New F500BT Battery Life - Problems/Question?

[jhho]

Hi all,

 

Did an extensive search of the forum and didn't come up with anything so I thought I'd post a new question. It could be specific to my unit, but who knows.

 

Can anyone tell me what kind of battery life they are getting on their F500BT? I just purchased one yesterday, and on a "full" charge (as indicated by the battery indicator), my unit won't last more than 10-15 minutes. I'm guessing my unit got shipped with a bad battery as I'm sure I read somewhere that the unit should last at least 2 hours or so.

 

Pioneer didn't help at all, at first pushing me over to sales and then giving me a blanket response of having to send the unit in for evaluation. Seeing that a new battery costs around $40, it seems like if I can identify this as the issue, then purchasing a new battery would be more cost effective than shipping the unit out for "evaluation/repair".

 

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance.

[freakshow999]

Been having the same problem with mine from day 1...

[jhho]

thanks for chiming in. Sorry to hear you're sharing in the same troubles.

 

My unit seems to be getting worse...as it won't hold a charge for more than 5 minutes now. And previously it gave me a low battery warning (turned that on in the settings), but all day today it just shuts off without notice.

 

Everything else works fine when plugged in though. It's just annoying considering it's brand new.

[cranbers]

If your having that issue after a day of having it, return it! Go buy a magellan or tomtom or one of the other numerous brands that wouldn't be so rediculous. Pioneer os just too big and hire incompetant people, especially when it comes to helping us out.

 

I mean if your unit doesn't last but 10 to 15 minutes, and thats "normal" I don't think I could get the car fast enough to either ship it back or return it to the store.

 

Just my two cents, don't hassle with that kind of an issue in a market as competitive as this. It's just silly.

[quincy24]

I'm having the same issue w/my battery. I bought a replacement but still the same problem. I have no problem when it's plugged in w/a constant source.

[Julius]

That's ridiculous !! I have a 360 garmin and I get close to 4 hours on battery.I've had my unit for 6 months. Return the unit or take the battery to Radio shack and have it tested. If bad,notify Pioneer and have them ship you a new battery or reimbuse you if you decide to buy it. Don't pay for something that's under warranty !!

[airschatz]

Short battery life on my 500bt as well. wished it would last longer.

[quincy24]

Well, I finally took the bite and sent in my 1.5 month old AVIC F500BT to the Pioneer Service Dept. in Long Beach. I spoke w/them and they said to just send it in along w/your proof of purchase (Receipt) and a description of the problem. They said it is an internal problem and will repair it and send it back to me within 3-4 weeks time. Luckily I still have this warranty, otherwise I would have been out of luck on returning it back to Circuit City.

[CamelTowing]

A little less than an hour on ones we've sold. Gotta use the cig adaptor

[dumpystig]

Hey Quincy, what was the result of you sending your 500 back to Pioneer, did you get any joy? And what was Pioneers explanation (if any!) about the problem/fault?

[dumpystig]

Hey Quincy, what was the result of you sending your 500 back to Pioneer, did you get any joy? And what was Pioneers explanation (if any!) about the problem/fault?

[dodoyjj]

I haven't really time how long does my battery last, but I wouldn't be too surprised if it last only an hour or so. Think about this, Garmin 360 battery lasts 4 hours, but its screen is only 3.5". 500BT has 5.8" screen. In fact, I was a bit surprised that it comes with battery. Many GPS manufacturers doesn't even design products with battery when it comes to 5" or 7" screen.

[quincy24]

I got my unit back the 2nd time around. This time the battery life improved quite a bit. It was at 15 min before, now after several tests..it's a consistent 1 hour to 1 hr and 10 min or so. I noticed on the work order that they upgraded the firmware to the 2.0 (even though it's for the other AVIC F series) and they upgraded my Bluetooth to 3.3. All in all, I'm not complaining anymore. I've concluded that the screen is the culprit on draining the battery.

[dodoyjj]

I did a testing on a 1.5 hrs drive. f500bt gave me the low battery warning after 38 minutes of driving. I then plugged in the external power, so I don't know how long exactly it'll last. But more than 15 minutes for sure.

 

There is 2.0 firmware and 3.3BT upgrade for f500bt. I updated the firmware as soon as I received my f500bt. Maybe the firmware does make a big difference on battery life. (There is also 2.0 firmware for f700bt and f900bt. Make sure you get the right one.)