Northern California - I fixed my Garmin 305!

Over the past week, it started to shut off when I hit a bump. I had to start putting it in my jersey pocket to gather ride data. I tried calling Garmin, but the wait time for tech support was never under 30 minutes this week. I sent them an e-mail, twice, but never heard back.

So I took matters into my own hands. Took a while to break the glue seal to pop off the back, but once I did it was obvious as to how to fix it. I just bent up the little spring contacts some and used a pencil eraser on the other side to clean them. Glued it back together with a wood glue.

Worked great today, even over the cattle guards. It's a pretty simple repair.

I sent them an email and got a response the next day. I sent them my info and they sent me an address and a reference number to send the unit in for repairs. They said it usually takes 10-14 days to get it back.

I may just try this instead. Mine turns itself off all the time, even when I don't hit any noticeable bumps. It rarely stays on for more than five minutes.

When mine did this I took advantage of the infinite return policy at REI :) Worked out pretty well, they're selling for $290 or so now so I also got back the difference between the original price I paid and the new price.

I'm pretty sure pulling it apart yourself voids the warranty. :) Mine did that about 6 months after I got it, and I got an RMA# from Garmin and sent it in. They replaced it.

I'm pretty sure pulling it apart yourself voids the warranty. :) Mine did that about 6 months after I got it, and I got an RMA# from Garmin and sent it in. They replaced it.

It's 4 years old. Out of warranty.

Sounds like it's about as fun as taking apart an iPod!

How did you take it apart? What did you use to pry it open without breaking anything? That's what I'm afraid of!

I remember I had forgotten it in my pocket in my shorts not long ago and my wife washed it. I thought for sure it was cooked. But it really is waterproof and the buttons actually work better now. I guess I had a lot of gunk in between the buttons... Doh!

I used a very sharp think bladed knife to break the glue seal (make sure you get the angle right, it doesn't go straight in). Once the glue seal broke, it was easy to pry apart.

I put mine in the mail yesterday. We'll see if I have a new one in the promised 14 days. Right now I feel terribly awkward riding around not knowing my distance, speed, cadence, elevation, or heart rate. It's a lesson in learning to listen to your body again.