TomTom Rider GPS Model 4GD00 Wear and Tear in Cradle / Charging Problems, Issues

[Futterman]

I've had this GPS installed on my F800GT since August of 2015. After a year in service, about 16,000 miles, the back of the GPS looks like this:





The wear and tear on the plastic has made the GPS loose in the charging cradle/mount, and in turn the looseness has resulted in the charging pins drilling holes into the charging pads on the back of the GPS itself. Now I have intermittent contact at best. I've had to insert bits of plastic to shim the GPS unit to try to force it closer to the pins to maintain contact.

This is not acceptable for a decice that is marketed as motorcycle-specific, which should mean it can withstand vibration and the elements. I had a car-based Garmin Nuvi that lasted longer than this until the rear connector broke off the circuit board (as they always do).

I think a possible remedy would be to replace the back cover inclusive of the charging pads. Does anyone know where to purchase repair pars for this model of TomTom?

Thanks,

Hank

[Sundog52]

Hank,

I too have this system, but have not encountered the problem as described. When I mount the GPS unit in the cradle/mount, I compress the two springs (via the locking tab) before sliding on the unit. This would help insure the 4GD00 is properly mounted in both tabs and hopefully not move due to vibration. I have about 13K mi on my F8GT, but I can't say how many are with the GPS mounted. Here are some photos of my setup for comparison.



Have you tried contacting the manufacturer on this issue?

[Futterman]

Thanks, Sundog. I'm at a loss to explain why this happened, but when I called TomTom support they did not seem surprised. My unit was out of warranty, there is no US service center, and no spare parts availability (I wanted a new backshell). Nevertheless, they offered me a brand new TomTom Rider 400 as a replacement. As I had paid USD $299 for my Rider, I was pleased to receive a 400 worth USD $499. The cradle has less freeplay and so far, it seems to be holding up well.

[Sundog52]

Glad you are "back up and running". I personally will be monitoring my unit for this problem as time and miles go on. Thanks for bringing it up to the forum members

[Futterman]

What mount are you using? Looks to be metal whereas I've been using the composite RAM components.

[Sundog52]

The mounts are indeed metal. The previous owner opted not to use the composite RAM components.