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Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair?
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Anyone have any recent experience with Garmin Out-of-Warranty replacement/repair?

From what I recall, it used to be posted on their website with prices for the different product tiers, but I can't seem to find it anymore.

My last was a Garmin 735XT (cracked sensor, water leaked in) in 2020 for $115, which was worth it at the time.

Now, I've got a ~2.5 year old Garmin 945 with a battery that needs charging every other day or so (every day if I have a long run with bluetooth music and stryd power) and was thinking of getting a new/refurbished replacement for better battery life.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [Kula] [ In reply to ]
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I''d suggest a careful look at the settings. PulseOx off, backlight down to 5-10% After Sunset and a short timeout duration, also try turning the phone connection off. And perhaps GPS only rather than GLONASS/Gallileo. Also, a stock Garmin watchface rather than a custom one.

Failing that, a full factory reset.

All of these are free, but if that doesn't work, then you can try the OOW refurb.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [Kula] [ In reply to ]
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Kula wrote:
Anyone have any recent experience with Garmin Out-of-Warranty replacement/repair?

From what I recall, it used to be posted on their website with prices for the different product tiers, but I can't seem to find it anymore.

My last was a Garmin 735XT (cracked sensor, water leaked in) in 2020 for $115, which was worth it at the time.

Now, I've got a ~2.5 year old Garmin 945 with a battery that needs charging every other day or so (every day if I have a long run with bluetooth music and stryd power) and was thinking of getting a new/refurbished replacement for better battery life.

I had the same cracked HR sensor issue with my Garmin 735XT. I think they offered a refurb for $100, but after I complained that it was clearly a design/manufacturing issue with all the 735XT devices (Tons of 735XT devices have this issue) Garmin ended up replacing it for free.

Now my refurbed 735XT has the same cracked HR sensor issue. But since the new watches have advanced enough I doubt I'll bother trying to warranty it and will instead upgrade.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [Kula] [ In reply to ]
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The very first step is to call Garmin support. They are generally off-the-charts amazing at supporting products out of warranty, depending on the issue. For example, the 945 has issues with high barometric alitimier failures. So, they have been covering those out of goodwill warranty. Who knows (well, Garmin probably does), if there have been some battery issues, Garmin may cover those as well. Or offer a discounted replacement.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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exxxviii wrote:
The very first step is to call Garmin support. They are generally off-the-charts amazing at supporting products out of warranty, depending on the issue. For example, the 945 has issues with high barometric alitimier failures. So, they have been covering those out of goodwill warranty. Who knows (well, Garmin probably does), if there have been some battery issues, Garmin may cover those as well. Or offer a discounted replacement.

Yeah, this is the way to do it. My fenix 5s plus went haywire not even two years into owning it (fenix 5 series is known to have many problems), and they offered a refurb of the same model for ~$150. I wasn't completely happy with that option, as a $500 watch should last longer than two years in my opinion, but it was the best option I had at the time. Six months later my refurb is still doing well.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [Kula] [ In reply to ]
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I somewhat recently traded in an old Edge 500 (would not turn on/charge) and they gave me somewhere around 10-20% discount off a new Edge product. The same 500 I traded in was a refurbished model I purchased for around $100 when I cracked the screen on my original 500.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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I appreciate all the feedback on Garmin support, and I agree they're great, and I've had awesome support from them over the years, but y'all are all familiar with the degradation of lithium ion batteries over time right? That's why even if you're happy with your iPhone (iPad, Pixel, etc) and it may still work fine after a few years, you're going to want to replace it because the battery doesn't last as long as it used it. Generally they're not user replaceable (few are), and you're simply going to get a new device when the battery life is unacceptable. It's not just a conspiracy from big tech (although they're not innocent here) -- it's a limitation of the underlying technology.

That said, I haven't changed any of these settings recently, and the watch simply doesn't last as long as it used it. I know how to conserve when I need to (turning off phone connection, etc), and I know how to maximize lithium ion batteries (not running them all the way down, etc) but that wasn't my question.

I wanted to know 1) if Garmin does still offer the OOW repair/replace, and 2) what the approx cost would be for a 945 *before* I went down the support path.

Cheers!
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [Kula] [ In reply to ]
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Kula wrote:
but y'all are all familiar with the degradation of lithium ion batteries over time right?
I only mentioned support because it sounded like your 945 battery life degradation is abnormal by any standard. I think I had my 945 for a couple years (before its altimeter OOW replacement), and I did not notice any change in battery life. Two friends still have their original 735XTs, worn and used daily, and they only need to charge ~weekly.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [exxxviii] [ In reply to ]
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exxxviii wrote:
I only mentioned support because it sounded like your 945 battery life degradation is abnormal by any standard. I think I had my 945 for a couple years (before its altimeter OOW replacement), and I did not notice any change in battery life.

Maybe I work out more than y'all do? (j/k) Thanks! Will be trying support, but worst case, I wanted to have a rough gauge of the replacement cost if it went that route.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [Kula] [ In reply to ]
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My experience might be different in the UK but my 735xt went dead last year whilst pool swimming. I assumed water ingress from failed seals. It was out of warranty by six months so it went in a drawer. Pulled it out another six months on and contacted Garmin to see if they'd do a refurb for a fee, as couldn't see anything listed on website. Used the online chat and supplied the necessary details and they sent me a replacement free of charge once they had received the old one, which they provided a postage label for. The replacement looked brand new, albeit unboxed. I wonder if they have a fair amount of dead stock of them now the 745 is the default choice, and honouring out of warranty replacements. It was very impressive customer service.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [jn46] [ In reply to ]
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jn46 wrote:
The replacement looked brand new, albeit unboxed. I wonder if they have a fair amount of dead stock of them now the 745 is the default choice, and honouring out of warranty replacements. It was very impressive customer service.

I think they do have some dead stock. Both of my "refurbished" replacements (first was for a cracked screen that was my fault) looked brand new. The first even came in a box. I think they send a real refurbished if they have one, and a new one if they don't have any refurbished stock on hand.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [bufordt] [ In reply to ]
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My Fenix 6 pro developed a circular splotch of dead pixels. The position on the screen matched the position of quite a few other reports, suggesting a possible manufacturing defect. Even though it was over 2 years old, Garmin offered to ship me a refurb for an advance charge of $400 which they refunded when they received my broken watch back, and I was pretty pleased with that.

They did the same thing when my 935 developed the cracked HR sensor window a few years earlier.

Good luck!
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [Kula] [ In reply to ]
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My Garmin watch started going crazy about a month ago. I tried everything I could think of or find on the internet, but nothing helped. I even emailed Garmin customer service and followed their recommended steps--no luck. So finally I used the chat feature on their website to ask about out-of-warranty repairs. I figured having an expert look at it was my last hope. Within about 10 minutes on the chat, a replacement watch (same model, like new -- I think it's refurbished) was on its way to me, and they provided a pre-paid shipping label to ship the old watch to them. And the replacement was WAY less expensive that I thought it would be. I was very impressed with how smoothly and easily it all got handled. Kudos to Garmin.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [Kula] [ In reply to ]
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Kula wrote:
exxxviii wrote:
I only mentioned support because it sounded like your 945 battery life degradation is abnormal by any standard. I think I had my 945 for a couple years (before its altimeter OOW replacement), and I did not notice any change in battery life.

Maybe I work out more than y'all do? (j/k) Thanks! Will be trying support, but worst case, I wanted to have a rough gauge of the replacement cost if it went that route.

I think the last cost to me on 945 replacement was $119. For years the price was $99 so I may be misremembering. Customer service doesn’t always offer it, but you can ask for them to charge you immediately for two replacements and they will send your new one and a label to send the old one back. You’ll get the refurbished model in a few days. When your old watch arrives at Garmin they will refund the cost of one unit.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [SummitAK] [ In reply to ]
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SummitAK wrote:
Kula wrote:
exxxviii wrote:
I only mentioned support because it sounded like your 945 battery life degradation is abnormal by any standard. I think I had my 945 for a couple years (before its altimeter OOW replacement), and I did not notice any change in battery life.


Maybe I work out more than y'all do? (j/k) Thanks! Will be trying support, but worst case, I wanted to have a rough gauge of the replacement cost if it went that route.


I think the last cost to me on 945 replacement was $119. For years the price was $99 so I may be misremembering. Customer service doesn’t always offer it, but you can ask for them to charge you immediately for two replacements and they will send your new one and a label to send the old one back. You’ll get the refurbished model in a few days. When your old watch arrives at Garmin they will refund the cost of one unit.

I don't know if it varies by model, but the replacement cost for my watch (described above) was $99, and she took 50% off that. And yes, there was an option to send the new one right away, in which case they also charge a deposit that gets refunded when they receive your old device.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [ntl_tri] [ In reply to ]
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ntl_tri wrote:
SummitAK wrote:
Kula wrote:
exxxviii wrote:
I only mentioned support because it sounded like your 945 battery life degradation is abnormal by any standard. I think I had my 945 for a couple years (before its altimeter OOW replacement), and I did not notice any change in battery life.


Maybe I work out more than y'all do? (j/k) Thanks! Will be trying support, but worst case, I wanted to have a rough gauge of the replacement cost if it went that route.


I think the last cost to me on 945 replacement was $119. For years the price was $99 so I may be misremembering. Customer service doesn’t always offer it, but you can ask for them to charge you immediately for two replacements and they will send your new one and a label to send the old one back. You’ll get the refurbished model in a few days. When your old watch arrives at Garmin they will refund the cost of one unit.

I don't know if it varies by model, but the replacement cost for my watch (described above) was $99, and she took 50% off that. And yes, there was an option to send the new one right away, in which case they also charge a deposit that gets refunded when they receive your old device.

I may have paid the $99 too. Hard to track because I have had so many Garmin devices registered this usually results in straight up free replacement. No matter their issues with software, Garmin customer service has never disappointed me.
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Re: Recent experience with OOW Garmin replacement/repair? [Kula] [ In reply to ]
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I've had a few goes with them over the years. In the UK.

1st 910xt failed after about 4 years - Buttons not working. Well out of warranty. Got a refurb exchange one from Garmin via their Customer Service team (totally hopeless via phone or email, but worked OK via Faceache / messenger). Cost about ÂŁ90 from memory. That'll be probably 5 years ago.

Then the replacement failed about 14 weeks later (vs 3 month warranty on the refurb). Think it wouldn't charge. But replaced by Garmin for another refurbished unit for free.
Next one failed after about 2 weeks - barometer altimeter haywire. Replaced FOC again.
Then next refurbished failed after a while but out of the 3 month warranty. I gave up throwing good money after bad at that point.

I do however also have a 920xt... now several years old. Battery holding up for maybe 3 hrs. I use ut as a back up / put it in the tow float whe swimming as a decide out of the water all the time to get a better track.
Garmin have no replacement units as its such old tech now. (No complaints- its old and well used).
### here's the thing. Service (in UK) this time was good - quick, helpful, etc etc. Waaaaay waaaay better than what I expected or experienced a few years ago. As the device was obsolete/ no refurbished units any more, they offered 30% off a new unit from them. I've a new 955 en route with a 30% discount. ###
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