Garmin nuvi 500 Series Instruction manual

nüvi®500/550
quick start manual

2
Important Information
See the Important Safety and Product
Information guide in the product
box for product warnings and other
important information.
WARNING: This product contains a
lithium-ion battery. To prevent damage,
remove the unit from the vehicle when
exiting or store it out of direct sunlight.
Before mounting the nüvi, see the
Important Safety and Product Information
guide for information about laws
pertaining to windshield mounting.
Product Registration
Help us better support you by completing
our online registration today! Connect to our
Web site at http://my.garmin.com. Keep the
original sales receipt, or a photocopy, in a
safe place.
Contact Garmin
Contact Garmin if you have any questions
while using your nüvi. In the USA, go
to www.garmin.com/support, or contact
Garmin USA by phone at [phone] or
[phone].
In the UK, contact Garmin (Europe) Ltd. by
phone at 0808 2380000.
In Europe, go to www.garmin.com
/support and click Contact Support for
in-country support information, or contact
Garmin (Europe) Ltd. by phone at +44 (0)
870.8501241.
More Information
For more information about your nüvi,
touch Tools > Help. You can download the
latest version of the owner’s manual from
www.garmin.com. For information about
accessories, go to http://buy.garmin.com or
contact your Garmin dealer.

3
Getting Started
Serial number
under the battery
Mini-USB
connector under
the weather cap microSD
™
card slot
under the battery
Release key: Slide
up to open the
battery cover.
Battery
contacts
Power button:
Press and hold to turn on/off the nüvi.
Press quickly to adjust the backlight
brightness.
Speaker
GPS antenna
Battery cover

4
Step 1: Install the nüvi Battery
1. Locate the lithium-ion battery that came
in the product box.
2. Slide the release key up to open the
battery cover on the back of the nüvi.
3. Locate the metal contacts on the end of
the lithium-ion battery.
4. Insert the battery so that the metal
contacts on the battery match up with
the metal contacts inside the battery
compartment.
5. Press the battery into place.
6. Slide the battery cover back on until it
clicks into place.
Step 2: Charge Your nüvi
Use the vehicle power cable to charge your
nüvi. To purchase an optional USB cable or
AC adapter cable, go to http://buy.garmin
.com.
Step 3: Mount Your nüvi
1. Pull back the weather cap from the mini-
USB connector located on the back of
your nüvi.
2. Plug the vehicle power cable into the
mini-USB connector.
3. Snap the cradle onto the suction cup
arm.
Lever
Cradle
Suction cup
arm
4. Remove the clear plastic from the suction
cup. Clean and dry your windshield and
the suction cup with a lint-free cloth.

5
5. Place the suction cup on the windshield.
6. Flip the lever back, toward the
windshield.
7. Fit the bottom of your nüvi into the
cradle.
8. Tilt the nüvi back until it snaps into place.
9. Plug the other end of the vehicle power
cable into a power outlet in your vehicle.
Your nüvi should turn on automatically if
it is plugged in and the vehicle is running.
Step 4: Congure the nüvi
To turn on your nüvi, press and hold .
Follow the on-screen instructions.
Step 5: Acquire Satellites
Go outdoors to an open area, out of garages,
and away from tall buildings. Stop your
vehicle, and turn on the nüvi. Acquiring
satellite signals may take a few minutes.
The bars indicate satellite strength.
When the bars are green, the nüvi has
acquired satellites signals. Now you can
select a destination and navigate to it. For
more information about GPS, go to
www.garmin.com/aboutGPS.
Resetting the nüvi
If the nüvi stops functioning, turn the nüvi
off and on again. If this does not help, press
and hold for 10 seconds. The nüvi should
operate normally. You can also remove the
battery, and then reinstall it.

6
Using the Menu Page
➊ ➋ ➌ ➍
➎ ➏
➐ ➑
➊ GPS satellite strength.
➋ Usage mode. Touch to change to
driving, walking, bicycling, or boating
mode.
NOTE: Pages appear differently based on
your usage mode and settings. For more
information, see the owner’s manual.
➌ Battery status.
➍ Current time. Touch to change time
settings.
➎ Touch to nd a destination.
➏ Touch to view the map.
➐ Touch to adjust the volume.
➑ Touch to use the tools such as settings,
Where Am I?, Help, and routes.
Finding Points of Interest
1. Touch Where To? > Points of Interest.
2. Select a category.
3. Select a destination, and touch Go!.
To search by name, touch Where To? >
Points of Interest > Spell Name.
To search in a different area, touch Where
To? > Near.
Using the Go! Page
➊➋
➌➍
➊ Touch to view the route on the map.
➋ Touch to start navigating the route.
➌ Touch to view this location and
surrounding areas on the map.
➍ Touch to save this location to your
Favorites.

7
Using the Map Page
Your route is marked with a magenta line.
As you travel, your nüvi guides you to your
destination with voice prompts, arrows
on the map, and directions at the top of
the map. A checkered ag marks your
destination. If you depart from the original
route, your nüvi recalculates the route and
provides new directions.
➊ ➋
➎➏
➍
➌
➊ Touch to view
the next turn
(navigating on
road).
➊ Touch to view
the compass
(navigating off
road).
➋ Touch the text
bar to view the
turn list.
➌ Touch to zoom
in and out.
➍ Touch the
vehicle icon to
view the Where
Am I? page.
➎ Touch to
view the trip
computer.
➏ Touch to view
the Menu page.

8
Taking a Detour
If the road ahead is closed, you can take a
detour.
NOTE: Detour is not available when
navigating off road.
1. With a route active, touch Menu.
2. Touch Detour.
The nüvi attempts to nd an alternate route
that avoids the current road or the next road
on your turn list, and then returns to your
original route. If the route you are currently
navigating is the only reasonable option, the
nüvi might not calculate a detour.
Adding a Stop to Your Route
1. With a route active, touch Menu > Where
To?.
2. Search for the extra stop (Via Point).
3. Touch Go!.
4. Touch Add as Via Point to add this stop
before your destination.
OR
Touch Set as new Destination to make
this your new nal destination.
Using TracBack®
Touch Where To? > TracBack to view your
recent track. Touch Save to save the track to
your Favorites. Touch Go! to retrace your
recent path of travel.
Securing Your nüvi
1. Touch Tools > Settings > Security >
Garmin Lock.
2. Enter a 4-digit PIN and drive to a security
location.
NOTE: If you forget your PIN and your
security location, you must send your nüvi
to Garmin to get it unlocked. You must
also send a valid product registration or
proof of purchase.
© 2008 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries
Garmin
®
, nüvi
®
, and TracBack
®
are trademarks of
Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries, registered in the USA
and other countries. Garmin Lock
™
is a trademark of
Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. These trademarks may
not be used without the express permission of Garmin.
microSD
™
is a trademark of the SD Card Association.
Other trademarks and trade names are those of their
respective owners.
August 2008 Part Number 190-00937-01 Rev. D Printed in Taiwan