Garmin Gpsmap 62S Screen Cover Replacement

     So I broke my screencover on My Garmin 62S last fall when I fell while hiking.  It was cracked but still remained waterproof.  I talked to Garmin’s terrible customer service to see if I could just get the screen cover – a small $2 piece of plastic to repair my cracked screen myself.  They told me I would have to send the whole unit in for the flat fee repair/replacement for $120 + tax + I would have to ship my unit back to them.  That would end up around $150 just to repair it.  No thanks.

     Luckily I looked around and found some dude from Russia on eBay selling a kit specifically for the Garmin 62 series to replace the screen cover.  Apparently other people have experienced this issue and the same frustration from Garmin’s customer service.  Go figure.  So I bought one.  Although for what you get it still is a bit expensive – around $30 shipped, you get a waterjet cut piece of Lexan or similar, cut to the exact profile of the 62 screen, some adhesive strips, and a screen protector.  Not too bad. 

     I didn’t really like the idea of using 4 separate strips for the adhesive, as I don’t think it would be as watertight as a one piece adhesive.  I use my GPS frequently around water and wanted maximum protection.  So I ordered for $1(including shipping!) a sheet of 3M 300LSE double sided adhesive for IPhone screens off of eBay from China as well.  It is a good OEM spec adhesive good for adhering to plastics.

     So I replaced the screen in all of about 7 minutes.  I opened the case, removing the 8 torx screws and sliding the electronics out. I used a heat gun to soften the adhesive on the cracked screen cover and took the screen cover and all the remaining bits of adhesive off.  I used the replacement screen cover to tracer and cut the300LSE adhesive sheet to the same outer profile, then placed it in the shell to trace the inside of the screen window and cut out the inside. 
   I put the adhesive on the replacement screen cover and installed it, pressing firmly in place to get maximum contact and adhesion.  Over time, and in the heat, the adhesive will adhere even better.  Then I reinstalled the electronics, reassembled the case, and lastly I cleaned the outer surface of the screen cover with rubbing alcohol and installed the screen protector using soapy water to eliminate the bubbles (this is a good trick for installing any screen protector!).  Done.  New screen and saved myself about $120, over what Garmin wanted, just to fix my cracked screen cover.  The only thing iis, it doesn't have the pretty black bezel with garmin lettering on the bottom, but I am OK with that, it is just as functional as when it was new.
 Really, Garmin and their lame repair policy can suck it... and I would encourage you to find your own replacement parts and fix your own unit, since Garmin would prefer just to replace your entire GPS instead of bothering to sell customers repair parts.