I have a Garmin 205. It used to work on my dash, but I had to keep it plugged up to the usb all the time. Recently my usb cable broke and I had to purchase a new one. The new cable serves the same purpose, but the unit has never held a charge for more then 30 minutes since I removed it from the box. Can you please help me. This unit is less then a year old.

Hi.

If you broke the lighter socket on car dash, replace it.

If you broke the cable replace the cable. Here the spare:Garmin Power Cables

If you instead damaged the power socket on your Garmin, call the Garmin number listed in the owners manual. The Sat Nav must be sent to Garmin for repair:Garmin ' Contact

Next time use a Suction Mount Windscreen Holder

Regards.

Ginko

Make sure that your 205 is fully charged and that the usb cable is plugged directly into a usb port on your computer and not thru a usb hub.
Thanks for using FixYa

Sometimes this problem is caused by the charger plug not going far enough into the mini usb socket of the satnav. It feels as if it's fully in but it's not. Pushing it in further usually solves the problem. As your charger is not a garmin make there's no guarantee but there should be very little difference so it's worth a try.

When your Garmin Nuvi 205 stops working or behaves strangely, there are two steps you can take yourself to try and get it going again:

1. Perform a Hard Reset,
2. Run WebUpdater to reinstall that firmware.

I hope that helps.

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v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} If your unit will not charge in your vehicle, you may need to replace the fuse located in the tip of the vehicle power adapter.

1. Unscrew and remove the silver or black, round end piece.

1. Remove the fuse (glass and sliver cylinder) and replace with a new fuse.
2. Ensure that the silver tip is placed in the end piece. Screw on the end piece.

If the device does not power on it could be a result of a extremely low battery. Please ensure that the device is receiving a charge while it is connected to the vehicle power cable. If the battery is receiving power from the vehicle power cable then the battery icon (located next to the time) would disappear from the Main Menu.
If the unit does not power on while attached to the vehicle power cable please follow steps from below to perform a soft reset:

1. Connect the device to an external power source1
2. Slide and hold the power key to the on position for 15 seconds

The device should power on. Notes:

1. Preferably the vehicle power cable or a USB cable from a computer
2. Some of the older Nuvi 200 series will have a reset button on the bottom of the device. It can be found on the bottom of the device on the same sticker that the serial number is printed on.

I've received many units for repair where the customer thougth that the battery was bad because the unit would not turn on or stay on long.

The problem was really caused by broken connections on the mini-USB jack. Please see this link for more info, specifically look at the section dealing with the mini-USB connector.


http://www.sharc.net/gps_charger_repair.htm

- Jim

Connect the Nuvi to a PC with the USB cable, then hold the power button to ON position. It happend to me before and it worked.
Good luck

Here is a nice trick to use the Garmin while charging with a USB cord or a wall charger: with the Garmin unplugged keep your finger on the battery icon for about 10 seconds until the diagnostic screen comes up. Then connect the USB cord and press EXIT; the Garmin will reboot and you will be able to use it normally.