510 - is my battery toast?

[KGJulie]

Hi everyone. I have a TT GO 510 that I purchased approx. 11 months ago. I used it quite a bit when new but I don't travel that much and it has been sitting unused for a long time (months). Now it will only turn on when connected to a power source (either home dock or car charger). If the power source is removed, it goes dead and does not come back on (it just goes dark immediately, it doesn't power down). The battery appears to be fully charged (green light was on when docked, battery status indicator shows full and not "charging"). The pin reset didn't seem to help - it still will only turn on when connected to power. However, when connected to a power source it seems to function fine. It's just a PITA to have to restart and re-enter all the trip info every time I turn off the car to get gas, etc.

How do I know if the pin reset worked (what I mean is: how can I tell if I did it correctly)? Has anyone had it NOT work a bunch of tries and then all of a sudden on maybe the 5th or 6th try it worked? So maybe I should keep trying that?

If not, how do I know if my battery is toast? What is the warranty on these things? I'm not even sure I still have my receipt, since I bought it a year ago, but I might.

Thanks for any ideas you can send my way.

 

[GAW]

You did not say how long it was connected to the charger. I would try leaving it for several hours on the charger and then try turning it on again.

The charging won't be affected by resetting. If you are lucky, it just needs a long charging cycle.

 

[KGJulie]

It charged for several hours. Not quite overnight, but almost. I don't think that's the problem. Thank you though. Any other thoughts?

 

[GAW]

You have to very very careful with pin reset on the 510 - it is an awkward spot. You would know if you did it correctly when the unit would go instantly dead after you did the reset.

In your case, if the unit dies as soon as you remove it from the power source, the reset won't do anything - it appears that the battery totally died.

I would call TomTom support and see what they suggest. My guess is that they will want you to send it in. They might replace the battery, or offer to send a replacement (a refurbished one). I would ask for a new battery if that turns out to be the (very likely) problem, as the refurbs are often knocked around units.

If it is less then 12 months since you purchased it, it should be free except for your initial cost to ship it back.

Note - make a complete backup copy of the unit (with windows explorer), and then also do a "Copy to Computer" of your maps and any other items you may have downloaded that were not on the unit. That will make it easy to restore it if you end up with a refurbished unit.

 

[RandyR]

On older models like 510 & 910, be aware that TomTom will send you a "refurb' unit back, with old maps.

I had a dead battery in my 910 a few months ago. I sent it back and they sent me a 'refurb' that did not look as clean as my (mint) 910 I sent in. And old maps.


I called to complain and they said no new units left on 510 and 910.

After a little arguing, they did at least re-issue me a new map. I had to download to my tomtom home and reinstall it and the latest firmware. You will have to reload any favorites or extras that you had.

Be sure to call TomTom tech support and get a return RMA, and do NOT send any accesories because they won't return them. When I called for RMA they tried to tell me that short battery life was normal and not a defect. Yea, sure. Just stand your ground.

Good luck.


Randy R.

 

[sunray73]

Funny thing is I'm running an older firmware (so I can use the speaker out function for my cell) and when my battery runs out totally it acts very strange. I have to reset the thing, plug it into the charger, turn it on and go to the screen where it shows the battery indicator charging. If I just put it in the cradle when its dead without turning it on and going to that screen, it won't charge... Try that and see if it works... Atleast you'll know if it's charging or not by the indicator screen(tapping bottom right corner on main menu).

Hope this helps...

 

[iTijn]

Hi everyone. I have a TT GO 510 that I purchased approx. 11 months ago. I used it quite a bit when new but I don't travel that much and it has been sitting unused for a long time (months). Now it will only turn on when connected to a power source ...........

You still have warranty, so I cannot advise my solution.
But 99% sure, your Tom Tom is over-dis-charged.
See my thread: #37 in item 3987

https://www.tomtomforums.com/showthread.php?t=3987&page=4