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Garmin 935 temperature sensor failure

I've had four 935s all failed through temperature sensor failures after about 3-4 months. Garmin has replaced them all for free and this time I'm getting a Fenix 5S 47mm in hopes that it is more durable. Repeated failures in normal use after short periods of time on a premium product indicate a systemic design and/or development and test problem. The fact that Garmin continues to sell the device after common reports of this failure indicates they have not taken the time to understand it and fix it.

The chat support for this failure pointed me to a notice on the Garmin site that said: Do not press the button under water on the 935. The device is supposed to be waterproof to 50m and there is no statement in the manual that I find that says do not press the buttons under water.

I do not believe that the temperature sensor failure I have experienced is due to leaking buttons. If the buttons are leaking I would expect the watch to evidence other problems including catastrophic failures. I note that some of these are actually reported in another Garmin Forum so evidently the company is marketing a product that does have leaky buttons. I find it appalling that Garmin would sell a high-end multi-sport watch claimed to be waterproof to 50m that has leaky buttons. Waterproof buttons are a feature on $15 Casio watches that last for years.
  • Yes, it does. But my point is that in a premium (by virtue of price and features) athletic watch rated to 10m (approximately 1 atmosphere!) it is a design defect to have buttons that cannot be actuated underwater. Also, this notice was not posted until after people who bought the device had reported failures thereby indicating (proving) that the design and development process was poor in the sense that a requirement was to be waterproof to 10m yet a fundamental function of the device, namely pressing buttons using it normally in swimming, did not meet this requirement.

    Finally, I would point to the 935 manual which instructs the user to actuate the buttons during swimming to use many features! To then post a prohibition on the website to NOT use the buttons in the water is further proof that the watch has a design defect.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 5 years ago
    HopB Page 28 of my manual clearly states not to press any buttons while underwater. I'm not sure why you're saying this was something added to a website after people were reporting problems and that it "proves" there's a design flaw. You are correct that the manual states you can use buttons while in a swimming activity for several functions, but none of the of those are functions that are performed while actually in the act of swimming or underwater. I wear my 935 in the shower and do open water and pool swimming. No problems and no exchanges.

    https://static.garmin.com/pumac/Forerunner935_OM_EN.pdf

    "Repeated failures in normal use after short periods of time on a premium product indicate a systemic design and/or development and test problem.'

    I agree with your quote above had this been the case. But this isn't the case because you did not use your 935's normally. You should feel fortunate that Garmin wasn't aware of you pressing buttons while underwater. If they were, I seriously doubt you would have had 4 replacements for user caused damage.

    BTW, I had a Casio that I had to throw away due to water damage after swimming. I didn't press any of the buttons when it happened either.
  • "NOTICE! Avoid pressing the keys under water." - Does anyone else think that this notice seems super strange for a swimming watch? Anyone else here take splits when they're coming into the wall?


  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 5 years ago
    Does anyone else think that this notice seems super strange for a swimming watch?


    Honestly? No. To press buttons above water while the watch is wet seems very reasonable. To press buttons underwater on a watch and think there's no possibility of compromising the seal and possibly causing damage with increased pressure from water on a device with electronic components; for a lack of a better word, seems foolish to me.
  • Swimovate explains it quite well here I guess, why their watches are not so water proof that you can press the buttons under water:

    "It's not waterproof?
    It is not a dive (SCUBA) watch. The buttons are not meant to be pushed underwater, that would deem it 'water proof' and would tack on few hundred dollars more, and isn't necessary for the task. The watch is sealed and water resistant to 50m."

    https://swimovateusa.com/products/sw...olmate-2-watch
  • OK, Garmin shipped me the sixth unit since May 2017 as a replacement for failured and it arrived about 24 January. Brand new unit, worked beautifully. I did use it in swimming (and running and as a daily watch) but I never pushed the buttons in the water or shower.

    On 9 March I synched the unit with my computer as usual and all went well. About 10 minutes after synching I noticed that the time of day was not advancing. I had seen this before and had restored the watch with a power cycle. I tried that and the watch came up with a blinking triangle and wouldn't go further in boot. I tried a power cycle about a dozen times with the same result.

    I tried a hard reboot probably 30 times (hold down power button, start button, return button; release start button on first beep, release return and power buttons on second beep). The watch gave me the blinking triangle.

    I went to Garmin chat and they issued an RMA. I shipped the unit to Garmin on 11 March and a replacement unit (this time a refurb, unfortunately) has been shipped but has not arrived. During the chat the support person asked how I used the watch and when I mentioned that I swam with it he asked if I swam in a pool and then cautioned me that "pool chemicals are very harsh." It should be obvious that this statement is really absurd for a premium watch marketed for swimming in a pool. And, of course, it's unrelated to a boot failure.

    The unit that will probably arrive next week is the seventh unit I've had since May 2017. I'm not going to swim with it at all. I'll run with it and use it as a daily watch. And now I'm actively looking for an alternative smart watch. I'll probably never buy a Garmin product again.
  • Same situation here

    I'm going to the fifth watch since March / 2017

    Swim every day and in the past I followed the procedures of immersing the watch in warm soapy water. It never worked.

    The pool where I swim is treated with chlorine and salt, I already informed this to Garmin but always comes back the problem with the altimeter / barometer.
  • I bought my 935 March 2017 as well. I sold it to upgrade to a Fenix 5 Plus when that came out in 2018. I swam with it in a pool and outdoors several times a week as well as showering with it for at least a year and never had a single problem. I never had to RMA it a single time and sold it off to someone else still fully functional after that year or so. I'm not discounting that you had issues, just that they are not widespread or prevalent with everyone. Where are you located? Are these APAC devices or different from what we would get in the USA in some other way?
  • the same problem with temperature sensor.... and it's my second forerunner 945. First watch has replaced, because the button was broken from water... How come if I newer pressing the keys under water?! And now this temperature sensor....

    Forerunner 945 failure temperature sensor - it's my during topic....