How do know when my Garmin 855 is done charging?

Check to make sure that the rear USB jack isn't loose. This is a common problem on ALL nuvi's that are charged by a USB jack only. If the jack is broken, the battery will not be charged. When you plug in the charger, the battery icon with green bars should go away. If you can still see it, your USB jack is broke and needs to be replaced. I've replaced these many times. More info can be found here:

http://www.sharc.net/gps_charger_repair.htm

try the digram to connect it back

Do you run your notebook plugged in all the time? I've done that and continue to but I shouldn't. Battery run items are meant to be run on battery and then have the charge run down to a low level before plugging the charger back in. By leaving the notebook running on power all the time, you are actually conditioning the battery to hold less of a charge. You reminded me of an error I make often. Something s/b done for tablet, cell phones or any item that gets recharged.

If your Nuvi works when plugged into the car but shuts off as soon as you unplug it, the internal battery is bad and needs to be replaced. Here is a link to a YouTube video that shows how. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVrZe62qoG0

I've done it using this video and was successful, but I'm experienced making repairs like this. You decide whether this is for you or whether you should look for a repair service to do it for you.

whne you plug it in through the usb cable the unit is charging but is waiting for you to do something to the software of load something like mp3s. Why are you not using the 12V cable in your vehicle to keep the battery charged.

the only way you can tell if its charging, is to go into the power section and look at the battery meter, but since you cant do that bec ause its not booting up, go HERE and download the web updater if you havent already. that should fix the problem.

bill

The Garmin Nuvi 855 uses a Lithium-ion battery. It is a very clean system and does not need priming as nickel-based batteries do. The 1st charge is no different to the 5th or the 50th charge.

In other words there is no memory effect with these batteries and it should be safe to charge it for as long as you like on the first charge. I would estimate 4 hours will give you a full charge if you wish to do this from the outset.

Turn on your garmin out of the car, connect to a PC via USB cable and see if the battery indicator goes away. If it does then the USB to PC cable is working and charging the unit. To test the car adapter, you can unscrew the tip of the plug to examine the fuse. Most Garmin car charger units have a light on them that ilimunates when you plug it in and turn the ignition. It could be that the plug is just loose in the socket. The picture shows the unit running on battery. If you plug in the usb cable and this indicator goes away, then it should be charging.

Plug your 660 with usb into the usb port, computer must not set on sleeping mode (screensaver).

It will take 3-4 hours to be full charge

Common issue. Steps to troubleshoot/solve:
1. Pull off face, press reset tab.
2. If unit wont turn on or if turns off immediately, connect to home computer using mini usb on side of gps (any usb cord that fits will do). This will charge the internal gps battery, which is discharged.
3. You will not be able to see the gps charge indicator while the usb cord is plugged into the unit. To check charge level, disconnect it, turn it on, and note the large "battery" icon.
4 Do you have a dead internal battery? If the gps holds a charge from your computer usb port, you don't.
5. If you have a dead battery, Google DIY replacement. With some soldering it can done for $15 total.
6. If you don't have a dead battery, the issue is charging from the cigarette lighter socket. Your car socket may have blown a fuse (check car manual). Your charger unit may have blown a fuse (unscrew the tip, check fuse inside). Also, some car sockets don't work when the ignition is off. Test yours.
7. There is a good chance the connection of the charger wire to the gps cradle is the problem. Fiddle with that. Replacement cradles are available for the c340 at about $25.
8. If your unit is not charging from the cradle/socket, buy a 12v usb cord. Plug into socket and into usb port of the gps. This is a workaround or alternative to buying a new cradle.
9. IMPORTANT: observe the "battery" icon while driving, esp. if you have doubts about charging. Basically, if you can see the icon, you're not connected to an outside (car or computer) power source. That is, if you can see the battery-charge indication, it means your battery is currently discharging and unless you get another power source to work it will be dead in a few hours.