Replace the battery in iQue

[LeoG]

My iQue 3600 is about 3 years old and the battery charge is very short now. Do I have to RMA the machine to get it replaced or does someone know if we can do this oneself ?

Which battery and how to fit it ?

[cmthmpsn]

I knew I had seen something in one of my Handheld Computing magazines, and the closest one to hand was the Jan/Feb 2004. On page 60 is an ad for PDAInternalBattery.com (http://www.PDAInternalBattery.com) which says carry all major brands of internal batteries starting at only $39, US. The advertise a 30-money back guarantee, a 1-year warranty, and same-day shipping. I'd check there.

That said, in their literature, Garmin specifically says there are no user servicable parts inside the unit and that loosening the screws on the back voids the warranty. Of course, you're well past the warranty period, so that probably doesn't affect you. But, do you have, or can you find, the proper screwdriver anyway? I just turned mine over to look, and the screws have a wierd 6-pointed star shaped driver indentation.

[LeoG]

Thanks, they do have it for $28.95, which they say includes a special tool and fitting instructions. The instructions are also on the site, which is worth a look just for the internal photos of the iQue: http://www.pdainternalbattery.com/1a2w423c2install.html

Thanks again, I will try this.

[apersson850]

The screws are of Torx type. I went out into the workshop and tried some tools. Thus I found out that the dimension is TX 6.

[Hairy Potter]

My Que was one of the first manufactured. I sent a note to Garmin indicating I was getting a 20 minute battery life (I used a Palm Power to Go to help during the day). Garmin gave me an RMA number. I overnighted the unit and got a brand new unit back in one week--AT NO CHARGE. My only expense was shipping one way to Garmin. Don't know if it will work for you but it is worth a try.

[Last Mrk]

Originally posted by LeoG
My iQue 3600 is about 3 years old and the battery charge is very short now. I think you mean almost 2 years old, right?

[AKlopper]

Originally posted by LeoG
Thanks again, I will try this.

There have been complaints about the life of the Laptops for Less batteries. I replaced my iQue 3600's battery with one of these, and while it works and I don't seem to have had the problems that others have reported, the battery life certainly isn't great.

[rjack22]

I just had the same issue. My battery life was about 15 minutes anymore. My iQue is 18 months old. I knew it was out of warranty but I called Garmin anyway to see how much it would cost me to have them replace the battery for me.

I am VERY impressed with Garmin's customer service!!! Even though my iQue was well out of warranty, they are replacing the battery for free!

[RJM]

Originally posted by rjack22
I just had the same issue. My battery life was about 15 minutes anymore. My iQue is 18 months old. I knew it was out of warranty but I called Garmin anyway to see how much it would cost me to have them replace the battery for me.

I am VERY impressed with Garmin's customer service!!! Even though my iQue was well out of warranty, they are replacing the battery for free!
Like rjack22 and Hairy, my battery was only good for about 10-15 minutes (iQue ~ 2 yrs old). Unfortunately, I didn't know about the possibility of a free battery fix and paid the $150 out-of-warranty fee - just last week. Oh well, I guess it's worth asking before volunteering to pay...

Good luck

rjm

[mrdata]

I replaced my battery and found that the leads on the 'Laptops4Less' battery were shorter than the original. Didn't seem like any big deal until they unplugged themselves. I added a little touch of glue to the wires to keep things from moving.