Condensation on (in?) my GPS screen

[gfspencer]

Up until now I’ve had good luck with my Garmin GPS’s and good customer service from them when something broke. I bought a BMW Motorrad Navigator II Plus in June. The first time I took it out I noticed a white spot in the center of the screen. It was condensation and it went away after a while but it was aggravating. I e-mailed Garmin the other day and asked what I should do about it. They told me that condensation is not covered by warrantee. They would be glad to take it in for repair but I would be charged. Does that sound strange to you or is it just me? I have a new GPS (less than three months old). It is used on a motorcycle therefore it is used outside – sometimes in the rain. The screen has condensation. It should be fixed. I shouldn’t have to pay for it. Do you think??

 

[MikeP]

Loads of others have experienced the same.

The fixes range from take out CF card, leave CF card door open and place in the airing cupboard to getting some silica sachets and stuff them inside for a short while.

I have a Nav II, if there's a problem it will go to BMW not Garmin (BMW warranty covers it, I think Garmin will tell you that).

Mine did the same thing for a while. Sort of milky rectangle in the centre of the screen. I decided to live with it and see what happened. If it didn't go away then I would have taken it back to BMW. As it happens, with use, i.e. plenty of fresh air out of doors, it has gone away and never returned. (It's had plenty of soakings both rain and I leave it in place when I wash the bike).

Give it some time, if when it's about 10 months old, the problem is still there, take it back.

 

[PanEuropean]

I've only had the 'condensation behind the screen' problem on one of my Garmin GPSRs. I don't think it is anything that can be prevented, especially if you have a GPSR with a door in it that opens up to take a memory card.

Like Mike suggested, open the storage card door, take the card out, then leave the GPSR somewhere that is warm and dry (for example, sitting on a windowsill indoors, exposed to the sun) and the thing will dry out by itself. If the weather won't co-operate and you don't have any sunny, dry days, then you can do the 'bag of dessicant and GPSR in a Tupperware bowl' trick. Just be sure to dry out the dessicant bag first - easiest way to do this is to put the dessicant bag in a warm oven (about 120 to 150 degrees F - no more) for half an hour.

Once you have managed to get the GPSR dried out, the problem should not come back again. If it does come back again, have a careful look for dirt around the door seal, because something is preventing the GPSR from properly sealing up.

Michael

 

[Dabba]

Happened first time I used it - went away on its own and hasn't come back since.

 

[bruce3675]

I have had my "Navigator II" since February 05 and last week I noticed a small bubble behind the protective film covering the screen, it has now spread over the entire screen, making viewing very difficult.

It has now gone crinkly, a bit like a cellophane sweet wrapper.

 

[PanEuropean]

Bruce:

I have no idea if that bubble you are describing is condensation, or something else. Try drying the unit out as described above. If it goes away, it was probably condensation. If it doesn't - hey, you are well within the warranty period, just send the thing back to Garmin in the UK. Perhaps check with them first to find out what the protocol to follow is when you ship a unit back for service.

Michael


Uh - I just thought of something else: All these GPSR's come with a layer of protective film on the screen that you are supposed to peel off and throw away before you begin to use the GPSR - it's not that "protective film" you are talking about, is it?

 

[gfspencer]

Uh - I just thought of something else: All these GPSR's come with a layer of protective film on the screen that you are supposed to peel off and throw away before you begin to use the GPSR - it's not that "protective film" you are talking about, is it? [/QUOTE]

That's an excellent idea but I took my "protective film" off when I got the GPS. (I had to go and look to make sure. ) This is definitely condensation in (under?) the screen. It usually appears when I ride into a different temperature/humidity zone.

I'm going to try your earlier suggestion. I have some dessicant and an air tight storage box on order.

 

[PanEuropean]

I have some dessicant and an air tight storage box on order.

OK - FYI, the 'leave it on a sunny windowsill for a day' is by far the preferred choice - this works much better than the 'dessicant and Tupperware' routine.

Take the CF card out, leave the CF card door open, put it on a windowsill (screen up) somewhere in your house where it is exposed to sunlight and a little bit of air circulation, and leave it there for a day. That technique has a 99.9% reported success rate.

Michael

 

[gfspencer]

OK - FYI, the 'leave it on a sunny windowsill for a day' is by far the preferred choice - this works much better than the 'dessicant and Tupperware' routine.

Take the CF card out, leave the CF card door open, put it on a windowsill (screen up) somewhere in your house where it is exposed to sunlight and a little bit of air circulation, and leave it there for a day. That technique has a 99.9% reported success rate.

Michael

Thanks, Michael. I'll try the sunny windowsill.

By the way, I was out for a ride today. When I started out the screen was fine but I dropped down into a cool river valley and the screen hazed over. It stayed that way - even when I rode into a warmer area - until I stopped for gas and a snack. I left the bike parked in the sun and after about twenty minutes the haze went away. What a pain.

 

[Pukmeister]

I work in refrigeration and understand the physics behind your problem:

The problem with warm air is that it has the ability to contain more moisture than cold air. The moisture that has entered your GPSR will condense on the coldest surfaces, notably the inside of the casing and screen.

The best way to dehydrate the unit would be to place it with a bag of activated dessicant inside a sealed plastic bag, then put this in a warm place such as an airing cupboard for a day or two (also ensuring the units CF card door is open). The heat will evaporate the moisture from the unit which will then be absorbed by the dessicant within the plastic bags "mini environment".

If you just put the dessicant near the unit without the plastic bag, you are basically trying to dry out the entire world and not just the moisture within the GPS receiver.

Ultimately, you need to rectify the cause of ingress of moisture into your GPSR, be it a leaking case seal or something....

I have used my Nav 2 on the bike whilst mounted in its cradle in all weathers and temperatures and despite a damned good external soaking, it has never given me this kind of fault (touch wood.....)