Garmin nuvi 52LM 5.0" GPS Navigation System with Lifetime Map Updates

Wayne , as you know , I'm a bit clueless about these things. But I want one ! Does this thing include a 12v DC car charger , or does it charge by USB only ? If battery life is only two hours , I'd want it on the charger all the time.

Thanks ,

 

I'm going to order one today ! Thanks , Wayne.

 

I find the Garmin batteries wear out a lot sooner than the rest of the
device. I suspect this happens when plugged in all the time, but it
appears Wayne may have a different experience. My older Garmins
won't last on battery very long. I've been upgrading as they improve
the units and the most recent ones seem to keep a charge better,
though I've been more careful with not leaving them charging all the
time. YMMV.

Bill

 

I'm expecting my Garmin next Monday. Should I leave it charging in the car all the time or no ? Let it discharge when I don't need it ?

 

Hi Edwin,

Good question and there are lots of discussions on the web. I just looked.
No definitive or factual information from Garmin that I could easily find.

Use your best judgement with general rules of thumb for best practices with
lithium ion chemistry batteries.

I'd say plug it in full time that you're driving any distance from a few miles
to CleanMPG cross-country events, assuming you're actually using it. If
you aren't actually using it while driving, I'd say unplug it and stow it.

Keep it out of the heat as much as possible. Heat kills batteries of all kinds.

Try not to run it flat except if you're doing some battery conditioning, i.e.
on purpose. Partial discharge/charge cycles don't count like full discharge/charge
cycles toward the battery's limited life cycles.

This is a start for you, anyway. Good luck and enjoy your new GPS!
Bill

 

Thanks , guys. I'm looking forward to playing with this thing !

 

I do leave the Scangauge in the car all the time. It's covered up with a baseball cap when the car is locked. Sem-discreet. I would plan to put the Garmin in the glove box when not in use. Yes , in my car the ignition has to be on to get 12V DC. I could probably just plug it in every time I use it in the car , and make sure it's fully charged if I want to take it on a bike ride.

 

2010 Prius 12v is dead if car is off
2011 Chevy truck 12v power is on all the time

I think I will get IPhone 6 and http://sites.garmin.com/viago/ app
We go to Euroland so we can the app there

 

Airbalancer,

re: viago - That's a great idea. I'll have to check it out. The app is
nominally priced, but I have to look into the cost of the "features" like
downloadable maps.

I think my smart phone's GPS is much more sensitive than my 1-2 year
old Garmin's GPS. It also seems to use more satellites than I remember
seeing in the Garmin satellite view.

Thanks,
Bill

 

The Garmin apps aren't getting very good reviews on Google Play.
I hope the iPhone version is better.

I've been using the pay version of GPS CoPilot. Not as clean as
using a Garmin GPS, but it does the trick and works well without
a data connection.

Bill

 

Modern battery tech......

If it's a chevy volt, an iphone, a nissan leaf, an ebike, whatever....

All the same as far as I'm concerned.....
---keep them between 20% and 80%
---don't let me get hot
----don't let em sit on a charger topped off
---don't let em sit with no charge

--do all these and you're looking at years (and years) of reliable service...



Planned obsolescence and warranty liability dictates that the manufacturers won't necessarily tell you or help you manage

 

Our Garmin are 7 years old , they have no battery life left
I always leave it in plain sight , my truck was broken into last year , it was so old they did not take it
Thank God they did not take my instruments that were worth over $35 gs , since there a limited market for it, but my hand tools were taken

 

Got my nuvi 52 Saturday ! Didn't drive anywhere until Monday AM , but I did charge it up and took it outside to find a satellite , punched in a destination. When I got to work this morning , I sat in the car playing with the settings for screen brightness , nagging volume , and a few others. Still not exactly sure where to stick the suction cup mount. When I get home tonight , I will do that.

I think I'm gonna like this !