Garmin Etrex Legend rubber problem?

[fhills]

Yep, this will come as a surprise to folks who know me, but I have a reason - vaguely emerging plan to do some serious European pedalling.

So - have pretty much decided to get a GPS.

Have decided for various reasons (good availability of maps/not being one for "added features" thought up by the marketing department) and after reading lots on here and elsewhere fron helpful knowledgeable folk that the one to go for me is the Garmin Etrex Legend HCx.

But I have read that this can have a problem with its "rubber band" coming unstuck.

Specific questions:

Is this still an issue or did Garmin manage to sort it in later production runs?

If it does come unstuck does this compromise the integrity of the unit, particularly with regard to waterproofing?

Come to think of it, what's the function of this rubber suurround anyway?

If it does come unstuck is it easy to fix yourself? - I may not be in the UK if it should go and returning it to Garmin UK may be a problem. Support in the country I am in may not be good.

Is this "rubber issue" really a deal breaker - I read lots of good things about this box.

If I get it, I may very well be using this in pretty hot places - southern Italy, maybe even north Africa.


 

[De Sisti]

This is a problem that Garmin are well aware of. Contact them, let them know of the problem
and you will probably be invited to send it back to them, with the promise of a new or reconditioned
one without the rubber problem.

[toontra]

If I get it, I may very well be using this in pretty hot places - southern Italy, maybe even north Africa.

I've sent 2 back because of the rubber problem, which both times happened after trips to hot places.  The third one was in south Spain this year in temperatures of 45c+ every day for 2 weeks and survived, so it may be that they've tackled the issue.

It probably also helps if you try to avoid manhandling the case with too much force when inserting/removing from the holder, especially when very hot.

Other than that it's a brilliant device and never let me down in 5 years under a wide range of conditions.  Worst case scenario () is it comes loose while you're away - doesn't affect the performance or waterproofness, so just send for a replacement when you get back.

[Kim]

After Garmin denied that there was an issue and offered me a not economic price for an exchange for a reconditioned unit, I successfully replaced the rubber on my Vista HCx by cleaning thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol to remove all the old adhesive, then re-sticking with heavy duty double-sided carpet tape.  The problem is that it's not just the adhesive that's the problem; the rubber bit stretches slightly with age, leading to an inherent slackness that causes it to unpeel.  In the end, I cut a section out of the band on the bottom edge of the unit (as far away from the switches as possible).  It's been okay so far, but has only been out in hot sun about twice.

High temperatures are extremely likely to make things worse.

[frankly frankie]

Yes hot places will make the rubber band detach itself pretty quickly.  Another thing that doesn't help is 'de-rattling' the bike mount with a bit of PVC tape - which is highly advisable to do - this makes the GPS a tighter fit which means the glue holding the rubber gets strained more.

Although it is always assumed to be part of the waterproofing, in practice I've never noticed a problem, in years of riding with an Etrex with loose rubber, with the usual fair share of rainy days.  I think the DS sticky tape itself contributes as least as much if not more, and this stays put.
So IMO it is mainly a cosmetic problem, and I just wrap a postie's pink rubber band round mine.

If this is a first GPS, why not go for the new Etrex model, 20 or 30 - which is slightly more user-friendly in many ways, has far more track capacity for long trips, and doesn't have the rubber band.  The older HCx models are now really only a top recommendation for people who are already familiar with that type of GPS and like the way they work.  (Like me.)
new Etrex thread - message #89 shows the two Etrexes, side by side

[fhills]

Thanks for all of the replies.

Any more welcome.

I kind of get the impression that although it sounds like an appalling piece of design, and amazing that they never fixed the problem over what I take to be a long production run, it isn't really a deal breaker and I hear lots of good things about the thing.

Interesting and helpful response frankly frankie though I note from that link to your own other post you seem to advocate that the many fans of this box including yourself might want to buy another one.

[frankly frankie]

Yes that's true, and I think that people who are already comfortable with the older types might find them, in the last analysis, better in terms of being very full-featured, but some new adopters tend to find them a steep learning curve at first.  But all Garmins are pretty comparable in terms of actual performance, and the new ones have some advantages especially when looking at a long tour away from home.  They have much more capacity for stored Tracks, and much more flexible map handling.
You would be able to do route planning, maybe even map downloads, mid-trip in an internet cafe, and get new routes and maps into your GPS.  You definitely can't do this with the older HCx style.

But don't let this put you off an HCx if that's what you've decided on - they are very good and the rubber band thing definitely shouldn't be seen as a deal-breaker.

[fhills]

Thanks for everyone's help.

In the end, despite the fact that the Legend sounds like a good bit of kit which would probably do all I need, and is currently on Amazon at a very good price, I went for a new Etrex 20 from Go Outdoors. Just couldn't stand the thought of buying a fairly expensive bit of kit that seemed doomed to require DIY glueing in the near future.

thanks again