Garmin 255W Nuvi won't turn on - problem I just bought my 255W yesterday - it seemed all fine and good, and we tried it on two cars. It seemed to work fine. Then today my friend is going to use it for a road trip to Fresno. The unit only turned on for a few seconds, showing the Garmin logo, then beeped and then shut off. Since it's a new unit - am I supposed to just let it charge for a while before I can fully use it? It was working yesterday though. Do I just slide the on/off slider to on and hold it there a few seconds? I hope I didn't get a bad unit, thanks in advance! Garmin 255W Nuvi won't turn on - problem I just bought my 255W yesterday - it seemed all fine and good, and we tried it on two cars. It seemed to work fine. Then today my friend is going to... » Read More Garmin 255W Nuvi won't turn on - problem I just bought my 255W yesterday - it seemed all fine and good, and we tried it on two cars. It seemed to work fine. Then today my friend is going to use it for a road trip to Fresno. The unit only turned on for a few seconds, showing the Garmin logo, then beeped and then shut off. Since it's a new unit - am I supposed to just let it charge for a while before I can fully use it? It was working yesterday though. Do I just slide the on/off slider to on and hold it there a few seconds? I hope I didn't get a bad unit, thanks in advance! « Show Less
1513322
My two-year-old Garmin nuvi 255W just stopped turning on today. Before it would automatically turn on whenever I started the car. I tried the above reset instructions (didn't do anything) and I tried the press on the lower right corner and turn on trick (didn't do anything). I then tried the suggestion to hold the button to "on" for 15 seconds. That gets the unit on and working and it does fine .. until I shut off the car. Then it won't turn on again and I have to go through the process of holding the on button for 15 seconds again. Any suggestions why it would start acting this way now when it has been fine for two years? My two-year-old Garmin nuvi 255W just stopped turning on today. Before it would automatically turn on whenever I started the car. I tried the above reset instructions (didn't do anything) and I tried the press on the lower right corner and turn on trick (didn't do anything). I then tried the suggestion to hold the button to "on" for 15 seconds. That gets the unit on and working and it does fine .. until I shut off the car. Then it won't turn on again and I have to go through the process of holding the on button for 15 seconds again. Any suggestions why it would start acting this... » Read More My two-year-old Garmin nuvi 255W just stopped turning on today. Before it would automatically turn on whenever I started the car. I tried the above reset instructions (didn't do anything) and I tried the press on the lower right corner and turn on trick (didn't do anything). I then tried the suggestion to hold the button to "on" for 15 seconds. That gets the unit on and working and it does fine .. until I shut off the car. Then it won't turn on again and I have to go through the process of holding the on button for 15 seconds again. Any suggestions why it would start acting this way now when it has been fine for two years? « Show Less
1513323
Cool... I struggled with this for a week. Could not find any reset button or hard reset. Turning the switch off for 15 seconds by holding my thump on the lower right corner of the screen. It asked with a message 'Do you want to erase user setup?' I pressed No and then it started working...What is this placing finger on the right bottom corner does, no idea. but it works! Thanks a million.
1513324
Just wanted to post that the problem is solved - the garmin charger was missing the head contacts and the fuse and wasn't charging the unit properly - thus not being able to turn on. Thanks for the input guys
1513325
^ Hey, thanks so much for the info, I will try it first thing tomorrow when my friend returns it to me. So I take it that when it acts up, it needs to be reset? I sure hope that'll fix it.
1513326
I replaced the battery and the 255 worked for a short period of time, well I discovered that the car charger cord was bad and even if the light was on the battery was not being charged.Thought this might help others.
1513327
thank you so much for your insight. We are on vacation in Utah and this problem arose. Your instruction was the exact cure for our problem.I feel like I owe you some money LOL Thanks for taking the time to post this.
1513328
Thirty minutes is nothing compared to how long it can take to get a reply on this board. However, if you haven't had Garmin solve your problem yet, there are a couple of things you might try. A reboot is one. Turn the switch to the on position and hold it there for about 15 seconds or so. If this fails, you can try a hard reset. You do this by placing your finger in the lower right-hand corner and switching the unit on. If this works, say yes to the question. Unfortunately, since your unit could not come on without a hard reset you will lose the data you have input into the device (unless you have already backed up the unit, a suggestion I always tell people to do before doing anything). Thirty minutes is nothing compared to how long it can take to get a reply on this board. However, if you haven't had Garmin solve your problem yet, there are a couple of things you might try. A reboot is one. Turn the switch to the on position and hold it there for about 15 seconds or so. If this fails, you can try a hard reset. You do this by placing your finger in the lower right-hand corner and switching the unit on. If this works, say yes to the question. Unfortunately, since your unit could not come on without a hard reset you will lose the data you have input into the device (unless... » Read More Thirty minutes is nothing compared to how long it can take to get a reply on this board. However, if you haven't had Garmin solve your problem yet, there are a couple of things you might try. A reboot is one. Turn the switch to the on position and hold it there for about 15 seconds or so. If this fails, you can try a hard reset. You do this by placing your finger in the lower right-hand corner and switching the unit on. If this works, say yes to the question. Unfortunately, since your unit could not come on without a hard reset you will lose the data you have input into the device (unless you have already backed up the unit, a suggestion I always tell people to do before doing anything). « Show Less
1513329
Well I've got the 255W and have tried all of this stuff. It used to display the Garmin logo before turning off completely. Now it is just dead. Pressing any of the corners of the screen while sliding the powers witch for 8, 15, 30 , or even up to a minute. Does absolutely nothing. It has been charged with the provided car charger as well as a USB and still it is stone dead. Judging from my experience and the posts on this thread the 255 is a dud.
1513330
Most of the time I don't ever respond to these but since it took awhile for me to figure this out myself I'm going to help. I had the same issue.... Apparently there is some stupid little button on the bottom of the unit that I found. The fun part is it isn't even a button. You have to read the little strip where the sticker is and on there is says reset. Press and hold that button and the unit will turn back on. I hope this helps. PS. Remember there isn't an actual button so don't spend a long time like I did searching for an actual button. The button is hidden under the sticker along the bottom. Most of the time I don't ever respond to these but since it took awhile for me to figure this out myself I'm going to help. I had the same issue.... Apparently there is some stupid little button on the bottom of the unit that I found. The fun part is it isn't even a button. You have to read the little strip where the sticker is and on there is says reset. Press and hold that button and the unit will turn back on. I hope this helps. PS. Remember there isn't an actual button so don't spend a long time like I did searching for an actual button. The button is hidden under the... » Read More Most of the time I don't ever respond to these but since it took awhile for me to figure this out myself I'm going to help. I had the same issue.... Apparently there is some stupid little button on the bottom of the unit that I found. The fun part is it isn't even a button. You have to read the little strip where the sticker is and on there is says reset. Press and hold that button and the unit will turn back on. I hope this helps. PS. Remember there isn't an actual button so don't spend a long time like I did searching for an actual button. The button is hidden under the sticker along the bottom. « Show Less
1513331
I am having this problem, as well. I tried to run updates and had it plugged into my computer most of the day yesterday and then last night it just would not turn back on. I have tried the reset on the switch (my 255 does not have a reset button, i ripped of the sticker to be sure) and I just can't get it to turn on. Garmin support has a 30 minute wait time and I can't wait that long at work. Anyone have any other ideas?
1655797
Rocky, yes, if your Garmin will not operate while plugged into the cars 12V port, then something is really haywire! No wonder you are frustrated. Hope everything works out well for you.
331066
I have the same problem too, this is ridiculous! Has anyone tried getting warranty help? I talked to customer service and it is $99 flat rate repair fee since the unit is about 1.5 years since purchase. Seems high to me, I need a map update as well, I'd be better off buying a new unit. Not very impressed with Garmin customer service.
731922
Tammy, Yes, many people have had the problem with the "white screen of death" so to speak. It will continue to operate the same way without the possibility of repair. I, like M. Michener, called customer service and they said I had two options: return to the retailer for an exchange (most are out of stock) or return to TomTom who would then replace the unit with a new one. I chose the latter, and TomTom customer service gave me instructions on how to return the unit free of charge via FedEx. She also indicated it would take 7-14 business days from the time they received the returned unit before I receive a new one. So I returned the product via FedEx, but before my return even made it to TomTom, I received a brand new unit at my home address. They went ahead and sent me the new one before they even received the returned one. I have it now and it is working beautifully. M. Michener says ,"THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW WHETHER THE NEW UNIT WILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM! TomTom CANNOT trace bad units to serial numbers, so exchanging is nothing more than a crap shoot." That is simply not true. TomTom has pinpointed the problem, and any new machine you receive at this point will not have the white screen error. I believe if the unit has a 46, 47 or 48 anywhere in the serial number, that is one with a problem. But any unit you receive now is way past that. I also want to say that my brother just got a Nuvi 200 and it is not as reliable as the TomTom (accuracy wise) and doesn't have the convenient features that TomTom does like Map Share, etc. Hope that helps.
1602327
I had the model number of the burned out cable so I ordered another one. You should go online to Garmin, product support and look up the model that you have and check the part number of the cable that goes with it. I suppose you could order one and see if it works...if it doesn't, return it. I would think the power requirements for these Garmins are all the same...you could also call customer support and ask them. Good Luck.
2263
Yes it will work with your nuvi 255w. I bought one last summer for my nuvi 295w and it worked flawlessly. Both the 255w and the 295w have Micro-SD slots. The City Navigator UK/Ireland comes as a Micro-SD card inserted in an SD adapter so don't panic when you see an SD card that is too big for your Micro-SD slot--just pull out the Micro-SD chip from the adapter.
1655798
thanks for your response.you are correct in "..that the only time your Garmin is able to operate normally is while unplugged from..".i can't operate the unit when it's plugged in.that's where my frustration came from.i doubt that i have a bad 12v adapter. but you might be right. let me replace the car's adapter with another one and i'll update this discussion.
242189
You know what? That's the one thing I don't understand about the unit. I'll be driving along and all of a sudden the screen will change from normal to traffic, and it's mostly in gray and blue. I have been meaning to call Garmin about this, but just haven't gotten to do it. It's really weird. Sorry I couldn't help more.
1722273
I cant swear to it but i have this problem when using on my motorcycle and i traced it back to a lose conection on the power adapter scocket wigling the plug always turned it right back on tried taping the plug and socket togther and probleb was solved, check you power outlet in your car and make sure the garmin plug fits snugly.
1641650
I used it with my Nuvi 255w. The product is a micro-SD card, but you can buy an adapter to plug a micro-SD card into an SD slot. That's what we used and it works fine. In fact when I glanced at the product page on Amazon just now, it showed such an adapter as an item "frequently bought with this one". Just a caution: we used this during a driving trip in Portugal last year, and while I was glad we had it, it was painfully dated in places. Portugal has been aggressively building lots of beautiful new highways, and Garmin apparently doesn't know about all of them yet. If I were doing our trip over, I would still use this, but I would also get a quality current paper map (e.g,. Michelin) and plan my routes ahead, rather than entirely relying on the Garmin to pick the best path to a destination.
1492154
I am in the exact same situation, I am debating which GPS to return. 255WT or 285WT?285WT is actually cheaper too, since I didn't have to pay any tax buying from amazon.sigh... I should have just shelled out a little bit more for the 265WT from Radio shack.The bluetooth on the 285WT seems nice to have, but is the lifetime traffic on the 255WT any good, and is it more worthy than the bluetooth? I never followed the traffic information from my Navigion 2100T, since I am not sure how useful it is.
2230298
I can use my 255W while charging via wall plug, so the issue you describe is not "normal". I'll get a dark screen that states the "maps are loading", the maps load, and the I can use the unit within 30 seconds. Sometimes the unit is delayed launching maps while it looks for a satellite signal. Have you tried charging the unit in an area with a clear southern view?
1622000
Hi,my nuvi 1300 has not recieved any satalite reception in the last 4days.I've turn it off/on many times a day. I don't know what to do. One web site said to do a hard reset. A couple times it said I'm due for map update. Should your nuv1300 still operate with out a update? Can't afford right now . I bought it at cash America pawn shop.unit malfunction started 10 days after 30 day return.
1332531
I had the same issue before and contacted Garmin customer service. I was advised that I was connecting the wires incorrectly to the unit before turning it on. I followed what was recommended and it worked. I connect all the wires to the unit first. Ensure all the connecting wires are completely and positively inserted into the unit. Then connect the battery wires to the battery. Then turn on the unit. I use to do it in reverse. That's how the issue was resolved. I use the Echo 300 in my fishing kayak. Hope this helps. T...
851731
I have a 255w some times it goes crazy taking you to a different place then you plugged in. The map update is close to $100.So I'm Locking for a GPS that advertises when there product maps were installed.
731072
I ordered the Garmin nuvi 255 for $179 from Amazon and Garmin nuvi 265T for the same price from tigerdirect.I have read very good review for the 255 but some negative for the 265 T such as the speaker is not good for bluetooth.Is the speaker for the text to voice the same quality for both unit?Am I able to buy a cable for the 255 if I have the GTM25 FM cable for the 265t?Is the quality the same for both except the 265t has the bluetooth and the live traffic?Is it best to buy the 265T because they are both the same price?Please answer soon as I will need to return or not accept one unit. I ordered the Garmin nuvi 255 for $179 from Amazon and Garmin nuvi 265T for the same price from tigerdirect.I have read very good review for the 255 but some negative for the 265 T such as the speaker is not good for bluetooth.Is the speaker for the text to voice the same quality for both unit?Am I able to buy a cable for the 255 if I have the GTM25 FM cable for the 265t?Is the quality the same for both except the 265t has the bluetooth and the live traffic?Is it best to buy the 265T because they are both the same price?Please answer... » Read More I ordered the Garmin nuvi 255 for $179 from Amazon and Garmin nuvi 265T for the same price from tigerdirect.I have read very good review for the 255 but some negative for the 265 T such as the speaker is not good for bluetooth.Is the speaker for the text to voice the same quality for both unit?Am I able to buy a cable for the 255 if I have the GTM25 FM cable for the 265t?Is the quality the same for both except the 265t has the bluetooth and the live traffic?Is it best to buy the 265T because they are both the same price?Please answer soon as I will need to return or not accept one unit. « Show Less
1532570
I had a 260W and I can tell you the Navigation was much more accurate then the 255W. My 260W was wiped out by Garmin Tech Support and they replaced it with a new 260W. There is only one problem my New 260W they sent me happens to be loaded with 255W software. According to other post I have read on the internet this is happening to others as well.It seems that Garmin has decided to install 2X5 Software on there remaining 260 Models. The mapping has been changed on the 255 series and it is NOT as ACCURATE as the 260 series. The new features are nice additions but I wanted a GPS for NAVIGATION NOT FOR A NEW PLAY TOY. Garmin has had several unhappy customers recently and I would advise looking into other choices as of this point.Maybe someday Garmin will decide to get some knowledgable technical People and start making a good product again. Read the reviews on POI Factory.com website to get accurate product reviews with people who have these units and can tell you about the issues thay are having. Thanks