Watch Face Repair

I had the same problem, bumped my own elbow on the watch in my sleep and cracked it. Luckily for me, my insurance covered the replacement costs of 121,- euro.

Garmin's repair charges must cover parts and labour, but also ongoing warranty & risk

I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to get Garmin repair done on my 235 besides going directly through Garmin._…‹snip›… They want $110 plus shipping and handling both ways. I can't justify spending almost 1/2 of the original watch cost to fix a crack in a piece of plastic.

Be mindful that the piece of plastic is integral to the water resistance of the device. If Garmin repairs your watch, it has to (explicitly or implicitly) guarantee that the specified water resistance rating is not compromised. If the repairs are done by a party other than Garmin (or one of its authorised repair/service centre), then irrespective of whether a genuine Garmin replacement part is used, the manufacturer's warranty on the device will be void.

Functionally the watch is fine.

Are you happy to wear your watch now in the rain, or in the shower, or while washing your hands under the tap? I wouldn't be, but then I'm fussy.

If I can't get it taken care of, I'll just ride it out with the crack.

I suppose you could put a clear screen protector on it to retard micro movements of the pieces of the watch face and maybe prevent the breach from worsening over time, but especially given the crack touches the rim of the watch face at two points, a screen protector will not prevent moisture and liquid ingress completely. However, if you're actually OK with having a crack in the screen and think it works fine as-is, then perhaps even spending money on a screen protector is unnecessary – it's only risk from rain and dust, and possibly the discomfort of an eye-sore.

Little bit concerning that 2 have gone with very minimal impact.
Depending on the law in your country and how 'understanding' your retailer is you could try the fit for purpose route with your retailer.
Amazon replaced a phone for me that was a month old and developed a chip on the edge of the screen, despite no surrounding damage. It had never been dropped and there were other cases discussed on the Internet.
It is a sports watch, you would expect it to withstand the odd knock.

Are you happy to wear your watch now in the rain, or in the shower, or while washing your hands under the tap? I wouldn't be, but then I'm fussy.

I suppose you could put a clear screen protector on it to retard micro movements of the pieces of the watch face and maybe prevent the breach from worsening over time, but especially given the crack touches the rim of the watch face at two points, a screen protector will not prevent moisture and liquid ingress completely. However, if you're actually OK with having a crack in the screen and think it works fine as-is, then perhaps even spending money on a screen protector is unnecessary – it's only risk from rain and dust, and possibly the discomfort of an eye-sore.

Thanks for your reply.. much appreciated. I thought about the waterproof aspect of it. It's definitely concerning. I guess I'm ok with gambling with the water damage aspect of it at the moment. I don't expose it directly to water, but I know there are exceptions to everything. If at some point I get anxious about it or notice an issue, I'll probably pony up the money to get it fixed.

My understanding based on the conversation I had with the Garmin rep is that the $110 USD is a flat rate for any non-warranty or out of warranty Garmin repair. So if at some point I notice other issues or water problems, I'll most likely just pay the money to get it taken care of. And you're right that it's an eye sore. :( It's kind of a bummer to have a fancy new watch with a crack.

Little bit concerning that 2 have gone with very minimal impact.

I have to assume it was my fault, but I wish I knew exactly when the damage occurred so I could have a better understanding of what I did. It's another reason why I'm having a hard time justifying the repair cost If I might end up in the same boat down the road.

Depending on the law in your country and how 'understanding' your retailer is you could try the fit for purpose route with your retailer.
Amazon replaced a phone for me that was a month old and developed a chip on the edge of the screen, despite no surrounding damage. It had never been dropped and there were other cases discussed on the Internet.
It is a sports watch, you would expect it to withstand the odd knock.

That's a good idea, thanks. I'll reach out to the Clever Training to see if there's anything they can do. They usually have excellent customer service.

In this context, I must say prevention is better than the cure

Little bit concerning that 2 have gone with very minimal impact._…‹snip›… It is a sports watch, you would expect it to withstand the odd knock.

My FR235 has copped a fair few odd knocks, but most of the cosmetic damage on the front is borne by the rim of the watch unit, given its perfectly round shape and that it's ever-so-slightly raised above the watch face.

I daresay direct impact with a solid and unyielding object against the watch face would have been required to cause a crack like the one shown in the photo, and more likely sustained around the house or office, as opposed to while running, cycling, or even in the gym doing weight training. It's not the sort of thing to happen just brushing off a wayward twig while running on a trail, or getting hit by a fast-moving table tennis ball or shuttlecock.

I don't expose it directly to water, but I know there are exceptions to everything.

Fair enough. I sweat to the point of getting soaked and dripping all over the place when I run, and I always wash my watch thoroughly either in the shower or under a tap after a run, so water resistance is high on my list of concerns. When I was shopping for a sports watch, Fitbit was categorically not being considered because none of its wearables were specified as being IPX6 or IPX7, let alone water resistant to 3_atm or 5_atm.

If at some point I get anxious about it or notice an issue, I'll probably pony up the money to get it fixed.

Be mindful that water vapour that gets inside the watch casing may cause corrosion on any exposed metal on the electronic components.

My understanding based on the conversation I had with the Garmin rep is that the $110 USD is a flat rate for any non-warranty or out of warranty Garmin repair. So if at some point I notice other issues or water problems, I'll most likely just pay the money to get it taken care of.

If Garmin finds evidence of liquid ingress, such as metal corrosion, and has to replace (say) the motherboard as well as the cracked screen, I seriously doubt US$110 would cover it. However, I didn't have the conversation with the Garmin rep that you had, so I don't actually know with certainty what the applicable policy is.

And you're right that it's an eye sore. :( It's kind of a bummer to have a fancy new watch with a crack.

That's why I applied a screen protector on the watch face before I got around to scratching or cracking the plastic. :p It's not when I'm out running that I'm worried about, but there are just too many corners on furniture and the piles of IT equipment in my study, too many tap handles and spouts, etc. at home just waiting to make an acquaintance with my watch, I'd rather not risk it.

I wouldn't recommend the BROTECT matte screen protector I'm currently using, though. It's done a good job of fending off scratches and other damage, and it cuts out glare, but it also makes the screen dimmer and harder to read in the shade (or indoors in the absence of direct lighting).

ASmugDill brings up a good point about further damage by moisture and any third party repairs. Now that the lens has been compromised, even the slightest bump can lead to a disaster. Hopefully your retailer is nice enough to replace the unit, but if they don't, I'd have Garmin repair it as soon as possible.

I just noticed that the watch face bezel is made of 4 pieces. The joining part can be seen between the strap connection edge and the side button. there are vertical seams at all the 4 sectors. (1, 5, 7, 11 o'clock position). Initially I thought the bezel cracked, but on further observation I saw in all these 4 places, so could be part manufactured.

scottj2, I think you should get it repaired when able, cracks could do further damage due to moisture.

I have a habit of destroying watch faces, as I tend to bang them into everything...so immediately after purchasing my 235 I bought a Boxwave ClearTouch Glass screen protector.
Its a little pricey but at least in my case provides security from myself :rolleyes:

http://www.boxwave.com/garmin-forerunner-235-screen-protectors/garmin-forerunner-235-cleartouch-glass-for-forerunner-235/bwpdd/wzg-ftvkk/