Whether to buy new or stay with the old

[Merlau]

According to MyDrive I have a Go 620 although the device itself says that it is a GO Essential. (Is there a difference?) I have permanent subscriptions to Traffic and Speed Camera Updates. My problem is that the battery lasts for only about two minutes and doesn't charge so I can only use use it when plugged into the car unit or when plugged into an external power unit. It would seem to be a good idea to buy a new device but would I then lose my (free) updates and have to pay a subscription after the initial trial period?

A second question concerns the Bluetooth connection to my iPhone. To maintain the connection while following a route do I have to have my phone on continously or does the TomTom device maintain a connection automatically?

 

[canderson]

There are features that your 620 (Essential) supports that aren't available in any current generation TomTom. If you use custom POI, for example, you'll lose that on any new TomTom.

You can replace the battery. There are even YouTube videos out there showing how it is done.

You don't need your phone on unless you want realtime traffic data while you travel, which you probably do. If you turn off your phone, you won't get that information.

 

[Merlau]

Thanks for this. I reset the Navigator a couple of days ago and reinstalled the system software. It has improved a number of things and seems to have introduced some speed into the system that wasn't there before. I still have the POIs that I had previously and it comments that traffic and speed camera updates are still running. I don't know if I dare disrupt all this by swopping batteries but I will take a look at the videos that you mention.

 

[canderson]

I don't know if I dare disrupt all this by swopping batteries but I will take a look at the videos that you mention.

These guys are in the battery selling business, though not in the UK, but their videos are generally quite good. Here's one for your model:

 

[Merlau]

Thanks for this. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[RobU]

Personally I would never buy another TomTom if my current 600 fails . All useful functions are being removed from later models and it's easier to use Google maps. Install the app on a small tablet computer fix it in the car linking the car speakers in place of the stereo and you have a navigation device that also plays music and allows you to use the internet.

 

[Merlau]

Thanks to all for your help. I have now replaced the original battery with a new one. Prizing the case apart was not easy. It seemed at first that the two parts were so firmly joined that they would not ever seperate but persistence paid off and they eventually came apart. I had to hunt around to find some double side tape that was thin enough to fix the battery in place and then search around to find whereabouts the miniature microphone fitted (it had slipped out as I opened the case and has a small housing along the edge of the case.). Fitting the two sides back together was also a bit of a game, the pressure needs to be very firm, finger pressure is simply not enough. Tip, biting the two sides together worked really well, even if it sounds a little odd.

 

[canderson]

Thanks to all for your help. I have now replaced the original battery with a new one.

Assume all is good now, then?

 

[Merlau]

Totally, new battery charged up and the Navigator running fine. Still accepting voice input despite me having initially dislodged the microphone. And all a whole lot simpler than I expected.

 

[Filbert]

Thanks to all for your help. I have now replaced the original battery with a new one.

Well done! I've done it a couple of times over the years but last time I tried, something went wrong and the screen stopped working!

 

[canderson]

Well done! I've done it a couple of times over the years but last time I tried, something went wrong and the screen stopped working!

For any vintage TT, it's critical to use care when disconnecting and reconnecting the flex cable that attaches the screen to the motherboard. The units that have movable latches on the motherboard connector are the ones that more often than not get broken. It's important not to try to flip them too far back.