My Garmin Died!!!

[Jose Jimenez]

TOU was awesome!  I felt good the whole race.  Got another BQ. But the rain killed my Garmin!!!  I have had my 305 for over 3 years now but the rainstorm (hailstorm) at TOU finally did it in.  I did the hard and soft resets and I even cleaned the corrosion inside the watch but it was too late.

So I am wondering if there is anybody out there who is about to trade up their 205 or 305 that would be interested in parting with their old watch.  If so I would be very interested to get it off your hands for a reasonable price.  Please send me a PM with the details if you want to sell your watch.  I am also posting this in the Buy/Sell/Trade section of these forums.  Thanks.

[MarkP_]

Buy a 310XT and never have this problem again (waterproof shell).

[Jose Jimenez]

That's the plan.  However, I am currently cash constrained so I am looking for an interim solution.  A used 205 or 305 may cover me until I can upgrade to the 310xt.  I was actually thinking of the 610 also but I think the waterproof qualities of the 310xt will sway me that way.  So if anyone has a used one they are willing to sell, let me know.  Thanks.

[MarkP_]

Yeah, I've owned the 110 and 205.  Both died due to sweat and water leaking into the unit.  This time I spent a big chunk of $ at REI for the 310XT, but REI has the full refund guarantee that I am sure I will use!

[Steve P]

This might sound strange, but I've heard that if you put electronic devices in a bag of rice, they will often start working again if they've been exposed to water. It's worked for a lot of people with their cell phones. So that might be worth a try.

[Colby]

Worked with my wife's cell phone after it was thrown into a 4ft deep swimming pool. Give it a shot Jose, your 305 might have another life left in it!

[Jose Jimenez]

It's in rice right now.  I will check again tomorrow.  Crossing my fingers.

[Rambojr]

I have the 310XT and it is nice. I had the same thing happen to my 305 at the Saint George Marathon in 2008 during the monsoon! I wish I would have known about the rice trick I might have tried that let us know if it works for future referance.

[Kam]

You can also put it in the oven on warm, or up to  200 degrees.  The plastic should be able to handle these temps.  This solution is a bit more extreme than putting it in rice, (especially if the temp. controller in your oven isn't very accurate) but worth a shot if the rice doesn't work.  If you do try the oven, let it pre-heat for a long time, since ovens overshoot the temperature and then dial in the correct value.

[Jose Jimenez]

Well the rice didn't work and I think it's too late for the oven thing.  I actually opened the Garmin up and one of the connectors to the battery was completely corroded (essentially non-existant).  So, it pains me to say but my Garmin is no more and has indeed given up the Ghost.  Oh well, I bought it refurbished and it lasted me a little over three years, 10 marathons and countless other races, relays, and hikes.  The 305 is a great GPS watch.  I just hope the 310xt is just as good.

[Colby]

Sorry to hear that Jose. I will mourn with you. I love my 305 and have gone through two of them. Best GPS watch I have ever owned. It is truly a sad day when one of them leaves us... 

[Jeff Linger]

So my 205 just died as well. I'm the 2nd owner of it. I dropped it off at my local running store and the guy tried to bring it back to life. He was unable to, but said that I could send it in to Garmin and for about $75 they would refurbish it. The owner of the store says the 'refurbished' one will basically be 'like new'. Might want to look into this. In my case I also need a new cord and adapter, so I may buy a new one. Food for thought.

[Sasha Pachev]

If you are cash-strapped, the solution is to use a $15 watch in combination with the Course Tool or just move near the Provo River Trail which is marked every 330 feet. In fact, I would recommend this solution even if your budget is OK. I am a very strong opponent of the idea that running should ever become an expensive sport, something for the rich or those who do not hesitate to borrow.

[Jose Jimenez]

Thanks for the info Jeff, I think I will be getting the refurbished one sometime in the next three months (for my B-day or Christmas!).  Actually, the one that died was a refurbished one I bought cheap from eBay and it was true and faithful through thousands of miles for over three years.  So I am a believer in going the refurbished route.

Sasha, I have a actually been using a simple stopwatch (on my wife's Polar HRM) to measure my runs on routes that I know very well up here in Herriman and it has actually been fairly refreshing.  I still miss my Garmin, which allows me to be more spontaneous with my routes, but it has been good not having to worry about my pace every 30 seconds.  I have actually been able to keep up my training and I don't think it has suffered at all.  I totally hear you on your expense comments.  I recently did a triathlon and plan on doing a few others but I have been put off a bit by the total poser attitude that surrounds a lot of that sport.  From the jerseys to the bike shoes everything "triathlon" is ridiculously expensive.  It shouldn't be that way.  But I guess when you have crazy people willing to pay $1,000 for an Ironman registration in Manhattan (and the event sells out in hours) they can charge whatever they want.  Definitely not a sport that anyone can realistically afford.  Seems excessive and unnecessary.