internal Battery failure affects the entire unit!!

promomast

having charged the unit for 24 hrs and more it showed the battery as full on screen ...the unit is fully uptodate ..but then when mounted to powered tomtom mount in car it started going on and off erratically ... always the long white bar taking forever to run each time it dained to reappear

eventually i noticed a snap view of an orange outline battery on a black screen orange

i phoned customer services to be told the orange battery meant it was broken and useless ...this after less than 3 years and i'd have to send it to Lithuania to have the battery changed for the princely sum of £80 ...and would take about a week!!?

here is information you will never find anywhere else already

'my drive' [updated] user information fails to load ...'info not found'

today trying to use the tomtom go [paid for app on my phone] it said app loading and it never loaded on 4g ...

it eventually loaded on wifi!??

is it me or is it coincidence i hadn't paid to renew the speed cameras the day this stated happening

i'm staggered the rider 400 will not work effectively without it's internal battery ...that's never mentioned...it was mounted today and only once in 140 miles did it show full info for 5 minutes before switching off/on ....black screen ...press on for varies lengths of time to have it come on fail and go black screen again [power running from same tomtom adapter that was running google maps effectively [thankfully] for free


so in effect it is trash now until the £80 is paid ... ransomed it seems

i paid 280 pounds from motolegend for this less than 3 years ago

i'm seriously not pleased with tomtom now

can i buy the battery and fit it myself ..it's out of warranty and any care now anyway ...


it's about time some truths were given ....

YamFazMan

Hi
To eliminate a charging fault with the bike mount

Have you tried charging the device using the micro USB port on the device
5 Volt 1.2 Amp


ATB YFM

promomast

yes i've used the official lead to charge it there .... for many hrs and it shows the battery as charged fully in the settings white icons line ...but failed when it came off charge


it still fails to even start now AFTER BEING CONNECTED TO MY DRIVE CONNECT FOR HOURS ON MY PC?

then the huge orange battery icon eventually arrived and disappeared hours after try to make it work

no mention of this icon in any tomtom literature .... only customer support told me what it meant ... which again i find troubles me now

why would anyone spend yet another£300 rider to have it break in under 3 years


i'm giving tomtom an opportunity to explain themselves here first

YamFazMan

Hi
@promomast
This is a user Forum overseen by Tomtom where users help each other

For Tomtom Support
:flag_gb: United Kingdom
02079 490 134
Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

I've had my Rider 400 from the launch day of the new Rider Range and not suffered from battery problems

Try Ebay.... https://www.ebay.com/itm/TomTom-Rider-400-New-Replacement-Battery-Model-VF3W-/201883611098?_ul=PY
BUT.... Only claims 2hrs use ???

Tomtom Rider 400 spec claim 5Hrs use

I can't find any stripdown info/videos, don't forget these are supposed to to be waterproof there may be special seals to contend with ???

ATB YFM

promomast

hi YamFazMan ...thank you for the input

yup used the customer services number .... who gave me the news about the orange battery icon ...lithuania and £80

i'm not paying £80 to find that's the only warranted part, and it fails for another reason

on that subject i've learnt you wont get your original unit back unless you ask for it back specifically...they would send a refurbed unit... asking for your own back, will delay it's return another 2 weeks

ive lost trust ... my rider 400 is only fit for the bin now... it fails to work with power from a tomtom usb source, mounted on a tomtom car mount ... black screen and an occasional attempt to come into life, before yet another black screen

i would have put up with the long start lag but to find it fails to work because an internal battery has failed is beyond ridiculous

i might as well attempt to break into it and find the battery details...buy one and see what happens

i'll share that process in pics


tomtom reps do come her as i saw the oceania map issue given by one not so long ago

i'd like to hear what they think of my situation

YamFazMan

Hi
@promomast
Also....
What is the charge level of the battery showing ???

The best way to check your true battery charge state
Have the device plugged into a power supply
Press and hold the on/off button until you hear a drum-roll sound, then continue to hold the on/off button Until the black and white text screen appears
The battery status is towards the bottom of the list

ATB YFM

promomast

ok interesting .. attached the official lead and usb to the pc

got the data page open and its showing 48% going up ... now 51% charging around 3570 mV

promomast

ill see if it gets to full first

as mentioned previously i had charged to full on the top small battery icon line

then this large orange battery appeared twice in total quickly and and was told the battery was dead

otherwise ive no idea what is happening

954dk

The orange batteri doesn't necessarily equal a defective battery IRL. When looking at the numerous bugs, It might as well be a software or hardware fault elsewhere.

I'm excited to see, if you're able charge your device now or eventually after a total reset

promomast

so update ..... it got to 100% on the white text page .... charging at somewhere over 400mV ...was that a sign ...well no

so it's charged then ...well no .... the moment i took the my drive connect lead out it fell to 1 to 3% on the text page !?

trying to get to the 1-2-3 reboot spinning disc when the power lead is meant to be put in to re programme the device is just not possible

it never went there ... the screen just flashed and spluttered sometimes, showed the orange battery icon on the black screen, ....then nothing

time after time the same...so the software battery indicator is faulty on the small white icon [not seen that this time]? and on the spec white text page?

it refuses to power up the white bar line that appears after the drums starts then goes 'sod it' and back to black screen ...i was doing that travelling with power from the car tomtom mount yesterday...and still this constant spluttering back to black screen

so i can't reboot the device and the battery is what?

i'm trying i am ... but really this is now a farce

promomast

i'm thinking a bug ...but i'll never know that until i can either reboot it or tomtom techs take an interest ...and on that i'm not holding my breath

promomast

thanks guys for trying to help much appreciated

promomast

oh i should add the first thing to disappear was the sleep shut down window...that suddenly vanished completely from the screen when switching off ....

it would then only do the drums and long white bar trying to run and fail and keep doing that until it suddenly went black screen

YamFazMan

Hi
@promomast

promomast wrote:

so update ..... it got to 100% on the white text page .... charging at somewhere over 400mV ...was that a sign ...well no

400mV is that a typo
My Rider 400 shows... battery Charge Level 100% (4112 mV)

ATB YFM

promomast

yup sorry typo missed a zero there

around 4000mV at 100% it said

took the power lead off and a few mintues later its reading around 3% ?

no idea whats going on now

954dk

If yoy're able to do a complete reset with the power lead plugged in and a complete reset 'n restore doesn't help, take a look here buddy:
https://www.tomtomrepairteam.co.uk/sat-nav-repairs/tomtom-repairs/battery-replacements/battery-replacement-tomtom-rider-400.html

I bet they'll help you, if you write 'em



Battery Replacement TomTom Rider 400
The battery not holding charge problem is very common on all TomToms. If you have a TomTom for more than 2-3 years and the battery life is very poor and doesn't last more than 15 minutes on a full charge, then the battery inside it is faulty.
Use this mail in service to Battery Replacement Service for

TomTom Rider 400 4GE40
This is how the service works:

• Pick a service you need.
• After completing payment at the checkout you will receive a confirmation email with the invoice.
• Please mention the payment method in your order form.
• Place Tomtom together with printed invoice or order number into a box or a jiffy bag.
• Use the address provided by invoice.
• Please only send the Tomtom unit itself unless you need an inspection of other equipment, too.
• Postage is charged by the weight. We recommend using signed for or special delivery to ensure safe delivery.
• After receiving your device we will try our best to repair it.
• If there is a different or extra service needed we will inform you via email.
• Extra charges may apply.
• Then a rework is required and you will get new invoice with payment link via email.
• Once the process is completed the device will be sent back to you.

Repair Your TomTom By Post
This Service is available to UK + Ireland Residents Only.
Send us your broken TomTom and we will repair it for you.
We have an extensive collection of in house hardware and expertise, ideal for repairing TomTom devices.
We have many years experience and our on site engineers can repair just about any TomTom on the market.
How much does it cost?
The cost to Repair your tomtom by post is the total amount on your order form which includes cost of returning your tomtom to you via Special or First class recorded delivery back to your door !!!
How do I pay?
You can pay online or by card or through paypal account after the reapair or you can send postal order, cheques written to TOMTOM REPAIR TEAM (you have to wait for cheque to clear), Cash, Or we can contact you once repaired for payment.
How long does it take?
Our turn around time for Repairing is QUICK !!! We repair your tomtom within 5 days after it arrives to us and in many cases we will repair it the same day it arrives and post it back to you the same day too!
How can I trust TOMTOM REPAIR TEAM with my TomTom?
We pride ourselves on our work, and have been conducting repairs since 1991. Because we also supply the latest repair equipment worldwide you can rest easily knowing that we know what we are doing. We are trustworthy, established registered company. Please view our Customer Testimonials
What if my tomtom cannot be repaired?
We have very good in-house engineers who have a very high success rate of repairing tomtom's. Although sometimes there may be more damage than expected, or the tomtom may be damaged beyond repair. If this is the case and we cannot repair the tomtom, we will return your tomtom to you and refund any payment made to us. If the tomtom can be repaired but needs more parts to do the job, our engineers will call you first to explain this before any work is carried out.
SatNav Specialist Ltd.
Unit 15 / 2nd floor
Malt Store Annexe
The Cut, New Cut
Halesworth
IP19 8BY
Tel: 01986 872 974
After we receive your tomtom, we will get to work on it right away. Once repaired we will return your tomtom to you via royal mail. We will also email you with your tracking number.

promomast

so with no help from tomtom .. not that i expected any frankly

great product ... lousy money grabbing company

i went with satnav specialists ltd in ipswich

they are truly awesome

and thank you maria ... great communication and my tomtom returned special post in a lovely box

i recommend everyone use them

seriously dont bother ringing tomtom customer services

the end

promomast

and thank you 954dk ... great recommendation

oh no more dull rattle noise in my tomtom

peter354

well that looks as it answers my problem posted today 20 June 2019 about a second hand tom tom not starting first return as faulty the tom-tom bought from ebay .and 2 not buy a tom tom again
peter

Arctic-Fox

anyone finally found a replacement battery yet?

RoadRider

Battery is a VF3W a duch user posted that the 1/3 capacity VF3A also works off course with a shorter battery live.



Video how to open Rider and replace battery (and screen)