My garmin does not operate plugged in to my car nor by battery

The Garmin will tell you 'Low Battery' if its alternative power source is not available for some reason, so the battery is not being charged. Depending how the Garmin has been programmed, the display on some models will become slightly brighter when a power supply, other than its own batteries, is detected. Check for this.
It is likely that the lead you use to plug into the car is not supplying voltage to your Garmin set. If it plugs into a cigarette holder, check that the cigarette lighter works, or plug in another device to see if there is any electricity to the receptacle. Obviously ensure that the ignition switch is on. If the plug-in bit of the power cable has a light on it, check the light is illuminated. if you have a sensitive tongue, you should be able to put the end of the lead that plugs into the Garmin onto your tongue and you will feel a very slight tingle on your tongue if power is getting to the end of the lead. If not, then there is probably a break in the lead inside the plastic insulation or a problem with the supply plug.
If the plug in lead proves serviceable then you should change the batteries in Garmin as one or more may have failed and will not charge. Check for this by leaving the unit on after unplugging the external supply lead. Depending on the Garmin you have, the unit should remain functioning for at least 30 minutes. The internal batteries will degrade rapidly if the unit has not been use for some time and the batteries were not fully charged before you put it to bed.

There is a battery in the satnav but it's not user replaceable. It can only be replaced by returning it to Garmin. Before sending it away to replace the battery you could check the following;

• Have you the satnav connected to the charger?

• If it's connected to the charger is the cigarette lighter socket working. You can check by plugging in another device to see if it works
• If the cigarette lighter socket is working and the battery of the satnav is not charging it's possible that the fuse in the plug, that goes into the cigarette lighter socket, is blown.

To change the fuse;
Unscrew the ring that's at the end of the plug and the plug comes apart. Be careful not to lose the silver coloured tip. When the plug comes apart you can take out the fuse and get a replacement at any car accessory shop or a shop that sells garmin satnavs.

If you have to return your satnav to garmin you can find their contact details at http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/home/support/supportcontact

If there are no power points in your vehicle, you might have to purchase a battery-operated powerpack and plug the GPS into that via a USB/AC adapter.

The unit should still operate and turn on even with a dead battery when connected to an external power source such as the DC car charger, AC wall charger or USB cable (connected to a PC).

Please try the reset procedure listed here:


http://www.sharc.net/discus/messages/6/313.html?1269314749

- Jim

I think your battery has failed, you will need to send the GPS back to Garmin for a new battery, the battery is not replaceable by the consumer, it requires special tools, if u don't have them u can destry the GPS

Your car adapter may be broken. try unscrewing the top of it to check the fuse inside the cable. that can easily be replaced. other than that it could be the cradle (if your cable plugs into your cradle) or the back port of the unit in a worst case scenario

I had the same problem with mine & it was only 6 months old. The battery needs to be replaced. This is a good site that shows you how to change the battery & you can order the new battery from them as well. http://www.newpower99.com/

I have a 205w and have been very frustrated with this same issue, but I just so happened to find the following fix on another site today and it works great.
Follow these steps:
Turn on the unit on battery, press the battery icon and hold for about ten seconds, and the unit will switch to the diagnostic mode. Now plug in the USB cable and it will give you a loud bleep. Exit the diagnostic mode and it will operate normally while charging. This was handy to enter favorites while it was charging.

Your Garmin nuvi 5000 will never charge because it has NO internal battery. The only time it will operate is when it is plugged into a 12 volt power source. I have one and it really doesn't bother me at all. I bought a second cradle and a 12 volt adapter for use in the home.

hold the battery icon for 8 seconds, which will take you to the test screen then plug in the charger then exit This works on a nuvi 200w.