Is my GO 720 Dying?

[M51AB]

I bought my GO 720 18 months ago and aside from commonly listed glitches when some new updates come out, I've had no problems until last Wednesday.

Within the first 25 minutes driving on the battery, I had a caller that was dropped twice. Later, I had trouble turning the unit on and after another 25 minutes of driving on the battery, the screen began to flicker and Susan began to start and stop mid-sentence then stopped talking completely.

After browsing this form, I discovered that voice guidance can be lost when the battery runs lows; however, when this started to happen, that battery meter was still in the green and indicating a half charge remaining.

I charged the battery via UBS and as of right now Susan is speaking perfectly and there is no screen flicker, even with the battery meter in the orange range.

The only noticeable problem remaining is when I turn the device on. The splash screen flashes bright for a split second than goes dim for 5 to 10 seconds than bright again for a few seconds until the main menu appears; before Wednesday the splash screen never flashed, it started dim than when bright than went to the main menu.

Because I bought Product Replacement Plan with the GO 720, I'm thinking of heading back to Best Buy and exchanging it for a new one.

Is the splash screen flash just a glitch or should I exchange the unit?

 

[dhn]

Mine also brightens for a few seconds at startup. You really should be using the car charger for all trips. That's why TT provides it.

 

[M51AB]

Mine also brightens for a few seconds at startup. You really should be using the car charger for all trips. That's why TT provides it.

Thanks,

Because my round trip commute is usually only 60 minutes. I hardly ever use the car charger. I assumed because TomTom advertises such a long internal battery life and doesn't specifically require or even recommend using the car charger at all times anywhere in the manual, that the car charger was designed to be used when the internal battery is running low on long trips

I'll probably still check with Best Buy to see if my current GO 720 can be exchanged then have them do a hardwire install as I like to keep my 12 volt plug available for when I use my radar detector.

 

[dhn]

Trust me, you should be using the charger at all times. Do not believe TT with reference to the '5 hour' capacity of the battery. you are lucky to get half of that, even with all battery preferences checked.

There are devices that can fit into a car lighter or powerpoint that act as splitters so 2 devices can get power at the same time.

 

[M51AB]

There are devices that can fit into a car lighter or powerpoint that act as splitters so 2 devices can get power at the same time.

Yeah, I know but Best Buy offers Geek Squad professional installation for $50 USD. I figure because it covers the cost of an antenna install as well, I'd buy a RDS-TMC Receiver and have that installed at the same time. One wire hanging down from my dash is ugly enough

 

[dhn]

You install the antenna by plugging it into the unit. You're gonna pay $50 for that!!

 

[M51AB]

You install the antenna by plugging it into the unit. You're gonna pay $50 for that!!

No, the $50 is for having the TomTom hard-wired into my car's electrical system; the antenna mounting is a free service they include with the hard-wire.

I haven't committed to doing this yet, but from what I understand the TomTom will look almost like OEM and the antenna will only be noticeable to the trained eye; which for me is important because Minnesota, as well as California, prohibit mounting anything aftermarket to the windshield.

If and when I do this, I'll post pictures in a thread showing aftermarket mounts; like I did when I installed the ProClip.

 

[dhn]

Oh, okay.........now that makes sense!

Yes, pictures here are always nice. Helps other members thinking of doing the same thing.

 

[M51AB]

So, I talked to Best Buy today and instead of having the replacement plan I have the service plan, which isn't a good option unless you're positive the device covered cannot be fixed.

At this point, I'll just be keeping and up grading the map on my G0 720 as well as having it hard-wired. For the curious, the different between Best Buy's service plan and replacement plan is literally in the words used. With the replacement plan, they replace the unit; with the service plan they have three chances to fix the product, and if they can't do so, they'll replace it.

Considering my problem can't easily be replicated and may have just been a glitch from not using the charger, I hate to waste time bringing the unit in just so they can take it for a week, reset it, and give it back.

The good news being if my GO 720 breaks beyond repair, it's returnable for a replacement until October of 2011; that is as long as Best Buy doesn't follow in the footsteps of Circuit City