Extremely unhappy with my Instinct, and with Garmin support

I can confirm that the altimeter is not quite reliable on Garmin Instinct. After the initial permanent calibration similar to yours, I stopped doing it entirely, and in fact it looks it works much better in this way than before. I also take care that the pressure sensor oriffice on the right bottom is clean, dry, and that sweat does not accumulate under it, clogging so the opening. On activity maps I usually turn on the elevation correction, which improves greatly the elevation graph.

That told, there is a beta version of the firmware available at the top of this subforum that allegedly improves the altimeter behaviour, but I did not test it yet. I suspect the problem is not only in the firmware, but possibly also with the hardware and with the design of the pressure oriffice, so I do not expect a significant improvement. I learned to live with it, and think that for the price I paid for the watch it is finally not that bad.

In contrary, the HR sensor on my Instinct works perfectly since months, and except of one case, when the strap was far too loose, it always reads expected and credible values.

... another note regarding the pressure sensor oriffice - by design it is on a wrong place, and it can be easily clogged by the skin, cloth, or sweat, stopping so to work properly, or experiencing unexpected pressure changes (those can then perhaps cause also the false storm alerts). You really have to learn to position the watch on your wrist carefully, so that the opening does not become covered by the skin of your wrist when you move the hand. You may also consider experimenting with switching the hands so that the oriffice points to the other direction, or using a piece of a textile mesh under the opening draining away the sweat while still providing the access of the air.

Personally I use to dry my hand frequently under the oriffice during an activity, to avoid the problems. You only need to be carefull not to press any button when doing it, but it is not too complicated learning to do it quickly and without complications.

... and yet another comment, this time regarding the HR. Did it happen during skiing too? That would not be really surprising, since in cold, there is an effect called vasoconstriction in extremties, where the blood is drained out of the extremities and circulates only minimally, so the HR sensors have hard time to detect any blood stream and hence the reading may be easily incorrect. The vasoconstriction effect is even further emphasized by hypoxia, hence it will be stronger at altitude, or after an anaerobic exercise. There are different ways how to improve the reading, some of them discussed for example in this document https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1c0MzlpaBS.pdf. You could also drink a shot of alcohol to suppress the vasoconstriction (that's a joke, don't follow the advice), but the safest way to assure proper HR reading in such dificult conditions would be wearing a HR belt connected to the watch. Please note that only the older types of HRM belts are compatible with Instinct.

Thank you for your helpful reply!!

I had already read about the problems related with the altimeter sensor location. Still, I think that 500 m (less than 1 hour from calibrating!) is really too much deviation.

The HR sensor weird reading did not happen during skiing, just normal life. I think it's just that it's slow to react to changes. But yeah, the HR sensor is just a mild annoyance, while the elevation is a deal-breaker for me.

My plan is still to get it repaired / returned by Garmin (or maybe Amazon...). However, if that does not work, I will try all your suggestions regarding the pressure sensor oriffice. Thanks again for taking the time to write.

I admit I do not care too much about the altitude measuring, and that's also why I did not test yet the beta v6.x firmware. Since the altitude seems important to you, I would recommend you doing the upgrade now. I do not think the Instinct is defectuous and could be repaired. As I already wrote, it seems to be a systematic problem with all Instincts. 

Thank you for your reply!

I've always had the barometer watch mode as Auto. I'll try the Altimeter mode and see if it works better.

The problem is, even after calibrating, the elevation does not correct, it just keeps using the wrong elevation. At least that's what happens when you do the calibration while you're inside an activity. 

Thanks again

Hi 1377166,

You must have 6.04 SW version on your instinct and to be in altimeter mode when you trail run or hike or do an outdoor activity.

Good results so.