Stories and articles on the mountaineering and rockclimbing by mountain guide Alex Trubachev

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Garmin Montana touch screen repair

(Author A. Trubachev)

Only automatically translated version is available at the moment, sorry for the inconvenience.

Restore Garmin Montana navigation performance with broken touchscreen - by my own hands

A little out of the theme of our site, but this information can be very useful for those who use navigation devices and in certain situations, they trust their lives and health.

The story began about six years ago, when, on the advice of my friend, a specialist in the application of navigation, I bought a GPS navigator Garmin Montana 650. The main quality of this device, in fact because of which I had acquired and was the ability to work with bitmaps, simply put , with the scanned maps. Specificity of work in the mountains, in areas not covered with interactive maps, involves the use of just such a device. Before that I used for this purpose Garmin ETrax Summit - and I still think it is the best device for the extreme conditions of high mountains. But Garmin Montana gives a much more opportunities for navigation, plus versatility - it can be used as a road navigator. In short, the stuff is very comfortable, although not cheap - the price of a device on the Internet ranged from 500 to 700 euros ...

In short, after the purchase has come some confusion - the most valuable function of the device - working with bitmap images - little has been described in the instructions. For information about how to download and work with scanned images had to catch the crumbs on the forums on the internet, to buy additional software, without which it is practically impossible to realize those possibilities, which so happily tells you in advertising manufacturer. In general, disgusting starts here - why complete with a rather complicated, and I repeat, not an expensive device comes complete guide ?! This question is for Garmin. But then it will be much more questions, this is only the beginning.

Freshly bought Garmin Montana immediately after the purchase has been subjected to extensive testing. Needless to say, a good device. Once I figured out the calibration, training and downloading pictures on the navigator, its use has become a frank pleasure. But again, without adequate instructions have long to understand and mostly in English. After a while I understood what to do with my new navigator, but I am afraid that many non-obvious but useful features remained inaccessible to me.

After about six months of operation in the navigator transpired congenital defect - a few tiny, almost imperceptible eye, with hairline cracks in the protective film screen - no more than 2-3 mm in length. Once, taking the crack of a speck of dust or hair, I tried to delete it - gently pushing on the screen at this point. Cracks immediately increased twice and has become more apparent. Carefully inspect the display, I found two more cracks emerging from under the plastic housing navigator. With a probability of 99% that was factory marriage, because, for all the time of operation, my Garmin Montana had never been subjected to any stress conditions, he was not transferred to outsiders, did not fall, and lived exclusively in a solid case.

The decision to carry Navigator in warranty repair (year warranty by the time has not yet passed), it was not strong enough. Firstly, Montana worked. Secondly, there was no time, and the third, to be honest, did not want to prove servismenam fact that I have not crushed myself screen - by the way, I think that for this reason, I would have refused to guarantee - something mechanical damage. In short, I gave up on this hand - decided that when completely broken, then I will solve the problem. After all, how much can cost some plyonochku screen ?! Well, I pay, or at least ...

All seriousness of the damage became clear a year later, when the crack through which to this point has been about one centimeter in length, under the top film is exposed to water. After that, under normal operating screen, the device stops responding to touch - for navigation became impossible. Only now, when I started looking on the Internet, which would repair the favorite navigator, began surprises.

Firstly, no one to repair the Garmin Montana 650 with a non-working touch screens are not wanted. I phoned a dozen navigators repair shops - all to no avail. The problem - the lack of spare parts for this model. I also explained that the damage to the outside of the film (by the way, is very fragile) clearly causes damage to touch the screens, it is very touch superimposed on top of the display. And since, in addition to touch Scrin Garmin Montana other controls does not, without the stitch device becomes unusable. That is, you can turn it on, the screen works, but no good there - all operations are carried out with the Garmin Montana just across the screen.

In general, I'm so upset that called the Garmin official representation in Moscow. There I was given the phone's official service. And imagine my surprise when, in response to the statement of the problem and the question of the cost of repairs, I heard that the Garmin Montana device is not maintainable. That is, no mechanical damage Garmim Montana navigator is not subject to any repairs in the official Garmin service center, they "repaired" only's software glitches - well cards poured more for an extra charge ...

I was offered a replacement of the entire device with my surcharge, according to a service center, it is the only option possible when the panel navigator damage. When I asked about the size of surcharges, I calmly declared cost of the new device. Help, comrades, it is almost 500 euros! Given that replacing the screen on most phones, tablets and laptops worth an average of $ 50! What is so unique in my Montana ?! And most importantly - what now to do with it? Judging by the statement of the official service, it's just a disposable device. This turn of events, I did not expect. Still, for once, the browser is more expensive. In short, bravo Garmin! Soak in the glory. You buy a toy for polkosarya euros in seemingly respectable and world famous manufacturer, hoping for adequate service in the case, if something goes wrong. And, in fact because of the factory marriage, I have on hand a completely meaningless piece of plastic, without the possibility to bring it to working condition. Judging by what I found on the Internet, in my misfortune, I was not alone - the screen at the Garmin Montana - is its weakest point, do not write in any advertising, until we encounter - not sure. And then in the service center will tell you - is beyond repair.

Until now, I had not considered the possibility of self-repair - climb curved arms in a complex and expensive apparatus seemed blasphemous matter. But after a total failure and frustration in the Garmin service, I went to seek advice in the vast foreign Internet. And good luck! The first query in English in Google brought me to the detailed instructions for repair Garmin Montana with his own hands, literally, as they say, "on the knee". The case was described exactly the same - damage Scrin touch (it seems that this model simply does not break anything else). Dude changed touch screen - it is quite gemorroynoe, since touch is glued on top of the display, detach it difficult and risky, and may damage the touch screen itself. Plus contacts glued ribbon cable stitch with a loop on the display - to break easily connect back - it is jewelery.

Then I went on E-Bay. How much do you think is a touch screen for the Garmin Montana ?! It is the spare, which, according to the Russian representative of the Garmin, does not exist in nature and can not be replaced? Funny, but the replaceable Circuits is only 14 dollars .... 500 rubles for our money. And the whole assembly with the screen (the set changes the simple peretykivaniem connectors) - 45 bucks. And how, in this case, you should refer to the behavior of these fellows from Garmin ?! Why is selling high-end devices, they do not provide their services, pushing us to the insane actions such as replacing faulty Garmin new, with an additional charge equal to the cost of a new device ?! In a civilized society, this behavior is called fraud. In our reality, I would use the word "divorce" soon. That is, these "garminovskimi lads" would instead kopeck repair, sell me a new phone, but still my while to take away - it seems, the calculation have been that if a customer is enough is solvent for the purchase of expensive devaysa, why would he not vparit second ??!

Well Well, the end of the story you will probably understand. After finding all the necessary information, I decided to try to remedy the situation on its own. Buy a separate touch and suffer microscopic contacts did not want, and did not get anything, most likely. And to pay for this work to some handyman came to exactly more than just buy a complete touch screen with screenshots and replace the faulty set a new one. The process of buying parts on Ebae took five minutes a week in the mail waiting for me a small yellow box.

Further, any difficulty when reinstalling was not - included are some photos of the process, illustrating the repair screen navigator Garmin Montana 650 with his own hands.

Yes, and the last ... Before fully assembled body, I decided to err and pasted on top of the touch screen protective film for additional phones - so that its edge came under shell and silicone gasket. Perhaps it is somewhat prolong the life of the new screen Garmin Montana.

But the position of Garmin official representative in Russia deserves the full condemnation and should be publicly disgraced !! I hope the above information will help users navigate the Garmin Montana, if something happens to their navigation and reduce the opportunity for fraudsters to use naivety and trust of customers.

P.S. Since the replacement of the screen Garmin Montana is successful, I decided to try a little experiment on the separation of the faulty stitch by operating the display - the good in my hands was absolutely no need to set more. So, in the case of similar repairs, I do not recommend to save on the purchase of the entire screen with tachem assembly.

-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------- This is with these small cracks began this specific problem