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Just got a "recertified" fenix 6 pro from Garmin. What should I check for?

Bylo Selhi
over 2 years ago

See Fenix 6 Pro stuck in middle of an update for background.

I just got the  "recertified" fenix 6 pro from Garmin. From what I can see it's as good as new on the exterior. No signs of prior use. scratches, scuffs, etc. Garmin even included a new band.

I've successfully updated it to v24.00 firmware and done most of the customizations that I'd done on the original. Everything seems to work well. The GPS is at level 5.5 like the previous one.

1. One thing I can't compare yet is the battery. This is critical for me since Li-Ion batteries have a limited lifetime. I wouldn't want to get a watch with a two year old battery that's been recharged 100 or more times. Does anyone know what Garmin means by "recertified?" In particular does that include replacing the battery with a new one?

2. Is there any way to check battery condition or wear? On smartphones one can get apps like AccuBattery that track this. I didn't see anything similar in the CIQ store.

3. Is there anything else I should check to ensure that "recertified" is as good as new?

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Data
    Data said:
    Check what the warranty is on the unit you received

    How do I do that?

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Bylo Selhi

    Until a few years ago you would receive this printed on the documentation supplied with the replacement. Nowadays you have to call Garmin Support and ask them, and probably a good idea to also ask for proof (in e-mail). It is not a common question for them, make sure that the answer you get is applicable to your situation. For example, my Fenix 2SE broke and I had to wait so long for the replacement that the warranty on the original broken one expired in the mean time, but the replacement had 3 months warranty.

    The general rule for US customers is here: https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=YwZb6iyvff8q3W6oSQZt0A

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Data

    I was referring to your comment, "I'm now using a recertified 6X Pro Solar which had a first power on date of 1 year before I received it." How did you determine that?

    Is there a Garmin page where you can type the device serial number and get an indication of when the device was first used and when the warranty expires?

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Bylo Selhi
    Bylo Selhi said:
    "I'm now using a recertified 6X Pro Solar which had a first power on date of 1 year before I received it." How did you determine that?

    In \Garmin\EVNTLOGS, open one of the 2 .TXT files, scroll to EVL_ARCH_LOGS, the first entry is (usually) the entry with the lowest "cycle_cnt:", the date/time is above that. Somtimes there is nothing below EVL_ARCH_LOGS, in that case you're out of luck, but somehow the entries can re-appear the next time you have a look (perhaps not all software versions supported that). 

    There is no webpage where you can enter the serial number and check anything. Only when a previous owner did not delete the device from their account, the date that they first used it, will still be visible in your account under Devices. EDIT: Not sure if that's still a thing; I had a link saved to 'my.garmin.com' but that now does not work.

  • 0 over 2 years ago

    I can only speak for myself but in my experience a Garmin refurbished watch includes a brand new battery. My current watch is a refurbished 6X I received last year as a replacement for a watch that developed battery problems. While I haven't done any formal testing of the battery based on my experience with using it there is no way it's a used battery.

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Data
    Data said:
    In \Garmin\EVNTLOGS, open one of the 2 .TXT files, scroll to EVL_ARCH_LOGS, the first entry is (usually) the entry with the lowest "cycle_cnt:", the date/time is above that.

    In mine the first entry says, "timeDay: 2022/ 8/17 9:27:07 cycle_cnt: 26"

    The next entry says, "timeDay: 2022/ 8/17 10:40:47 cycle_cnt: 39"

    Seems strange that the battery went through a dozen cycles in barely an hour.

    Also the lowest cycle_cnt I found says, "timeDay: 2021/11/ 7 17:55:23 cycle_cnt: 15"

    So was my watch first put into service on 2021/11/ 7  or 2022/ 8/17? I'm speculating that maybe the first date is when the watch was first used and the second date is when the watch was refurbished. Or maybe the first is date of manufacture and the second is date of sale to customer.

    In any case, the cycle_cnt suggests Garmin didn't replace the battery when they "recertified" the watch. 

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Bylo Selhi
    Bylo Selhi said:
    n any case, the cycle_cnt suggests Garmin didn't replace the battery when they "recertified" the watch. 

    Oops sorry I was not clear enough about this: cycle_cnt is the number of starts of the system, which is higher than the number of charging cycles. Every power off/on, every update installation, every time on USB and every reboot.

    Replacing the battery does not reset the cycle_cnt (in my experience with Fenix 5).

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Bylo Selhi
    Bylo Selhi said:
    maybe the first is date of manufacture and the second is date of sale to customer.

    I think that is correct.

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to eezytiger

    Hey, how can I roll back my firmware? The 24.00 update has killed my watch and its now unusable 

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Ryan

    You need to download a copy of alpha or beta firmware files for your model of watch, unzip the file and copy the file from the backdate folder to the GARMIN folder on your watch using a PC/Mac. Reboot the watch and it will roll back to the previous live firmware version before that alpha/beta was released. This procedure will factory reset your watch, so sync first and be prepared to set up from scratch.

    But, if your watch is already complete toast then maybe you will not be able to copy the file. In that case you'll need to contact Garmin Support.

    Try here for the backdate firmware and instructions....

    https://forums.garmin.com/beta-program/fenix-6-series/f/announcement/295018/alpha-version-21-71

    Or pick any other firmware to roll back to a different point in time. But note, support for CIQ System 5 was introduced in firmware 21.00. If you roll back before then you may find that CIQ apps etc will no longer run (e.g. Stryd Zones can't be downloaded now to 19.20, but it will download onto 21.00. Of course you'll lose some of the latest features, but hopefully you'll be back up and running.