You can go through a lot of those before you reach the price of a Garmin. I carry a spare in my bag in case the first one craps out on me. I have the 540XXL with liftetime free map updates. Both units I bought used for about $80-100 a few years back. Added benefit is you can also program your own routes in Google maps and save as an ITN file directly to the unit. Sweet and inexpensive. The Garmin screen is much sharper, though.
 
#9 ·
I am here and just letting this post run to get different ideas of what to do.
A couple things I will miss is my 550 is motorcycle friendly, it has special buttons for wearing gloves and it warns me when to get gas and it also has mp3 and bluetooth.
I'll be watching to see what other models pop up.

Doug
 
#11 ·
Rammount (and others) makes a waterproof Aqua box for $50 or so. You can find cheaper ones out there that work too. I have a friend who found one for $30. Unit works fine. Ex-inlaw has one on his Goldwing, his only issue was running wires in and out of the brand he got. So he had to do a little customization, but got it to work.

So get a Nuvi with Lifetime Map updates and the size box you need....
 
#12 ·
Rammount (and others) makes a waterproof Aqua box for $50 or so. You can find cheaper ones out there that work too. I have a friend who found one for $30. Unit works fine. Ex-inlaw has one on his Goldwing, his only issue was running wires in and out of the brand he got. So he had to do a little customization, but got it to work.
For what it's worth, I used the RAM Aqua Box with a TomTom XLS before. However, on longer rides the GPS unit would overheat and cut off; usually when I needed it most!! After the TomTom cooled off, it would work again...until the next time it got too hot inside the Aquabox. If I recall, this usually happened after 4-6 hours of use. Currently using a waterproof WorldNav 3500 made for motorcycles (got it for ~$200), but I wouldn't recommend anyone purchasing. Don't feel it's any more two-wheel friendly than other units and downloading your own routes is a major PIA.
 
#14 ·
Update.
I called Garmin and and talked to the service department and explained the glitch problem I was having with my Zumo 550 and he told me of a way to to a total reset of the unit....so I did it and it worked !!!! I really like this unit and the new Garmin's don't have the options this one has. So I am happy for now. So thanks everyone for the help.

Doug
 
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