Fenix 5X+ Charging pin totally corroded

Hi all,

I am an owner of fenix 5x+ DLC titanium which I bought at December 2018. From the first months the charging pin has already start to corrode, but I didn't send it to the service center because I'm already attached and really need the watch for daily activity. Today the pins (yes all of them) already too corroded to the point it cannot be charge. I already contacted garmin support about this and I was advised to send the unit to service center. I'm in Indonesia by the way. But since the 2 years warranty has already past, the estimated cost of the service will be around USD 180 - 200, which I think is ridiculous. For a rugged and supposed to be tough watch like this to have a silly corrosion problem is already disappointing, but the service cost that someone have to pay for fixing it is ridiculous. And I know this happened to so many owners. So if any of you guys have a work around or tweak for this similar problem I would really happy to hear, because spending USD 200 for the charging pin is not an option for me. Thanks before.

Regards,

Irsan Tenggara

0 ronand over 2 years ago

Have you tried cleaning the contacts? Use isopropyl alcohol or similar and a toothbrush to remove the corrosion. In future clean the watch after use or get a cover for the charging port (around 50 cents on aliexpress)

0 8932572 over 2 years ago in reply to ronand

Yes I always use alcohol to clean the corrosion, but it seems only delaying the corrosion. And also I started to use the cover as soon as I spotted the corrosion begin to built up. But some owner also report that the use of the cover is actually worsen the corrosion, I dont know.

0 philipshambrook over 2 years ago in reply to 8932572

The 'fix' is to always ensure the watch is rinsed of sweat after every bout of exercise, and rinsed and thoroughly dried before connecting the cable. I've got watches that have been used for many hours of exercise and are two or three years old. None of them show any signs of corrosion or other degradation to any of the pins.

0 9560024 over 2 years ago

Cheapest solution would be to look for a back-cover on aliexpress or ebay and replace it yourself or at an phone / tablet repair center. I had a similar problem on my Garmin 5 Plus, bought an used backcase from aliexpress for some 20 usd and replaced it myself after checking a how-to youtube video. I am not technical oriented but somehow I managed to do it without damaging the watch.

In a quick check for 5X Plus I found for example this one (I am not affiliated with them and have no ideea how serious they are)

www.ebay.com/.../353357944925

0 8932572 over 2 years ago in reply to 9560024

Thanks, I will try to get back cover parts from Aliexpress. I will be back to report the result here. Thanks again, very helpful.

0 8932572 over 2 years ago in reply to 9560024

One quick question, could you confirm that the back cover for 5X is the same as for 5X+?

0 8932572 over 2 years ago in reply to 8932572

Nevermind my question, its different. Thanks again.

0 9560024 over 2 years ago in reply to 8932572

I think they are different (internals are for sure different) so I would not risk it. My advice is to search on Aliexpress for "back-cover Garmin Fenix 5x plus". I tried and got some results in 25... 40 USD price range :)

0 Finnatical over 1 year ago in reply to 8932572

So what happened? Were you able to replace the back cover and fix the problem?

I'm having the same issue and I also think it’s ridiculous that Garmin suggests sending it in for additional cost.