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Nav VI - Key off battery drain?


Jake

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Hi Wetheads -

 

My new RT sat in the garage unridden without a tender for 3 weeks while other of life's callings called. Yesterday I took her out for a spin and noted that the Nav VI did not light up upon start up, nor during the 30 minute ride to my local caffeine watering hole. The Wonder Wheel didn't see it either. When I pushed the power down button at the end of the ride it lit up to say it was turning off. So, my worries of having to return a dead unit for a new one were erased by a realization that the unit had run out of battery power, then gained some juice from my short ride, then needed a signal from the bike to fire it up, even though I was turning it off. Whew.

 

It had a full battery when I parked it 3 weeks ago. Do these things lose power if they stay attached to the bike? Are those little electrons scurrying around at night? My Zumo 660 would hold battery power for months at a time if left unused. Do y'all routinely uncradle your Nav V & VI units, or is mine finicky like it's owner?

 

 

Thanks!

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Well, I can't speak for the NavV or NavVI, but I can tell you that I had 2 Zumo 590's. The first one I returned because it wouldn't hold charge. The second one was just as bad. Garmin over time, sent me out 3 batteries. Finally the 4th battery (11 months later) took and maintained a charge.

 

So, the long answer from me is that Garmin have definitely HAD some battery issues!

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Like Andy's, my zumo 590 does not shut down completely when the ignition key is turned off. It goes into a sleep mode that allows for faster startup after a short break. To power down completely, the power button on the back has to be held down for several seconds, generating a screen prompt to verify that you really want the power completely off. If I release the power key before seeing the prompt, the unit just goes to sleep. This is simple with the 590 mount, as the button can be reached while in the mount.

 

The downloadable manual for the NavVI says it behaves similarly. Since the power button is on the back it would seem that you need to remove the GPS from the mount to achieve a complete shut down, though you can probably put it right back as long as the ignition is off.

 

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Many thanks. The old standby-mode-when-you-think-it's-off trick, eh?

 

This from a Garmin forum (not my question):

 

"Thank you for contacting Garmin International. Many cars (particularly newer vehicles) have an accessory outlet that is turned on and off with the ignition switch. Many customers like to use this outlet as it appears to turn the GPS on/off with the key. The only problem with this setup is that there are sometimes separate vehicle circuits that are also connected to this system. Normally they would shut down when the ignition is turned off as they would lose their power source. If the GPS has an internal battery, then in some cases, those circuits will stay energized because instead of the vehicle battery, they now have the GPS battery to keep them energized until they drain the power from it. Because of this, it is highly recommended that you remove the GPS from its mount (or at least pull the power cord out of the outlet). This will keep the battery from discharging."

 

So, read the manual (RTFM), and take it with you. Got it.

 

 

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I already have replaced the battery on my new NAV VI under warranty and yes the unit drains by itself after a long period of inactivity.

If left on the bike it will drain the bike battery too as both my brother and I found out the hard way...

Never have seen that before so I have no idea why this is happening with these newer models.....

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Like Andy's, my zumo 590 does not shut down completely when the ignition key is turned off. It goes into a sleep mode that allows for faster startup after a short break. To power down completely, the power button on the back has to be held down for several seconds, generating a screen prompt to verify that you really want the power completely off. If I release the power key before seeing the prompt, the unit just goes to sleep. This is simple with the 590 mount, as the button can be reached while in the mount.

 

The downloadable manual for the NavVI says it behaves similarly. Since the power button is on the back it would seem that you need to remove the GPS from the mount to achieve a complete shut down, though you can probably put it right back as long as the ignition is off.

 

It occurs to me that that last bit may be wrong. The bike's ZFE keeps the GPS/Powerlet circuit active for some time after the ignition is off - usually about thirty seconds but sometimes much longer if there is a load on it. If you manually powered down the Nav with the power button and then put it back in the mount while the circuit is still active, the Nav might power up again. I do not have the Nav VI, a BMW GPS mount or a Wethead, so I'll have to leave the experimenting to those who do.

Edited by lkraus
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Good afternoon Jake.

I remove my Nav 6 from the bike at the end of the ride. This is mostly because for programming my next ride.

If you let the Nav 6 or Zumo 590/595 simply go to “sleep “, it will use up its battery and require recharging, using the USB cable.

After removing it and/or after programming, I use the power button to turn it completely off. Push and hold button until the screen asks you if you would like to turn off the GPS.

 

 

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Good afternoon Larry.

My 2018 WetHead RT goes through two different power down cycles. The first a few seconds after turning off the motor and the second after 30 to 180 seconds later. I never really timed it.

Each time the Nav6 will ask you if you want to keep the GPS on, while a counter is counting down. If you select to leave the unit on the first time, you will get a second screen in a minute or so when the CanBus or what ever turns off. If you select it to stay on, you can tell that it switched to battery power, as the screen normally dims to conserve power.

Should you not remove it and then turn it off manually, it may just go to sleep, but it doesn't turn off.

I hope this helps.

If you select nothing, the Nav6 goes to sleep 30 seconds after loosing power, even before the CanBus turns off. But it is only in sleep mode or standby.

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My Nav V goes into sleep mode (never mind what the screen says) and will eventually discharge which can take 3 ~ 6 weeks.

Now Garmin's statement is a bit rubbish as the unit never fully shuts down. This is due to the system using a Soft power button. It is not a mechanical button that disconnects the circuit from the battery.

As such the circuit is always bleeding the battery, even if it is in micro amps.

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Lone_RT_rider
Thanks Bernie - that will be my routine going forward.

 

I think at this point, Garmin is calling Bernie for tech support escalation calls. He's saved my butt more than once. Thank you sir!

 

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I always leave my Nav V connected to my RT.

 

When I power down the bike the Nav asks me if it should shut off and I tap the yes. I haven't had any issue with draining the bike's battery this way.

 

When I was out of commission from a dirt bike accident, the Nav battery it self went completely flat over a couple of months, but the motorcycle's battery was fine both times I put a tender on it for a few hours.

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Thanks Bernie - that will be my routine going forward.

 

I think at this point, Garmin is calling Bernie for tech support escalation calls. He's saved my butt more than once. Thank you sir!

 

 

The Full Time Aerostich Model/Tester :stir::wave: - Bernie - has also been instrumental in many things Garmin for me. It so happens that I was on the phone with Garmin Support today, but my issue wasn't escalated to "Bernie Status". :computer:

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Thanks Bernie - that will be my routine going forward.

 

I think at this point, Garmin is calling Bernie for tech support escalation calls. He's saved my butt more than once. Thank you sir!

 

 

The Full Time Aerostich Model/Tester :stir::wave: - Bernie - has also been instrumental in many things Garmin for me. It so happens that I was on the phone with Garmin Support today, but my issue wasn't escalated to "Bernie Status". :computer:

 

 

Lol you guys are funny, thanks!

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Hey guys/gals I keep my RT on a tender all the time and ride a few times a week easily. If your bikes on a tender you do not have to worry about this stuff

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If you are riding a few times a week,then you should not even need the tender,unless your rides are only 5-10 min each.

 

OP-I notice my Nav VI on my 14 GSA seems to drain down faster than prior Nav V.

Number of folks have received free replacement battery from Garmin,but best method seems to be to remove GPS from cradle,if you are not going to be using using it for a week or so.

 

JR356

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  • 2 weeks later...

I had the opposite happen with my Nav V. It went dead once when I left it out of the cradle. On road trips I take it off at night for security, but at home I normally leave it on the bike. When I am not riding, the bike is always on a battery tender. Once I took the GPS out of the cradle while the bike was parked and the next time I mounted it and went for a ride, it didn't power up. I think it came back the second time I turned the ignition on after riding for a while. It took me awhile to realize that the battery had been dead on the GPS. Reading this thread I realize the Nav V may have been in sleep mode rather than off. I have almost never turned it off with the button on the back.

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Good afternoon Jake.

I remove my Nav 6 from the bike at the end of the ride. This is mostly because for programming my next ride.

If you let the Nav 6 or Zumo 590/595 simply go to “sleep “, it will use up its battery and require recharging, using the USB cable.

After removing it and/or after programming, I use the power button to turn it completely off. Push and hold button until the screen asks you if you would like to turn off the GPS.

 

 

HA.... I too remove my Nav VI from the bike after each day or ride but simply because I am too freaking anal. I guess sometime my OCD comes in handy. :facepalm:

Edited by RTinNC
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