battery drains 25-30% in 24hrs, in watch mode

I’ve had the same battery drain (20% in 24hrs) but I just bought it 2nd hand it could just be the old battery giving out. I’ve seen someone say their Fenix 3 battery had suddenly went from “5-6 days to about 8-9 hours - a transition that took about 3 days to happen”. Perhaps this could be the same with your case?

this is called planned obsolescence

I would expect a battery to degrade at a lower pace than that but what do I know? As it turned itself off, I was leaning towards a software issue.

if that really is the case I will be gutted and will have to consider life away from Garmin

Mine has done the exact same thing over the past 2 weeks. Exactly the same circumstances as you 

The Fenix 5 series was released 6 years ago as of March 3rd, 2023. Most models are discontinued now but depending on what model you own, you might be able to pay to exchange your watch for the same model as recertified. Please reach out to Outdoor Product Support in your region to learn more.

yeah, it seems like my battery, on my Fenix 5 is fried, like a lot of other peoples.

I've been offered a battery replacement for £120 direct from Garmin, which IMHO is on the expensive side. I guess it's carefully priced to encourage people to just buy a new watch. As I'm able to buy a replacement battery online for £15, it leads me to think you're profiting from loyal users. I know you'll argue that:

• It's not a like-for-like battery
  Sure but I'm also buying a single unit, you will be buying them in batches of 100,000 so the unit price will be considerably less
• You have lots of internal costs to cover in the replacement process
  I've gone through the guides on replacing a battery, it's a 15min job once you're used to it, maybe less. Factoring logistics, and the layers of admin added to the process it's likely 90mins worth of Garmin time at most, so you're charging £75-£85 p/hr (steep)

I run a business so appreciate the unseen layers and costs that have to be factored in every job, but I've also been very generous with the time allowance. I personally feel on a £400 watch, that has become useless in 4 years is quite disappointing. Perhaps a lower price point for a replacement would make current users feel less taken advantage of. 

Anyway, that's my personal feelings. 

yes, it could either be an iffy bunch of batteries or just them reaching the end of their life. The problem once this happens is they become junk. They just aren't practical to use anymore. The fix and replacement service from Garmin exploits users and is priced to encourage a new product purchase. If they repaired, users might still buy a new watch but pass their old one onto family and friends, thus introducing new users to the Garmin family. This is exactly what happened to me.

it was, but it was still on general sale as a new item from lots of resellers three years ago... if mine was 5-6 years old I wouldn't be on here, I would be wearing my new model and carrying on where I left off. I believe users with watches that are 3-4 years old need to be supported a little better. But I appreciate there is no obligation. I love Garmin and your products, often tagging them on INSTA