Sun screen
Qi have a garmin gPsmap 182c which does all i need, though it may be a bit dated. But it has suddenly developed a large smear across the screen.
i opened the back and left it for a few hours in hot sun but no improvement. the unit has never been opened previously, and the screen appears to be sealed.
i contacted garmin who responded ‘buy a new one’.
is there anything i can do? Brian Kirman, by email anDy Haines replies: On initial inspection it looks like it could possibly be sun damage to the Perspex or possibly a bleeding LCD, but without seeing it in person it’s difficult to say.
I have known the sun reflecting off of a magnified mirror on board someone’s boat before which created a very similar arc (as pictured) as the sun moved across the sky and scorched a section of wood in the cabin.
Garmin’s response of ‘buy a new one’ might seem glib but really nowadays it is simply not cost effective to try and repair the screen on a unit of that age. If you were to have it repaired with a donor unit (a similar unit that is faulty but with a good screen) then this could easily rack up a repair bill of anywhere between £145-£200 – even supposing you can find a donor.
When you compare this to a new model which has a better quality GPS receiver, better screen, an inbuilt sonar (just add the transducer) and up-to-date cartography for £360 or so it makes perfect sense to put your money into a new unit rather than to try and repair an old one.