Advice appreciated re Montana 650 problem

2wheels

2wheels

Community Manager
Joined
Apr 2, 2012
Location
Chiang Mai
Bikes
ROYAL ENFIELD CLASSIC
MY Garmin Montana 650 GPSv seems to have died quietly in the night.
It was functioning properly until riding into Downpatrick, Ireland but wouldn't even open the next morning.
I have taken out the battery and replaced it.
I have returned the device to the cradle on the bike and turned the ignition on and off.
I have bought AA batteries and replaced the Li-on battery with them.
I have tried a master re-set.
Nothing happens; it's dead.

Apart from throwing it in the nearby River Boyne does anyone have advice re this issue?
Thank you.
 
As far as I can see, you have done all that is possible and, reading up on a "Dead Montana", I have not found any other option of resurrecting it other than contacting Garmin to have it repaired.

It could be a minor thing such as a loose or bad connector between the battery and the circuit board but I have not found anything on the WWW which points to this being a problem with the Montana (this was a common problem with the Garmin 60 series). Checking this would require opening the Montana but this for sure would void any warranty you still might have. There is on ADV a post on how to open the Montana and repair an antenna problem (Garmin Montana GPS Reliability Modification - Hardening How-To - ADVrider) but I am not sure if this would help solve your problem.
 
Sorry for your loss Ron.

Have you tried 1 piece of toilet tissue folded a couple of times and placed between the battery & the door, ensuring a snugger fit when closed?

Ally
 
Find someone who has the old style of USB computer lead, plug that into your Montana (plugs in the back under one of the rubber cover seals) and the USB into their computer and see if it fires up.
 
In case nothing helps and you can not do without a GPS as I know you really like the minor roads, Halfords in Ireland has a sale on at the moment and a Garmin Nuvi 30 would set you back 69.99 Euro or a Nuvi 42 for 79.99 Euro - both come with the latest UK and Ireland maps.
 
What about the stick method?

Oh yeah,it's Ireland>no sun :(
 
OK, thank you for all the suggestions.
Loop, I've tried hitting it with stick but no effect.
 
I have a Montana 600. Lasted about one month before it started to shut down. Rebooting on its own all the time now. I got someone to buy it for me in Europe, so not sure how the warranty will work in Thailand.. havent really checked into it. Overall its been a big disappointment. Never really worked good. The touch screen is hard to operate, even without gloves..

I did like my old 60 CSX (also given up, similar problems). I Might give the 62 series a try next time.
 
MajorTom said:
I have a Montana 600. Lasted about one month before it started to shut down. Rebooting on its own all the time now. I got someone to buy it for me in Europe, so not sure how the warranty will work in Thailand.. havent really checked into it. Overall its been a big disappointment. Never really worked good. The touch screen is hard to operate, even without gloves..

I did like my old 60 CSX (also given up, similar problems). I Might give the 62 series a try next time.
Click to expand...

Re-booting all the time looks like you may have a problem with the battery being able to move a bit during use and losing contact. Try to put a piece of foam rubber or something similar in between the battery and the cover so that the battery will stay in place. The 60 series had the same problems till Garmin redesigned the battery clips which reduced the problem of shutting down the unit while in use considerable.
 
MajorTom said:
I have a Montana 600. Lasted about one month before it started to shut down. Rebooting on its own all the time now. I got someone to buy it for me in Europe, so not sure how the warranty will work in Thailand.. havent really checked into it. Overall its been a big disappointment. Never really worked good. The touch screen is hard to operate, even without gloves..

I did like my old 60 CSX (also given up, similar problems). I Might give the 62 series a try next time.
Click to expand...

You will find many of us had issues with Montana's on the forum, not sure where you based major tom but you could try contacting Garmin in Taiwan or Eagle GPS in Chiang Mai but it's a slow process and no guarantee of satisfaction.

Lone Rider said:
Re-booting all the time looks like you may have a problem with the battery being able to move a bit during use and losing contact. Try to put a piece of foam rubber or something similar in between the battery and the cover so that the battery will stay in place. The 60 series had the same problems till Garmin redesigned the battery clips which reduced the problem of shutting down the unit while in use considerable.
Click to expand...

I had problems with my Montana battery working loose off road, so i made a loop of duct tape (sticky side out) and stuck the battery in location. I hope your Montana comes back to life Ron, it's an expensive piece of kit to throw in the bin.
 
The easy solution for the battery problem is to put an earplug between the battery and the cover.

That's not the issue with Ron's though. I suspect Ron's needs a trip to Taiwan for a fix.

I'm on my third Montana now... the first lasted a day and a half on the corrugations on Cape York.... then the screen went so far out of register I couldn't do anything with it. The replacement one (and they argued against giving me a replacement, because I was in Oz but had bought it from the US.... which was an argument that they lost) lasted 7 1/2 months through Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. When parts of the touch screen stopped working on it, they.... the miserable pack of bastards that call themselves Garmin.... argued that they only give a 3 month warranty for repairs. Garmin lost that argument too... although the one they sent as a replacement that time was a "factory reconditioned" one. It is still running.

I like the product... but some of the maps they supply and their service, in particular, is shit.
 
I believe my Montana has a processor issue. The more data it has to process, the worse it gets. If i move fast with high map details - its simply not working, shuts down after a few seconds. Or if i try to open that altitude graph application, it just shuts down immediately. However it can work for a full day offroad, so no problem with vibrations or battery connection.
 
Been using my Nuvi 500 for 4-5 years without issue.
The screen needs to be replaced but thats from using it with muddy-gritty gloves and a few crashes where it hit the ground...so my fault.

Certainly would steer clear of a Montana after reading the feedback here.
 
I'm also unhappy with my Montana. When they work they are great - but they have far too many problems.

Some of the things that have gone wrong with mine:
- Kept shutting down due to the battery issue (fixed with insulation tape)
- Screen becomes unresponsive / frozen after being in direct sunlight
- When connecting to the PC it says 'usb connected - do you want mass storage....' it then just shuts down
- When it shuts down it does not charge
- The only way I can charge it is using my friends cradle on his bike
- I can not get my tracks off the device onto my PC
- I can not plan routes on my PC and transfer them to the device

Not happy for something that cost c. $700. Unfortunately there does not appear to be a realistic alternative. The lack of competition in this sector allows them to get away with it. I'm hoping the smart phones will develop in this area, I will then use one of them in place of the Montana. I'm certainly not buying any more garmin equipment.
 
Matt said:
I'm also unhappy with my Montana. When they work they are great - but they have far too many problems.

Some of the things that have gone wrong with mine:
- Kept shutting down due to the battery issue (fixed with insulation tape)
- Screen becomes unresponsive / frozen after being in direct sunlight
- When connecting to the PC it says 'usb connected - do you want mass storage....' it then just shuts down
- When it shuts down it does not charge
- The only way I can charge it is using my friends cradle on his bike
- I can not get my tracks off the device onto my PC
- I can not plan routes on my PC and transfer them to the device

Not happy for something that cost c. $700. Unfortunately there does not appear to be a realistic alternative. The lack of competition in this sector allows them to get away with it. I'm hoping the smart phones will develop in this area, I will then use one of them in place of the Montana. I'm certainly not buying any more garmin equipment.
Click to expand...

Matt,

Justin had the same problem with his Montana. Try this trick to get the Montana into USB mode: Switch Montana OFF, take USB cable out of the computer, Connect USB cable and Montana, push the ON button AND KEEP PUSHING, while doing so connect USB cable to computer, hold the on button for about 30 seconds and the Montana should then be in USB mode.
 
Commiseration for you Ron, bloody gps's. My replacement Zumo 550 has packed in again this time 12 months. Eagle only send to Garmin Taiwan and want 7000 baht. I bought a Nokia windows phone with good gps instead.
 
Unless you use all capabilities of a Montana, a smart phone and a weather proof bag will suffice.
Garmin software for iPhone is about US 30, and lifetime updates.
Even Google Maps will help the average GPS user. And on top, there is all the free OSM maps too.


On the other hand, the Montana is great because of its flexibility. Overlay maps and so on.
 
Oddvar said:
On the other hand, the Montana is great because of its flexibility. Overlay maps and so on.
Click to expand...

I agree, the Montana is a brilliant bit of kit.
Mine has done 3 trips to Asia, once around Aus & is out on the Enduro bike or Adventure bike every second weekend here getting smashed, wet, dusty & abused & has never missed a beat, except for the screen freeze when left in direct sunlight when parked up. The cure for that is to turn it off, spit a mouth full of water on it to cool it & turn it back on.
I have made my own overlay map of all the single trail around where we ride.
I don't think you lot are abusing yours enough & they're breaking down through being babied & not used as the rugged machine they are. :D
 
Lone Rider said:
Matt,

Justin had the same problem with his Montana. Try this trick to get the Montana into USB mode: Switch Montana OFF, take USB cable out of the computer, Connect USB cable and Montana, push the ON button AND KEEP PUSHING, while doing so connect USB cable to computer, hold the on button for about 30 seconds and the Montana should then be in USB mode.
Click to expand...

Hi Auke

Thanks for the tip. I tried this once before when it was playing up and it went into USB mode. When I try this now it goes to the screen calibration where you have to press the dot. It just gets stuck in this cycle.

I might look at sending it to Garmin (I bought it in Singapore).

Cheers, Matt
 
Well, everything as suggested above has been tried in an attempt to bring my dead Garmin Montana 650 back to life, all without success.
Tim 'Gnasher' has had a bit of a look inside the thing and can't see anything un usual.

Just prior to leaving his place I noticed a large Garmin office block in Southampton city, so Tim will try to get some help from them.
The result could be interesting and useful to share here, so I'll add info as I get it.
 
I lost the USB connection to the Montana unit. Tried all tips&tricks found on internet in vain.
A few emails to Garmin support, and I was told to return it and they would send me a new one.
I sent it, and a few days later I got a email that they had received the unit. A few hours later a new email informing me that they had sent me a new one.
Good service, but I bought the unit in Norway.


Please note that the Montana is not listed under navigation on the Garmin web page. It is listed under handheld. And that’s what it is too.
The Montana is the most flexible GPS I have ever had. The Nuvi navigation module is not good, but I did not buy it for navigation.
Buy a Zumo for navigation.
 
Tim 'Gnasher' took my dead Montana into Garmin Southampton.
They confirmed it was dead!
No details as to why yet but I want to know and will post here.

The good news is that they will exchange it for a new one FREE of CHARGE.
The other good news is that my data has been saved elsewhere!

It's a brilliant device when it's functioning and I'll be glad to have it back again.
 
I agree that there is nothing that compares to the Montana when it works properly. Just a shame that it has so many issues. I bought a new one that I will receive tomorrow. I didn't want to give Garmin any more money, but there is not really a viable alternative.

Hopefully the issues have been ironed out in the later models. My old one was one of the earliest ones. I might try sending the old one back and see how I get on.
 
Matt said:
I agree that there is nothing that compares to the Montana when it works properly. Just a shame that it has so many issues. I bought a new one that I will receive tomorrow. I didn't want to give Garmin any more money, but there is not really a viable alternative.

Hopefully the issues have been ironed out in the later models. My old one was one of the earliest ones. I might try sending the old one back and see how I get on.
Click to expand...



Keld got one of the new Zumo 390's as he'd read about the consistent problems with the Montana 600 series screens and is liking it. I want to have a play with it and see how good the user interface is.




Garmin_zumo390_1024.jpg.2470256.jpg
 
Oddvar, you are more knowledgable on such matters than I am but the Montana 600 series has settings for 'automotive mode' (and even motorbike mode).
It also has connection points for a cable from an external power source.
Surely this indicates that it's designed to be more than merely a hand held device?
 
On the Montana you can have multiple maps, named as you like.
The Zumo has a limit of 2 + the preinstalled maps.
Map files has to be named gmapsupp.img and placed in a folder named Garmin. One on the unit and one on the SD card.
One way to manage several maps on the Zumo is to rename whatever map you need to gmapsupp.img. And keep track of what is what.
Not a good option for those who need several maps.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I got a new Montana after a warranty claim. The new one has not shut down, no issues with the battery etc.
I guess they have fixed those problems.

The Zumo is marketed as a Motorbike GPS. The Montana is marketed as a Handheld GPS.
 
Thanks Oddvar.
I remain intrigued as to why mine (and maybe others) would simply die overnight!
It got me to my accommodation but not out of it!
Apparently Garmin Southampton, so far, are not sharing much info with Tim.
 
Oddvar said:
On the Montana you can have multiple maps, named as you like.
The Zumo has a limit of 2 + the preinstalled maps.
Map files has to be named gmapsupp.img and placed in a folder named Garmin. One on the unit and one on the SD card.
One way to manage several maps on the Zumo is to rename whatever map you need to gmapsupp.img. And keep track of what is what.
Not a good option for those who need several maps.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I got a new Montana after a warranty claim. The new one has not shut down, no issues with the battery etc.
I guess they have fixed those problems.

The Zumo is marketed as a Motorbike GPS. The Montana is marketed as a Handheld GPS.
Click to expand...

You can actually have quite a few maps active on your Zumo at the same time. You rename them gmapprom.img, gmapsupp.img, gmapsup1.img, gmapbmap.img. I thinks there's a few more you can use
 
Update.
Garmin Southampton have taken my dead Montana and replaced it with (I imagine) one they have previously repaired.
I will have it in a few days.
Tim 'Gnasher' was unable to ascertain from them what caused mine to die, so it seems we will never know! RIP.
 
2wheels that appears to be the Garmin repair policy. My 550 replacement only lasted another 12 months before dying and they want 8000 baht for another replacement. Realistically I personally feel high end gps
 
are an overkill for travel and can get by quite ok with maps and lesser need GPS. The GPS on my Nokia Windows phone works a treat.
 
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