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BMW Navigator V BATTERY

globalrider

Alps Adventurer
This unit has been a disappointment as far as the battery goes. Other than that, it is a GPS like the rest of my Garmin units.

I bought the unit a couple of days after getting my new R1200 GSA LC. From that day on, I never got the "Up to 4 hours depending on usage and setting" for battery life. Try about two hours maximum and that with Bluetooth off as well as the display adjusted for minimal use. Now the battery is dead and with it dead the unit is useless. BTW, that battery never held a charge when powered down (not in sleep mode).

This is the display I get plugged into the USB on my PC or mounted on the cradle of the GSA. The battery has been removed....
Garmin - BMW Navigator V Display Without Battery.jpg

Also note that the Navigator V does not appear in Garmin Express or BaseCamp with the battery removed although it is powered up via the USB.

Well I am not about to dish out over $100 for a BMW/Garmin battery. So I either find one on the web, make one or just place the unit on the U/S shelf in the basement and get one of my normal Garmin GPSes out...that does work when plugged into vehicle power. Sorry BMW, but this is my first and last GPS from you. And hell, do I really care how often I have shifted gears. :rolleyes

Anyway, this is the factory battery...
Garmin - BMW Navigator V Battery.jpg

The possibility of maybe using two cell phone batteries in series...
Nokia vs BMW Navigator V Battery Size Comparison - 1.jpg
Nokia vs BMW Navigator V Battery Size Comparison - 2.jpg
Nokia vs BMW Navigator V Battery Size Comparison - 3.jpg
Garmin - BMW Navigator V Circuit Board.jpg
 
Still within the 5 year warranty period?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H85voLE3rQ

The battery is apparently unique to the Navigator, Google cannot find any alternatives. I think anyone that still has a warranty should be calling to get a new battery before the five years are up.

I have had Garmin, TomTom and generic Chinese GPS models, none would operate off of the internal battery for more than an hour or so even when brand new. I've come to the conclusion that the battery is only intended to maintain settings for a quick start from sleep mode at a stop.
 
Still within the 5 year warranty period?

Yes and no. I bought it July 2016 from BMW but the BMW warranty is good for 2 years. Go figure!

I am going to call them Monday and talk to support. I have enough of their products.

Can't stand this "throw away" society. I have two GPSMAP 60Cx units along with CN NA V8 (yeah, I know it is old) and CN Europe NT 2012 (I know, old as well, but roads don't change in Europe), both mapping products I bought. And Garmin is telling me I can no longer "unlock" the maps on MapSource or BaseCamp. I cannot even connect the 60Cx using WebUpdater or Unlock Wizard. Good thing I have a slew of those maps on microSD for them. But I prefer doing everything on the PC/Laptop with a large screen and then downloading it to the GPS.
 
I've come to the conclusion that the battery is only intended to maintain settings for a quick start from sleep mode at a stop.

In that case, they should not make claims of up to 4 hours. I know they state "up to" but 90 minutes isn't even close. I have a cell phone that I last charged well over a year ago and then shut down. Incredibly, I can still make a call if it had a SIM card in it.
 
I never use my Nav V out of the cradle except for checking something at a meal stop, so I have no idea how long it would last without being connected to the bike.
If you want to charge the unit at home don't use the computer, use a phone or similar charger.
When the unit is in the house the Nav V is known to not hold it's charge long. Fully powering it down instead of letting it go to sleep mode will make it last longer.
We bought both of our units in 2016 and I called Garmin last year and mentioned they would lose their charge after sitting for a couple weeks and they sent me two new batteries for free.
The packing slip showed $25 each battery and no charge because of warranty.
 
If you want to charge the unit at home don't use the computer, use a phone or similar charger.

I use my Samsung phone charger. It is a lot quicker than the laptop.

When the unit is in the house the Nav V is known to not hold it's charge long. Fully powering it down instead of letting it go to sleep mode will make it last longer.

Don't I know it. And I do a FULL shut down as well.

I'll call Garmin and hope.
 
Good info to know.

Got the new battery from Garmin yesterday. After a charge, I now have a battery icon that is fully green and it stays that way for a while when unplugged. The last one would drop segments in no time, even when it was new.

By the way, although it came from Garmin, the box was a BMW/Mini box with the BMW part number on it. Got it for 38% of the BMW price.

It is off the bike at the moment till that damn snow melts, but what I'll do is check the battery level every two weeks with a full shut-down each time.

Thanks to all that responded.
 
I have a nav VI and my battery was replaced by bmw dealer 2 months after buying it there. The battery just died for no apparent reason and would not power on, they said they have seen this often enough to keep some in stock. I know it doesn’t help your situation but thought I’d share garmin battery experience I’ve had.

Good luck
 
The battery just died for no apparent reason and would not power on, they said they have seen this often enough to keep some in stock.

I don't know if this is true or not, but from what I read on the internet, when the BMW Navigator V/VI is in the cradle and you shut down, the GPS does not do a full shut down.

Same when you have the unit in your hand. If the unit is ON and you just press the On/Off button for about two seconds, the unit shuts off and the screen goes black. Pressing the On/Off button again for about two seconds (it seems you need to do this step twice) and it powers right up without going though the usual start-up and warning screens.

To fully turn it OFF, press and hold the On/Off button for about 5 seconds. A Turn off the device? screen will pop up. Press Off. This is in my Navigator V.

Navigator V Help Topics

Navigator VI Help Topics
 
Unplug the battery. I just replugged the battery in my Nav V to update the dealer POIs.
The Nav battery shows full charge even though it was unplugged since last November.
I think that even though the Nav is shut off, not in sleep mode, it still uses power.
 
Well you should not have to unplug the battery to avoid battery drain at the rate it does drain.
I mean all batteries including those that are unplugged self-drain.
I can shut down my cell phone, my MP3 player, my tablet and it maintains the battery levels for months.

Anyway, I fully shut down my fully charged Navigator V 21 days ago and the battery today sat at what looks like a 2/3 charge level.

Someone ought to fire the engineers at Garmin! They probably got them from Funkies 'R Us.
 
Someone ought to fire the engineers at Garmin! They probably got them from Funkies 'R Us.

Well maybe, but the Garmin products have been light-years (exaggeration for effect) ahead of competitors such as Tom Tom, Rand McNally, Xgody, and other little known brands found in obscure truck stops. I have found the Garmin units we have owned to be very good (3, 3+, 5, Street Pilot, Colormap, 276C, 2610, 2720, Zumo 660, and a few Nuvi's). I have also found Garmin's software to be some sort of Disney Land Mickey Mouse joke. I finally made peace with Mapsource, but have not with Basecamp or Garmin Express. I have had mixed results with firmware updates.
 
Well maybe, but the Garmin products have been light-years (exaggeration for effect) ahead of competitors such as Tom Tom, Rand McNally, Xgody, and other little known brands found in obscure truck stops.

I realize that with 4 Garmin GPSes to my name plus some other Garmin products.

But just because I got 50% on an exam and everybody else got less than 30%, it does not make me smart. There are a few ways to design circuits.
 
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