Spent some time last night updating various software versions for my Garmin Forerunner 305. Yesterday I thought I’d failed to charged my Garmin 305 correctly and therefore didn’t/couldn’t use it on my 15 mile long run. Today, despite being on charge for almost 24 hours, the same thing happened and the screen went blank as soon as I removed the unit from the charging cradle.
I searched online for a solution, but the news isn’t good; it appears the battery inside the wrist unit will no longer hold a charge and is actually quite a common problem. Several newsgroups, forums and even the Garmin web site suggested a soft reset — which is performed by pressing the lap and mode buttons at the same time, and then pressing the power button to switch the unit on — but this didn’t help at all.
I also read several blog posts where 305 owners had taken their units apart to check the battery connections – a bit too drastic a solution for my liking. I guess I’ll contact Garmin in the next couple of days to find out what my options are, but my gut feeling is that a repair will be almost as expensive as buying a brand new unit with full warranty.
I’ll let you know what Garmin comes back with….
How long have you had yours?
Bought mine the first week they were released in the USA. Well out of warranty by now…
Hi Steve
I have had my Garmin Forerunner 305 for about 2 years until I encountered the same problem as you describe. I called the Garmin Support in Switzerland and told them about the issue and they informed me that it is very likely the battery of the watch. I asked what the approximate repair costs would be because my warranty expired long ago. They told me that he could not tell but I just should send the watch in and they would look what they could do. The good news is, 2 weeks later I got a brand new Garmin Forerunner 305 for no costs ad all. Free replacement even with expired warranty. So, my advice to you is, send it in 🙂
Cheers
Daniel
Wow! Thanks Daniel. I’ll contact Garmin today to see what they say. Fingers crossed eh?
–Steve
I just got my watch back from Garmin support this past Friday; very fast turn around, although mine was under warranty still. My problem was that I had water inside the unit under the display, and it would flood any time I ran in the rain, so it had trouble downloading data to the computer.
I guess Muddy Buddy didn’t do mine any favors; my own fault really…
Glad you got yours back though!
–Steve
My 305 suffered from tiny water damage… it dried out and worked. the little rubber buttons had been pushed with a fingernail too much…holes.
Then i dropped it bad.. case cracked.
I’m considering a 405.
Rather than running and just training, I like to go for hikes and record the tracks. Forerunner is not designed with this use in mind.
Could a (position) data logger and a heart rate data logger be correlated in a laptop?
l8r
This is insane!!! This morning for some strange reason my garmin just was not charged even though I had it in the cradle charging all night, anyway I did what Steve posted. I simultaneously pushed the lap/mode button and it just started to charge again. Does anyone know, is this a sign of future problems w my 305? Are they known to have touchy batteries? Should I go ahead and get it repaired anyway? V
I had the same problem as Vanessa. I have a marathon in less than two weeks, so I started to panic. I have become very dependent on my 305.
Fortunately, I found this website through a quick search. The lap/mode combination brought it right back. Thank you for posting this information.
But, I see that Vanessa’s questions were not addressed. Is this a sign of future problems? Thanks.
My Forerunner 205 dies at the mid way point of the Marine Corps Marathon with the exact same symptoms as described. It is 2 1/2 years old. I really started to panic as I was headed to a PR. After I calmed down I found a pacer and stuck with him for awhile before heading out on my own and just running at what felt comfortable. I got my PR but the 205 is dead and the reset did not work. I am really miffed with Garmin, let’s see if they will fix it.
My Garmin 305 has a problem with the button presses. The “up” button doesn’t work any more. I managed for a while on one data field, but now I can’t put the contrast up so I am now on a blank screen.
Any ideas?
Why don’t you try simultaneously pushing the lap and mode buttons at the same time. My 305 one day just decided to act weird and completely not work at all! When I pushed these two it automatically reset my watch. This has worked for others as well. Good luck, I know how frustrating this can be!! V
Have the same problems as some of you guys, a 2+ year old 305 that i have used very close to everyday…. i am pretty sure it is not the battery but a software issue….suddenly one day i could not turn it on…. however, when i hooked it up with the USB and use the soft reset it starts to charge and i able to turn it on…. if i unplug it before it is turned on it remains dead… but if i turn it on and leave it plugged in until i need it, it works as a champ…
pretty anoying i would say….
if any of you can do the same i am pretty sure that it is a SW issue…
For me, one of the best features of Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Watch is the health monitoring tools. It provides real time data like speed, distance, pace, and heart rate that can be handy for sportsmen and aspiring athletes. I had to only strap on the device and I was ready to go.
Where can I get details of the Garmin suport team in Switzerland? I have same problem, Garmin just over two years old and now turns off, skips ditance and time recordings, has even reversed the distance whils running. Cannot go on a run witout it turning off at some point.
Stuart — go to Garmin.com. Click on Support, then Contact Support. I believe there’s a list of European support numbers listed here (not sure about Switzerland though)
Good luck.
Thanks Steve.
My Forrunner 305 is playing up seriously. It would switch on, but the moment I want to put it on my wrist to switches off. Can’t turn it on again while on my wrist. Take it off..turn it on..no problem. But it back on..OFF again. Now the same happens when I attach it to the bike mount. I am at my wits end. Any clues. The unit is about 2.5 year old. Is there anywhere I can send it here in Australia
Michael — take a look at the Support/Contact page on the Garmin Australia web site:
http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/au
Good luck.
Hi Steve, Micheal,
See my post above re: my problems with the 305. Returned it to Garmin UK after talking through symptons over the phone. I was asked to return it with £50 and within days I have been supplied with a brand new Garmin. Great considering well out of warranty.
Good luck Michael.
CheersbSteve for the advice.
Stuart
Called Garmin today and yes Steve for $ 109 plus GST they will fix it and send it back. Will see if I get a brand new one but regardless as frustrating as it is/was to have the unit fail their service seems to be right up there. I’ll keep you posted what the outcome will be.
Thanks again
Michael
Wow! I’m so glad I stumbled on this thread! For the last couple of months I had to secure my Garmin 305 with a rubber band into the cradel in order to charge completely because it just wouldn’t connect. This morning, the morning of my long ride and run my Garmin was completely done and wouldn’t even turn on! I’m about a month past my warranty but will absolutely contact them to try and return it. Unfortunately I have an important triathlon 2 weeks from today and probably won’t have it back in time 🙁 but maybe if I offer to pay for the overnight shipping they’ll expedite! it sounds like you’ve had success with their customer service!!!! Thanks for the posts about this!!! 🙂
I have the same problem described by the OP and many of the commenters: the unit (FR305) turns off as soon as I take it out of the cradle. I was told by someone who works at a running store that it’s a design flaw with the way the wrist strap pulls down on the bottom of the case. Over time, this causes an internal separation between the battery and the unit. (With mine, if I compress the part of the unit that bends over the wrist, I can get it to turn on, but as soon as I let go, it shuts down. This would seem to support the theory.) If you want to avoid the problem, avoid tightening the wrist strap too hard.
Thought it was a lost cause, but after reading this thread, I’m going to phone Garmin and see if I can’t get it replaced or repaired, even though I’ve already ordered a new 310XT.
Vanessa! I LOVE YOU!!! I had my Garmin 305 plugged in last night to charge and when I got up this morning for my 16 miler it was DEAD! I was SO frustrated. I pretty much know where my mile points are so I just used my Nike watch to keep time (but I just used my Garmin for a bike ride YESTERDAY!) Anyway, I was messing with it trying all of the POWER-MODE to reset it and NOTHING worked! I started Craigslisting for another one since I have so many races coming up this fall…not to mention all the training (trail and road). I wasn’t having any luck UNTIL I came across your post. I did the MODE – LAP for a few seconds and VOILA!! It worked!!! Thank you!
I’m back in business! 🙂
Thank you!! To all those who posted about the soft reset. That worked.
Hey Guys, another 305 with the same problem. Yes taking from a bike mount, wrist strap it turns off. hitting a bump while riding it will turn off!! On the garmin site its another $80 for repairs, but you can pick them up new online for 120 (just the wrist component)… very frustrating!!
I had problems about 8 months after reveicing the device and did the soft reboot, however makes no difference no.. I think you are right about the battery connection
I was getting ready for a 16 mile runner for today but my garmin 305 died on me. I was preparing to buy a new one, but after reading these comments I was able to save it through the soft reboot method! Thanks!
Thank you, Thank you, again. Thought mine was dead till I read this original post and tried the ‘press mode and lap reset buttons’ at same time. Mine came back on. and is working fine now. Thought it was a goner!!
Have a different problem. I moved my garmin folder to a new hard drive. When I did that I couldn’t get it to connect to my watch. Even after playing with it and trying to ID the executable file it still didn’t work. I went to repair it with the CD and sometime during the install it erase the program on the watch. I now can’t reinstall the program on the watch. I have tried all the suggestions above to reset/restart but all I get on the watch is program missing? Thanks
Just another “me too” comment. I was getting nothing – a blank screen no matter how I plugged it in. After a reset I have “battery charging in progress.” Hopefully it will not be a recurring problem. Thanks for posting your experience with the 305.
My 305 has stopped emitting any alarm sounds. Min pace, max heart rate etc… Any ideas anyone. The lap and mode reset works for a frozen screen and freeing some memory space clears minor blips. But doesn’t help with the alarm and, it’s not a settings oversight. Help!
Ok, so this is an interesting issue with my garmin 305. I’ve used it without issues for about 2 years on long runs, short runs, m/c trail rides and anything else that I can check my stats on computer. My power button won’t work unless I do a soft reset. And, even at that, after a soft reset, once I push/release the power button, the watch takes about 10-15 seconds to actually turn on. It also will not sync to the garmin training software anymore. I can deal with the software problem, but worried one day before a run it won’t turn on at all, which would suck. I’ve also done hard resets, but it still does not power up unless I do a soft/hard reset. Any ideas???
For those of you that have the problem with the 305 either not coming on or coming on then going off, I KNOW what the problem is! It’s not the battery (unless it’s REALLY old). The 305 will come apart by just using a fingernail at the seam. You will see a foil covered package on one side (that’s the battery). On the other half (the half with the strap)you will see 8 small, gold prongs (contacts). What happens is that after years of pressing the buttons, the prongs get bent down and won’t make contact where they’re supposed to. You can gently pry them up with your fingernail. Then put the 305 halves back together. It should work again. If the watch won’t stay together tightly, use a (very) little bit of rubber cement near each corner. That will hold it together.
Thanks. I pried it open and the inside was a little different. The battery is blue and is secured to the strap half of the unit. The 8 prongs were in a row on the top part of the display half of the unit. I pried them up a little and held the two halves together tightly while I tested it and got the same results. I still have to soft reset in order to get it to turn on. I noticed that when I try turning it on without the soft reset, the screen slightly darkens. When I soft reset, it brightens a little bit, then I can use the power button again to turn it on. Again though, after I hit the power button, it takes 10-15 seconds for it to actually power. Computer recognizes the unit, but I keep getting the message that my workouts and courses were successfully received, but there was a problem receiving my activities. I’ll probably order another 305 on Amazon for $130 and try and dig deeper into this one now that I know I can take it apart…
Hi Pete, I guess some of the details are a little different, depending on the year the unit was built. $130 on Amazon is a good price. I think that’s where I’ll end up too…
i have a garmin 305 . i have two problems today i have tried to push the button ON but it does not work ,when i connected it with the pc it works (the battery is completed ) but the pc doesn’t recognize the devise,so i can not transfer the data.please can you help me
thanks
@Jeff on March 10, 2010. Your diagnosis is exactly what is wrong with my wife’s watch. I could see that the Top Right Corner of the watch face plate where they come together is moving up and down. When I squeeze the plate together with a small amount of pressure the watch will turn on and stay on as it should under normal operation.
Before I go gluing this tight, I am going to contact Garmin to see if they have any further words of wisdom. The watch is 2-3 years old and certainly out of warranty, but it has not been abused though I supposed it’s possible thru normal wear and bumping that the face plate could be working it’s way loose.
I would agree that the watch band could cause excess stress against the face plate and eventually cause separation too. In any event will see what Garmin says before digging into the watch further.
Will advise if hear anything positive from Garmin as well.
@Brian. I’m assuming by now you’ve already seen and fixed (bent) the contacts into place again. When you glue it, just use rubber cement, or you’ll never be able to get it open again. Just dab small amounts along the seams of both halves (especially in the corners), wait until it’s dry (tacky), then squeeze together. Good luck.
P.S. I just bought a new one two weeks ago.
Soft reset worked!!! Yay! I was so worried! Thank you for the post! :O)
Soft reset worked for me too! Woo Hoo!! So glad I found this post. Thanks all.
So far I’ve got 7 1/2 hours of running time on the last charge. I’m going to keep going until it runs out just to see how long it will last.
This is my 2nd 305. First one lasted about 2 years. It was replaced/fixed (I think it was a refurb they sent). Another year and half or so later. Same problem. Everything is disposable these days.
On the bike or on the wrist, a bump will shut it off. Using the up/down buttons will shut it off. ONly the pwr+mode button will start it up but it will just shut down again. I noticed that it started to go downhill once you had a hard time with the watch in the cradle for powering or syncing. If you press down on it in the cradle, it will start to sync but if you move it, it shuts off (just like when on your wrist). My guess it’s from using the velcro strap and the bike bracket which requires a fair deal of twisting/torque to pop it on and off. If you do this everyday, I suspect it’s causing an issue that I’m sure Garmin is aware of.
I think I might be giving up on Garmin. I bought this when it was newer (read:more expensive) and although i really like this device, I don’t want to spend +$200 every two-three years (like my phone:). Considering trying the new Timex with built in GPS. Maybe they’ll be better at the quality of the watch components. The only thing that might keep me with Garmin is that I have all of my runs and rides logged in an app (Ascent on the Mac) that is garmin specific.
I’ll be trying the trick to crack it open and play with the battery connectors… but I really don’t have my hopes up.
Is there a trick to opening up the 305? I tried using my fingernails to open it up like the site mentioned here, but the casing won’t budge. I also tried two small screwdrivers moving in opposite directions with a decent amount of force and still no luck.
I noticed that I can run my fingernail along the bottom rubber casing, but all that does is remove the rubber coating from the base of the unit. I don’t think I want to do that, do I?
Thanks,
Steve
Hey Tom,
I paid to replace my 305 last year, and it’s in a similar failure mode now. It doesn’t remember its tracks, and doesn’t uploading to th app either.
Disappointing and frustrating 🙁
(This thread just keeps on going:)
I had the problem with the charger but I’ve found, for reasons that I don’t fully understand, that using the usb plug instead of the full wall socket works much better. I would suggest trying that.
But now that I’ve got my charging issues sorted, I’ve now got the strap problem (described by Peter Garner above). Not sure if I’m brave enough to try opening the case. I’ve had mine about 3 years which isn’t too bad considering.
To Steve (20 July 2008)and Vanessa (13 December 2008) THANK you so much! I have two Garmin 305’s (both 3+ years old) that I use to help a group of fiends with their training. They both had the same problem, not turning on, and I tried your soft reset method, and yay!!! They both working fine! I’m so glad I found this site as I really love my Garmins and feel quite lost running without them! Thank you again!
Resetting didn’t work and I’m convinced that this all started happening once I switched to use the velcro strap and bike mount from Garmin. Prying it on and off between rides and running I figure is separating some connection between the battery… so I gave up on it.
I can’t believe I did this but I went out and bought the 610 out of frustration. I can’t believe it because I went against my better judgement and bought another garmin. I’m hoping that they’ve learned something over the years since this watch was first released. Some day I’ll pry that 305 apart and see what’s up but for now I have to say I’m really enjoying the 610. Picks up satelites super fast, seems more accurate and it looks like a normal watch but with all of the functionality of the 305 (for the most part).
My advice to anyone shopping for a watch, stear clear of the 305.
Hi all
My GARMIN 305 problem is that when I put the watch on the cradle to charge the ” Locating Satellites ” screen comes up rather than the Charging Battery message.
Any ideas to solve this?
Watch is a few years old and works fine apart form this annoying problem.
Soft reset makes no difference.
I pulled it apart, pulled up the prongs and now it works
thank you!!!!!!
If having a problem charging, sometimes the charging cable gets stuck so it will work only in usb or the wll socket mode. Do a a test for each operation to trouble shoot. Charging takes maor than a few hours, especially with usb. Iff this deosn’t work try other methods.
This chat helped me to have the courage to open my 205 after it kept switching off. Found corroded contacts to the battery from water/sweat getting in I guess. Not sure how to fix as one contact almost gone – ideas?
To Steve RR: usually that’s just due to a contact problem in the charging cradle or between the watch and the cradle:
1) Check that the USB cable is completely inserted in the charging cradle (take it out and put it back in)
2) Check that the contacts on the back of your watch are clean
hi, i’ve been using my forerunner 305 for almost a year now and as of last weekend i have 2 problems:
1) for some reason when i place the watch on the cradle it does not charge anymore unless i press it hard against the cradle.
2) even when i press it hard against the cradle so it shows “battery charging in progress”, the Training Center software is not able to pull the data from the watch anymore (“There was a problem while communicating with your device…”).
i cleaned the contacts, tried it with 2 different cradles and 2 different usb cables
amazing! Mode/lap combination has just resuscitated my garmin 305! thanlks all. Interesting comment along the way about the strap problem having something to do with it. My ladies strap broke and I’ve been using the men’s strap size, but pulling it to the max.
I have a forerunner 305, the problem with my garmin is that the buttons are worn out, does someone know if there is a possibility to change the casing as my garmin still works very well the only issue are the buttons. the rubber is all worn out.
Cheers
Roni, have you figured out the problem with your Garmin? Mine is having the problem with charging like yours. It won’t charge unless I put something heavy on top of it. I just called Garmin and he said to use an eraser on the four prongs on the watch to clean it and do the same on the charging cradle and then see if it works. I’ll try that this evening.
I have a Forerunner 305 and when I am trying to enter a interval training and I press enter at the end an alarm sound goes off and does not stop until the battery dies! None of the buttons will work to reset or turn it off!
I have a question of my own. My Forerunner 305 only has 8 hours autonomy. So that means I can never use it for (IM vista,nee) races … Or do you use 2 watches for such a race? The garmin in the bike and than another chrono for the marathon …?
Thanks for responding,
Peter
I have the forerunner 305 and this post helped me with the issue i was having.
Hi
I done a lot with my 305 and still love it, but I’ve rubbed all the rubber off the buttons and can no longer press them. Can these be repaired ?
The sound on the distance alert has stopped also can this be rectified?
Hi Runners, I’ve Had my 305 for almost 3 years,and taken it on countless vacation since. It’s nice to know in a strange place how far you can go out 2.5, 5 for a 5, 10, mile run. I just love it and never run without it,however 4 days ago I experienced the same problem. Will try all suggestions on this post Thank you all in advance. Happy trails,Tim
I fixed the shutting problem with my 305, but it wasn’t pretty. If I squeezed my 305 while hitting the power button, it would turn on. After I released squeezing/pinching, it shut off — which led me to believe there might be a connection problem.
1) Remove the case/cover with a small flat head screwdriver
2) Once removed, you will see several metal bent connectors that come in contact with another set of metal connectors once the top is snapped back on.
3) Take a very small screwdriver and bend each of the connectors up slightly.
4) Put a bead of superglue around where the top and base squeeze together.
5) Put the top back on and find something heavy to keep the top and base squeezed together. I put a towel on the floor and put the watch face down, then put my kitchen table leg on top.
6) Once the glue dried, it should not pull apart again, causing the connectors to become disconnected.
Again, not pretty, but my watch has been working now for over a year with no disconnects!
Just wanted to post what worked for me in case it helps anyone.
Doin the soft-reset (lap/mode buttons) partially worked to the point that it would turn on and charge. However after powering off it would require the same process to get it back on.
Called customer service and a soft reset followed by a hard reset did the trick. The process for hard reset was:
1- hold lap and mode buttons first for a few seconds.
2- release buttons and hold now mode + power buttons for a few seconds.
3- A screen should show asking if you want to delete data. Select YES.
They told me some times a file gets corrupted and damages the watch system. So erasing all data is the only way to fix it. So far so good for me.
I’ve used this thread for help in the past, so thought I’d share a tip I just learned. My Garmin 305 wouldn’t turn on today despite having been charged. It would show “Low Battery” and then promptly shut off. Turns out the contacts on the back of the watch and the cradle can get a build up over time (like when logging 2000 miles with the watch on my sweaty wrist…ha!). Garmin Support instructed me to use a pencil eraser to clean the contacts and it’s charging happily in the cradle now. 🙂
Happy running friends!
FYI: the software has been updated a few times already. I recently got Lion OS for my Mac and the Garmin software did an auto up date via the Mac Software Store. Not sure about other OS updates just apple.
Thank You Rolando.. your post helped me!! I am very thankful for your post!!
Just wanted to post what worked for me in case it helps anyone.
Doin the soft-reset (lap/mode buttons) partially worked to the point that it would turn on and charge. However after powering off it would require the same process to get it back on.
Called customer service and a soft reset followed by a hard reset did the trick. The process for hard reset was:
1- hold lap and mode buttons first for a few seconds.
2- release buttons and hold now mode + power buttons for a few seconds.
3- A screen should show asking if you want to delete data. Select YES.
They told me some times a file gets corrupted and damages the watch system. So erasing all data is the only way to fix it. So far so good for me.
Just wanted to say I just fixed my Forerunner 305 – the bulky red/black/gray model. I did all the button combos and charging was fine. But, would only turn on for a second before going off unless I held one button down. Turned out, that the case cover was coming off the rest of the unit and the lack of pressure was causing no connection. So, all I had to do was get some superglue and carefully glue it together. So, just did that this minute. It’s nice to have my old friend back. 🙂
My Garmin 305 Forerunner is just over two years old. I, too, have had similar problems. I have done the soft reset and the hard reset. I have contacted Garmin and will send my watch for repair. Perhaps I will be as lucky as others and receive a new or refurbished watch. If not, and I am forced to buy a new one what would ou recommend? I love my Forerunner 305! I feel lost without it right now.
Does anyone know what the “other” two wires are for? I understand the red and black go to the battery. But there are two more wires, red and blue, which go to a round strip of material and adhere to the plastic base. These ripped when I pulled the battery.
Thanks
My Forerunner wouldn’t connect to the program. The program continually gave me an error message saying that the device wasn’t connected. I tried the soft reset, followed by the hard reset, cleaned the contact with an eraser and installed a new driver. Nothing worked. And to boot, my garmin said it was fully charged the next day but was kaput within a few minutes of being turned on.
Then I installed a program update, did another soft and hard reset, ’cause what the hell, and now it’s connected. There’s no data on the watch to download, so I’ll go for a run, and try it, but so far, it looks good. The program update installed a new driver again and I had to update the program twice. So be patient. Thanks to everyone for their info.
good luck,
Michelle
I don’t have any problem with forerunner 305 if I go for less than two hour run; however, when I go for more than 2.5 hours the low battery display come on. Does anyone know how to fix this problem? This problem only occurred in the past month.
Thank you so much for the Hard Reset advice! Saved my Garmin. I kept trying the soft reset, but it still wasn’t turning on or completing the data transfer. The Hard Reset worked, but I had to hold the buttons for more like 10 seconds before the “Earse all data” field came on, but once it did- my watch works like a dream. Thanks for saving me another $400!
There is a flaw with the 305 in which eight small springs form an electrical bridge between the main circuit board and the battery/charge panel. The main circuit board is anchored to the top half of the case just under the display. The battery and the charge panel are anchored to the back half, the panel being just above the gold dots that meet the cradle.
These springs can lose contact with the charge panel and prevent the unit from charging or operating at all. Worse, the seal that joins the two halves of the case eventually erodes and allows perspiration and other moisture into the unit. There is no gasket and no other machenical interlock between the halves. Once the seal is breached, the spring contacts quickly corrode and depending on which ones fail first, you see various symptoms.
Someone else asked about the thin circular disc on the insde of the back half. It has a blue and red wire pairing. This is the sound generator, the “speaker”, a piezo that makes the chirps and alerts. Mine was completely destroyed by the time the unit stopped charging; the piezo had delaminated and fractured into bits. My watch had stopped making noise months before, and that was probably the first symptom of water intrusion into the unit.
If you are good with a soldering iron and have some 28 gauge patch wire handy, you can jump one or two corroded spring contacts – there is some air space inside the unit for slack wire. Once the connections are restored, fold the wires carefully to avoid shorts and use an adhesive clear silicone caulk to seal the unit back together. This may or may not keep the halves subtly tightly joined to correct the issue. Be generous, else the corrosion will resume and/or the unit will separate again.
You must be careful when patching the wiring. Shorting a lithium battery is very hazardous. Shorting your charger or your computer’s USB port may also be a sad thing. Not recommended for inexperienced repairers.
My Garmin 305 is turning off when on my wrist after I take off on my run. The time when it turns off varies. I can turn it back on and it will run a while and then after several times it will no longer turn on. I have ran several times with it on my belt and it has not turned off at all. Could it be my sweaty wrist and shorting the contacts out?? I have had it several years and this just started within the last month or two. Would like to get it back on my wrist! Thoughts? Bob
This morning I went out for my long run after charging my GARMIN 305 all night. It turned on as usual, and located satellites as usual. An hour into my run I was checking to see how I was doing, surprise surprise, the watch was off, so I turned it back on, 5 minutes later it was back off, I turned it back on and it went back off again and never came back on. When I connect it the charger, it shows normal charging behaviour. If I turn it while connected to the charger, it turns on, but the second I take it off it turns off. I tried all kinds of reset but nothing worked. I opened it up and found that one of the 8 prongs is all rusty and the connector has fallen off. I tried to re-establish contact by soldering a small piece of metal on there but the problem seems to be serious, and after 3 years, I’m afraid it might be the end of the road for my Garmin. I will have a technician have a look at it just ot confirm my fear.
FYI – I just contacted GARMIN about repairing my Forerunner 305. I was told that they are ending support for the watch. While I can still pay $100 for them the repair my watch they were also giving me the option to trade in the Forerunner 305 for a $100 credit towards another Garmin product. The Forerunner 310 list price has just dropped to $250 so I was able to upgrade to a brand new Garmin 310 for only $150. The 305 has supported me well for the last 7 years but it’s time to move on.
BhamJonathan – Thanks for the info. My 305 just died and if Garmin gives me the same option that you mentioned, I think that is the way I’ll go. (Already tried all the resets/software updates).
I tend to get about 700 training hours out of my 305s. They start playing up at the end of their battery life as described above. I have replaced battery with success. Details on how to do this can be found on youtube by searching Garmin 305 battery replacement. I am completely useless at electronics and at fixing anything, yet I managed to get a soldering iron and replace the battery. Worth also checking out how to solder on youtube too. If I can replace the battery anyone should be able to do it.
I wasn’t so fortunate with my GFR305. Inside but at the near end of warranty my 305 died. Neither soft nor hard reset worked, so the retailer I bought it from sent it in for repair. I think Garmin had it for 3 months. Anyway a new one came back. I had it a year and then it died. This time the satellite detection bar would progress 30% then kick back to zero. Garmin nor the retailer would touch it. No advice. So, googled all kinds of stuff on the 305 and found a garmin page which had an updated software download, the latest being vers. 2.9? Not for mac though, only Intel. So, the download worked on my Lenovo and installed on my beloved Garmin 305. SO pleased. THEN, it died again…. what the….!!?? Then while in my hand sighing, humming and hawwing I’d see the default windows appear, then disappear… while I’m handling it. Well, the casing halves had separated (NO I didn’t throw it against the wall!!) OH! crazy glue….. well my 305 has been working pretty fine ever since. I mostly road cycle. I think I’ve had it five years now.