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have just pulled all my kit out of the wash after yesterday's horendous conditions. i was horrified to see my Garmin 500 at the back of the washing machine...
worry struck me as in the manual it had said up to 1m for 3 hours of waterproofness. i walked away calmly from the washing machine as to not alert my parents, who would have been a bit annoyed.
on returning to my bedroom there was no life so far however 5 minutes after i tried again. the sweet sound of a slightly quieter beep than it had been previously i was delighted to see it still had all the history on and also it still had all my data up from thursday's 4-up
as the smiles streamed across my face i decided to turn it off and let any bits that hadnt fully dried off dry. the true test will be when it comes to sunday club run, however i really think it has with stood the brute force of my mums rediculously big washing machine!
suggestions for the next test?
needless to say if anyone is looking at buying one but knows it may gothrough the washing machine once or twice i would say definitely get one. another bonus was the hole thing smells citrusy and is possibly the cleanest i have seen it! 😆
I would suggest leaving it completely for a few days, switched off. Although Garmin do have IP ratings for their devices, they aren't certified for pressured environments like washing machines. Also, even though the unit may dry out, salts and other chemicals from washing powders/gels may leave a deposit on the PCB(s) of the unit.
Also, consider that the seal may have been compromised by the chemicals in the detergent. I would suggest that a call to Garmin next week, and a request for a service, where, for a fee, they will renew seals on the unit, and give it a clean for you.
http://www.garmin.com/uk/support/contact-support
I find that Garmin UK have always been pretty good with their support, having had a number of devices. On my first Garmin motorcycle GPS (a BMW Navigator - 2610), the weather seals failed during a very wet on/off road motorcycling weekend in the lakes. The system still worked but various touch screen faults manifested themselves. Even though the unit was out of warranty, they gave me a free repair and servicce on the unit.
its still working and as it isnt touch screen i think it will be ok but will send it off for a service anyway 🙂 cheers ady 😛
