Garmin... to silicone or not?

jefflad

I've finally ordered an 810 Performance Pack after a period of looking, looking a bit and looking a bit more... I'm quite excited for the arrival especially as I've played a blinder on the price

But in my glow of self achievement I've read reports that they can get water damaged, mainly ingress from the buttons... I was under the impression it was water tight submerged in a litre of water for 30 mins (IPX7) so was staggered to read this. What are peoples experiences, also can they recommend a silicone cover they use and why they like it?

Oh and while we're on it, I'll be looking to get some new handlebar mounts for my other bikes... again, which ones can anyone recommend?

Thanks!

sloppyschleckonds

Whutt?

Jon_1976

Bar fly 2.0

My 510 (couldn't afford 810) has had some proper drenchings and never suffered any water ingress, no silicone cover fitted, with no problems.

northpole

Re garmin water integrity, I have had an 800 since very soon after they were released. I have experienced loads of problems but none have been water related. I have used mine on original stem mount and out front mount and I haven't applied any cover to display or the unit itself.

A colleague bought one less than a year ago and he was caught in dreadful weather on a ride to Paris from London. The result was that the garmin was toast - water had got in through the USB port. I doubt if the rubber grommet provides much water integrity to the unit.

Because there appears to be an element of luck involved, were I to buy a new unit, I would want to explore all weather proofing options (without destroying the functionality of the unit).

Peter

Bobbinogs

Nope, I have been caught in biblical drenchings and had no probs at all with the 500. My Bryton 20 would get all misted up in a gentle drizzle, hence the Garmin to replace it after the warranty replacement also repeatedly failed.

Wirral_paul

I've also got soaked while out with mine and had no problems. I use Garmin's own silicon case and my unit survived falling off the bike when an out front mount failed on me (looked similar to the Barfly Spoon but made from too soft plastic) and the case saved it from any damage.

Sprool

I had a second-hand Edge 200 off a mate and the rubber cover for the usb was very poor at providing a decent seal. Even riding in light drizzle some water got into the port and although the unit continued to work ok it had caused some shorting out when connecting to the computer to upload the data, it just would not connect properly.
I dried it out overnight in a jar of rice (which also works a treat for watches and mobile phones unless they are totally drenched) and when fully free of moisture int he port it worked fine again. I then bought one of those little black silicone jackets for it to help protect the rubbish-fitting rear usb grommet from water and its been fine ever since. Worth £4.50 off ebay methinks.

How Far is too Far

I have an Edge 800 for over 2 years, it has been wet many times and even covered in mud on my CX bike a good few times. Never had a problem with it.

I bought a silicone cover but I find it keep water around the unit so have not used it, others I know have mentioned that the covers can cause scratches if any grit gets in-between the unit and it.

littledove44

The silicone cover will help with crash damage but it doesn't really improve water proofing.

When I get back after a wet ride, I always take mine off. The water gets behind it and it dries quicker that way.

southdownswolf

I have used my Garmin 800 on some pretty horrendous days in the saddle with no problems due to water ingress.

slowbike

Flip side - I used my 800 for 18 months commuting in most weathers and it suffered corrosion to the switch under the start button - I know this because I took it apart.
At the office it was in my office (still on the bike) and at home it was indoors - so it can only be a bad seal that caused the water ingress during riding.
There was no outward sign of failure.

apreading

Silicone cover does not cover the usb port area, the original flap is all you get for that. Having said that, some that have reported problems with water suggest it may have come in from the area around the buttons, which the cover would help with. I have a cover on my 800, mainly for when I drop it by mistake or I take a tumble on the mountain bike (which I may not ever have done with it but I bet if I took it off for a few rides I would!).

The usb port is waterproofed internally, so in theory (tested by DCRainmaker I believe) water getting in there should not be a problem, provided you ensure it is thoroughly dried before you plug it in an put an electrical current through there. The car port is more likely to cause problems because you will almost certainly have a card in there and therefore current flowing which means the waterproofing may not fully protect the device.

IanRCarter

I use Garmins silicon case on my 800. Protected my unit from damage when I knocked it off the mount whilst riding a couple of weeks ago. The water related problems I'd read about were due to water getting into the usb port and not being dried out properly either before charging or even just being left like it with water which corroded the port. In which case, the silicon case doesn't make a different there - there's a hole in the back so you can open the rubber flaps covering the SD slot and USB port. For £5, I'd recommend getting one. Screen can scratch if it drops off the bike too, so I now have screen protectors to avoid any more scratches (bought these and give a good non-reflective finish to the screen which is improvement over how it looks without one http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005 ... UTF8&psc=1).

redvee

littledove44 wrote:

When I get back after a wet ride, I always take mine off. The water gets behind it and it dries quicker that way.

+1, I've got a Model T silicon cover, ie only available in black at the time. Now there are more colour options.

StillGoing

Never had a problem with water ingress on my old 705 or my 810. Make sure the USB rubber seal is seated firmly when not in use. I use a SRAM out front mount for my 810.

meanredspider

A colleague has had no end of water-related problems with a couple of 800s (normally solved by drying out) - he swears by cling film. I have never had problems with mine with water. Lots of other problems but not water...

jefflad

Thanks for all those comments... it looks like I'll be using the silicone case to protect from some rain and it dropping off then removing it when finished and hope the issues with the unit itself don't rear their heads.

Thanks again