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Is my Varia RTL500 finally dead?

Curtis2.0 over 1 year ago

It worked last Sunday, plugged it in when I got home. Yesterday, it was dead.

No red lights when pressing/holding power button, no green LED when plugging in to charge.

No LED lighting up at all, on multiple different cables, of wall power or USB ports. Any ideas?

Top Replies

philipjustluc over 1 year ago +1 verified

Have you tried a long press on the power button?

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+1 philipjustluc over 1 year ago

Have you tried a long press on the power button?

0 Curtis2.0 over 1 year ago in reply to philipjustluc

Lol. I did. Nothing. Then I did again today and it seems to be alive again. After I bought the RCT715 for replacement.

Don't tell my wife.

0 philipjustluc over 1 year ago in reply to Curtis2.0

Since you have the 2 models, the 715 is more sensitive in terms of detection than the 500?

0 Curtis2.0 over 1 year ago in reply to philipjustluc

I did a brief ride with both yesterday, and couldn't tell any difference in sensitivity. There was some weird behaviour, but probably due to 2 head units and 2 radars on the same bike.

0 philipjustluc over 1 year ago in reply to Curtis2.0

I was considering replacing my 500 with a 515 but.... Please give me feedback on your experience with your two devices.

0 Curtis2.0 over 1 year ago in reply to philipjustluc

After a group ride today, I found the 715 more sensitive to other cyclists behind me. Many more false alarms.

The enhancements from the 500 to 515 are Bluetooth, which only matters if you want to use the phone app instead of a head unit, peloton light mode (shrug) and auto-power on with head unit, which is nice, but is it really worth upgrading? Battery life might be better on a brand new unit also, but it is heavier and larger.

Having used the 500 for years and the RCT715 for three rides now, I would only upgrade if I wanted the camera (which I did). The 500 works very well, and the newer features on the 515 aren't really useful for me.

DC Rainmaker has a nice summary here: www.dcrainmaker.com/.../garmin-rtl515-rvr315-cycling-radar-review.html

0 philipjustluc over 1 year ago in reply to Curtis2.0

Thank you for your feedback, so only the intensity of the lamp which is significantly stronger on the 515 could be the reason for replacing my 500 which still works perfectly.

0 Curtis2.0 over 1 year ago in reply to philipjustluc

Yeah, if I didn't want the camera, I wouldn't upgrade.