RANDOM SCREEN CHANGES - It's a Garmin problem, specific to the Nav VI device

Wobble

Hugh Janus
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So I had one of the first Nav 6’s via Nick at Cotswold. For a while it was great, but gradually it started to have a mind of its own, and would randomly select various pages or change the destination to ‘Coordinates’.

Nick replaced it before the warranty ran out, and for a few months it’s been great, but now it’s started the same again.

I see on ADV rider a few others have had the same issue.

It’s out of warranty and I called Garmin, and they said they would swap it for £150, but didn’t say what the problem was or how to fix it we discussed a full reset and we discussed the screen recalibration but the guy didn’t seem to think that would fix the problem.
He also said that he would not be able to guarantee the same thing would happen again.

I’ve been running on USB power with the unit in the house on no satellite mode and during the trip from Kent to Manchester it randomly changed to coordinates several times.
I would assume from this that it’s nothing to do with the wonder wheel or the bike or any other outside interference, as the device is sat and has not been touched.
I also disabled Bluetooth so that it was not getting any external interference or changes.

On a recent ride of three hours the system was so unusable as it kept going to the random screens within 3 to 4 minutes.

So should I get a replacement unit and then sell it, or persevere with the current one to see what can be fixed?

The unit is in great condition has never been dropped or apart from the usual water on the bike has had all of the rubber grommets and doors closed.

To be honest I have little faith in Garmin and the navigator 6 to work as it should do.
 
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Forgot to mention that the screen has been scrupulously cleaned and the contacts on the back / cradle were also cleaned and wiped.
It’s on a trip to John O Groats now, and with three hours to go it’s behaved itself (currently thinks its in the highlands).
 
I guess this is what you are seeing happen:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IkiQhdSOeFY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Other people have reported the same problem:

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php/486512-BMW-Nav-6-problems/page2

God only knows if this (very strange) bloke is right but it’s free to find out:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uf5leI_p2hg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Though you say you’ve cleaned the screen and it made no difference..... but now it is working for an extended period in the highlands, presumably with its clean screen. I guess refurbished (and new) devices come from Garmin with very clean screens, which might explain why replacement devices seem to work, at least for a while.


I have no idea if this is a hardware issue, a software issue, a dirty screen issue, some vibrational issue linked to the bike and / or the device’s interface with the rest of the bike or indeed something else. Similarly, I have no idea why all Nav VI owners are not reporting the same problem. Maybe it’s just as simple as, they are not using theirs to find out?


PS Looking at several other forums, the overall opinion (once you have waded through pages of crap) is that it’s a ‘ghost screen’ issue, whereby the device thinks the screen is being touched and switches across. The only vaguely reliable fix seems to be the return of the device to Garmin.
 
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Thanks Wapping,

My tests have ruled out external issues (the bike, vibration, the wonder wheel) as it’s been on the shelf, with a USB power supply in the dry and not touched once the ‘trip’ has started.

I had another reply to my Garmin message and now they want the serial number.

I’m going to start an extended virtual trip later today and see how it gets on, but the last virtual trip ended up with two ‘inputs’ that saw the screen show ‘coordinates’ and a pin dropped location, waiting for confirmation of a new route.
 
Despite Garmin declining to fix these issues I would suggest that even if out of warranty there is a case to be made that the device is not of sufficient quality and therefore not for for purpose - a purpose which surely must last longer than the warranty period offered by Garmin. I can't quote the exact legislation but I'm sure consumer law offers protection here. Your claim should, I think, be pursued via both the retailer and the manufacturer - I'd seek advice from Trading Standards
 
I've had similar problems a couple of times with my Nav VI, the last being when out last Sunday, with the screen showing four indicator squares for Speed, Trip Mileage, Time and Ambient Temp, one of these would start flashing between grey and blue and then change to the page where you choose which input you want for that square.

Going back to my route map page, this would switch between following the route as it should and another map page with all of the icons on it but not my route, though speech instructions carried on as they should. I could switch back to the rolling map but then it would change itself back to the other screen again.

Now I have a GoPro set up on the Bike to monitor the Nav VI should the problem start again, but in the meantime have cleaned the screen, rear contacts and contacts on the mounting Base unit and all seems OK at the moment.

Not good for a £600 unit that's less than a year old, but at least I can now see that it's not only mine that is playing up and hope Garmin can get to the bottom of the problem and come up with a fix.
 
I've had similar problems a couple of times with my Nav VI, the last being when out last Sunday, with the screen showing four indicator squares for Speed, Trip Mileage, Time and Ambient Temp, .......
John, why not take it off the bike, put a USB power lead on (not to a PC) then enable indoor mode and see if it plays up when it simulated mode.

Mine has been up to John O Groats and down to St Mawgan in Cornwall. Now it’s due back at John O Groats by 02:16.. it’s been better behaved on the past couple of ‘trips’, but even off the bike, and with no Bluetooth on, it still has issues.
 
Despite Garmin declining to fix these issues I would suggest that even if out of warranty there is a case to be made that the device is not of sufficient quality and therefore not for for purpose....

That may be so, TBH I’m probably going to cut my losses and get it swapped, then sell the replacement unit as such, walk away from having a sat nav on the bike for a while.

I’ll probably write a Victor Meldrew letter to BMW customer service and they will be very apologetic but in the grand scheme of things it’s just a sat Nav and not worth getting upset or even mildly vexed.

In all the time I had the Nav 5 it was great, and if I hadn’t suffered from shiny object syndrome, I’d still be using it.
 
John, why not take it off the bike, put a USB power lead on (not to a PC) then enable indoor mode and see if it plays up when it simulated mode.

Mine has been up to John O Groats and down to St Mawgan in Cornwall. Now it’s due back at John O Groats by 02:16.. it’s been better behaved on the past couple of ‘trips’, but even off the bike, and with no Bluetooth on, it still has issues.


Hi Wobble,

Thanks for the suggestion, I will set it up on simulated this morning and see if the problem does come back. Since my last Post I have cleaned the screen with isopropyl alcohol to make sure it's completely clean and on test rides has performed OK.

The first time I had the screen problem was some months ago on my previous 1200GS but now happening on the 1250GSA I can't see that it's the bike at fault though have checked all Cradle pins etc.

One thing about running the simulation, if I power it from my PC through USB it isn't possible to use the unit, you said earlier that you used USB to power yours - was this with a USB power only cable?

Thanks.
 
As the Nav VI is waterproof, I just wash mine under the tap from time to time and dry it with the tea towel. I haven’t tried the dishwasher....

As regards powering / charging the device, any old micro-usb lead will do, just like charging a camera or speaker from the mains. You only need a data enabled one if you intend to send / receive data into or from the device, mostly usually to a pc. I just plug my Nav VI into whatever lead I have hanging around, most often one for a speaker.
 
Thanks Wapping,

I found that it would run while connected to a normal USB charging outlet rather than having it connected to the PC so have set up a simulated trip from Somerset to Italy of some 800 miles.

If it runs this OK I will be happy but if there are problems will video and pop into Lovett's to have a chat with them.
 
Mine had less problems today, one in Kent to John o Groats pretend journey
 
After cleaning the screen with the Isopropyl alcohol I set up and ran an 800 mile simulated trip from home in Somerset to Gap in France and after 11 hours running had no problems at all.

Been thinking about the problem some more and on both occasions when it was really bad, the first symptom was with the Box display of different Bike functions where on both occasions the bottom right of four boxes started flashing between blue and grey before jumping to the page where you choose what to display in that box. This makes me think that the suggestions that it is all down to a dirty screen are probably correct.

Will carry on and report back if the problem returns, while in future keeping the screen cleaned.
 
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I like the simulated trips, no chance of a speeding ticket, fuel costs very reasonable, and you can drink tea and watch TV at the same time, can be a little lacking in adventure though.
 
Whilst the check by which the device is ‘tested’ to see if it malfunctions when (having had its screen cleaned) it is put into route simulation mode at home, is interesting enough. I do though wonder if it really replicates how the device is used out on the road?

In route simulation at home, the device is just sitting there, all but running a script. Out on the road it has to deal with:

Calculating the bike’s position relative to the satellites, whose signal strength varies to some degree or another all but continuously

Calculating an ever changing average speed, arrival time etc etc

Changing light (brightness and angle) striking the screen

Bumps and bangs

Being zoomed in and out

Being prodded at by bods’ fingers, if only to find out what their tyre pressure, battery voltage and next service due date is every five minutes.

That is all ‘work’ that the device has to contend with and perform, which must (I assume) tax its inner widgets to some degree or another. ‘Work’ that is not conducted when running a simulated route in the comfort of someone’s house.

For whatever reasons, the device seems to suffer from ‘ghost screen’ which (as far as I can make out) is an electrical phenomenon by which the device thinks the screen is being touched, which it then reads as misleading, sometimes rapid and contradictory, instructions to do something. I am no screen mechanics whizz but I guess it might be as simple as a smear or dust / dirt on the screen which, when hit by changing sunlight, is read as a screen ‘touch’, perhaps? If so, a clean screen, sitting in a constantly lit (or even dark) room at home - unaffected by changing sunlight - and not being prodded by fingers or having to make assorted very quick calculations, is not the same thing.

Clean the screen regularly and see how it goes out on the road, would seem to be the answer.



PS I Googled ‘ghost screen’ and found out that it seems to affect mobile phones and other touch screen devices. This would indicate that it is not unique to Garmin’s premium branded (expensive *) product. The ‘fixes’ are (inevitably) as varied as the loons that give them. However, the only truly reliable ones seem to be:

A. Keeping the screen clean

B. If a screen protector is fitted, making sure there isn’t some dirt trapped between it and the device’s screen

C. Returning the device to the manufacturer



* The cost of some phones and cameras might even make a Garmin device seem cheap.
 
Hi Wapping,

Agree with you completely, but had the time and wasn't able to get out on the bike so the simulation was worth running just to see if any problems did arise.

Both times I've been out since there haven't been any problems.

Mine has been fitted with a Speedo Angel glass Screen Protector since I first bought the Nav VI.
 
So whilst the simulated route isn’t a “real test” it does isolate aspects of the problem, (if the issue happens off the bike and on a simulated route as mine does) then clearly the bike and connections to the bike may not be a part of the problem.

I have replicated the issue with a very clean screen, and on simulated routes, but have seen other threads on various forums of dealers replacing wonder wheel, Garmin connection etc, all of which may not be required.
 
So whilst the simulated route isn’t a “real test” it does isolate aspects of the problem, (if the issue happens off the bike and on a simulated route as mine does) then clearly the bike and connections to the bike may not be a part of the problem.

I have replicated the issue with a very clean screen, and on simulated routes, but have seen other threads on various forums of dealers replacing wonder wheel, Garmin connection etc, all of which may not be required.

Agreed. It’s the screen. Next stop Garmin if it keeps misbehaving on a regular basis.
 
+1 top the ‘ghost screen’ saga. I’ve had it very occasionally in the last 18months since the first unit (bought very close to launch date nearly 3yrs ago) was replaced by the dealer. Started process with Garmin, as its >24m old they have offered similar replacement cost £145 from memory.

I’m in ‘discussions’ with them currently regarding Consumer Rights Act 2015.....I’ll let you know how I get on...
 


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