Is there any hope with Go exclusive.

[dozukime]

I upgraded to a go exclusively last August. Problem, after 3/4 journeys unit would take 5/20 minutes to boot up. I finaly reached "TomTom" customer support. Very friendly & sent unit for repair, unable to repair, so a new unit arrived with a report saying , fully tested & in working order. I am now with unit number 3. Same problems, they want me to send again to Romania for repair. My question is, does anyone out there have a go exclusive that actualy works like it should? Thanks.

 

[canderson]

Yes, I've had one here, using the 'truck' and 'car' profiles.

I need to be 1000% sure we're talking about the same thing here with regard to "boot up" and aren't having any language difficulties.

You're saying it takes 5~20 minutes to boot up - are you saying it's taking that long to get a map screen on the display - or do you mean it takes 5-20 minutes before the device gets a useful GPS fix so that it can navigate? This is important since these are two very different symptoms and would lead us in very different directions.

 

[dozukime]

The start up problem is , I switch on ignition, so GPS should also switch on, I get a "TomTom" logo light up bright for maybe one second then the logo goes half bright, then it can take between 5 & 20 minutes before I hear the tomtoms & the map, then everything works like it should. Thanks for your reply.

 

[canderson]

The original was strange enough, but a replacement that does this, too? That's even stranger. I'm wondering whether it's actually crashing during the early stages of the boot, causing a reboot to occur.

What firmware are you currently running on the replacement device?

Just as a test, make sure your device cannot see any WiFi or BT devices while it is booting.

 

[Naviuser67]

This sounds like a standalone device, so it's posted in the wrong forum

 

[Arno]

@Naviuser67 it looks as if you re posting in the wrong one.
Look at the top. this one is for Hardware.

 

[dozukime]

The original was strange enough, but a replacement that does this, too? That's even stranger. I'm wondering whether it's actually crashing during the early stages of the boot, causing a reboot to occur.

What firmware are you currently running on the replacement device?

Just as a test, make sure your device cannot see any WiFi or BT devices while it is booting.

Thanks, I have not changed any settings on unit 1,2,3 & have also not activated wifi or bt. + after my second message to you TomTom my 3rd person on customer support sent me a UPS print-out to send back unit number3, looks like they will send another unit. So with each unit I get a new support person. I have been asking for a refund but alas they just send me another unit that so far fails after 3 journeys. Last unit I thought 3rd time lucky, but no luck there. I wonder, am I unlucky , is there a bad batch of units or are they all bad?

 

[canderson]

Grasping at straws here.

Are you using the TomTom supplied charger in the cigarette plug, or are you using a USB port supplied on your vehicle?

Next, rather than just allowing the device to "Sleep" when the timer times out when the power shuts down from your vehicle (I assume that's what you are doing now), choose the "Power Off" option before shutting down your vehicle. Does that change the behavior?

 

[dozukime]

I'm using the USB in vehicle. As for shut down , I have tried all possibilities, often the display offering the 3 options failes to come on, just a black screen.

 

[TonyGr]

USB socket will not provide sufficient power to run a SatNav.
I questioned this last year and got definite answers in the negative hence @canderson's question.
Read this thread right to the end https://www.tomtomforums.com/thread...power-a-go-basic-serial-x5.33800/#post-201110

 

[dozukime]

Well I have a "start 60" that worked fine in the dash USB, but I will certainly try the cigarette option, buuuut, when a new unit arrives there is a typed report saying "unit canot be repared so we are sending a new unit". More confusion.

 

[Willy875]

Well I have a "start 60" that worked fine in the dash USB, but I will certainly try the cigarette option, buuuut, when a new unit arrives there is a typed report saying "unit canot be repared so we are sending a new unit". More confusion.

Between the start 60 and the GO Exclusive it's 2 totally different models GO Exclusive needs more current to work correctly.

 

[dozukime]

Sounds logical.

 

[lamely-lounges]

For troubleshooting, try to identify and remove possible causes.

Car... Try using the unit away from your car
Power... Try different power supplies

Good luck

 

[Willy875]

For troubleshooting, try to identify and remove possible causes.

Car... Try using the unit away from your car
Power... Try different power supplies

Good luck

The cause of the GPS malfunction is using the car's USB socket instead of the cigarette lighter charger supplied with the GPS.

 

[dozukime]

Many thanks for your help. I will test further when the the unit arrives.

 

[EllieMay]

Many thanks for your help. I will test further when the the unit arrives.

I was just wondering if you have received your new device and managed to test the cigarette lighter theory out please? I'm looking to purchase this model myself, so want to see if that solved your problem or not.

 

[Willy875]

I was just wondering if you have received your new device and managed to test the cigarette lighter theory out please? I'm looking to purchase this model myself, so want to see if that solved your problem or not.

If you plug it into a car's USB port, it's a maximum of 500 mA output.
If you plug it into a cigarette lighter charger, it's 1500 mA output. There are also 2400 mA cigarette lighter chargers. A GO exclusive consumes a lot of energy.

 

[TomTomNo]

I am on my 2nd Go Exclusive 7, due to a non repairable fault on my first one, after having previously owned 2 previous TomTom devices over the last 10 years.

The large screen is great. My older GO 5200 still works well but I upgraded because I got an email saying that it was End of Life and would no longer be supported.

The development of TomTom devices seems to have stopped some time since the GO 5200 was released. The Go Exclusive 7" has a much larger screen but seemingly the same underlying hardware minus the inbuilt SIM card.

It is slow to boot especially if the battery has to charge a little to allow the device to actually power-up. It comes on but the screen does not illuminate, so one may not realise that it is on. To see the screen one has to mostly press the power button at the back of the device.

Once powered on the device stays on continuously for 16 hours in sleep mode if the USB power is removed . That's why the battery runs down and the device is slow to start. It's stunning that there are no other turn off options, even after 5 minutes at least.

The USB power to the device is not cut in my car for a minute or two after I have locked the car, so I do not get to see the turn-off or sleep options before I leave the car.
The reason that the device remains in a sleep state would seem to be that Tom Tom are attempting to disguise the fact that the device is slow to start from cold.

I have a GPS as OEM equipment in my car but as my car is over 2 years old, I need to subscribe for maps and traffic updates which I'd prefer not to do.

It is an horrific piece of kit. There is no way to check the level of battery charge without turning off the device. If I turn off the device before I leave the car and do not wait for it to actually power off and remove the USB power, by locking the car, the device will end up in an indeterminate state on my return.

The necessity to use a hotspot on a mobile phone is not well explained in the blurb, and it also needs to have the Bluetooth function of the Hotspot turned on manually also.

In the past I have found the Tom Tom units to be trouble free and work out of the box. Those days are long gone... I liked to use the units when I was hiring cars overseas, either in the US or Europe, but the function and reliability of the units has regressed rather than advanced so unless my device receives updates to improve power management soon, this will be my last Ton Tom GO...

 

[mj.monikajuhasz]

I upgraded to a go exclusively last August. Problem, after 3/4 journeys unit would take 5/20 minutes to boot up. I finaly reached "TomTom" customer support. Very friendly & sent unit for repair, unable to repair, so a new unit arrived with a report saying , fully tested & in working order. I am now with unit number 3. Same problems, they want me to send again to Romania for repair. My question is, does anyone out there have a go exclusive that actualy works like it should? Thanks.

☆☆☆☆ (If zero stars were possible, I would give zero)


I have used TomTom navigation devices for many years and trusted the brand completely — until I bought the TomTom GO Exclusive. This device is exceptionally unreliable and, in my experience, unusable for both car and motorhome travel.


Despite clearly configuring the device to:

• Avoid toll roads
• Avoid low emission zones
• Avoid unpaved roads

the navigation repeatedly ignored these settings.


During my holiday, the device routed me onto toll roads that have been tolled since 2024, which directly resulted in a toll fine. On the return journey, the same issue occurred again — I only avoided a second fine because I personally noticed the toll road sign, not because the device warned me.


For a high-priced, “premium” navigation device, this is completely unacceptable. A navigation system that cannot be trusted to respect its own routing settings is worse than useless — it causes stress, financial risk, and destroys confidence while driving.


Customer support was equally disappointing:

• No compensation offered
• No responsibility taken
• The issue was blamed on “outdated maps”
• I was asked to provide extensive technical details, effectively doing diagnostic work myself

After repeated complaints and no meaningful resolution, I simply gave up trying to get a refund. What should have been a relaxing holiday turned into a frustrating experience because I could not trust the device.


After years of loyalty to TomTom, I can no longer recommend this product.
The TomTom GO Exclusive is not fit for its advertised purpose.


If reliability matters to you, look elsewhere.