TomTom Go 600 Review & Battery Replacement

TomTom Go 600 UK & ROI

Review Date: 4th September 2013

Battery Replacement Walkthrough: 6th December 2025 (Scroll to the end)

Cost: £210

The 400 & the 500 are cheaper, if you get the Europe version that by contrast is more expensive.

Background

Ok confession time, I am useless at directions and I always get lost. I must be the only bloke to walk this planet who winds the window down to ask people for directions. The wife on the other hand is like my own personal talking map, she never gets lost and is like a homing pigeon. Am I jealous? Yep, big time. Within a few weeks of being with my girlfriend, now my wife, bought me a satnav. She bought me a TomTom 920T because “you need it, bad”. She was right and I will never be without one again. My faithful old TomTom has taken me to places I have never heard of when I needed to,  I have never been directed down a reservoir or train track as people often complain about. My old satnav wouldn’t hold a charge for the battery any more, it sometimes switched itself off and sometimes it needed a hardware reset as the voice stopped working. As it’s over a good few years old now it was time for an update. That update was the TomTom Go 600. I got it within a few days of being launched and there were no reviews at the time. This was a fairly expensive hunch, the adverts were impressive, people were talking about it and the 600 was bigger than my other one. But is it any good? I will try to steer away from the resolution this, or resolution that. I will try to come at this from a man’s point of view who loves his gadgets.

What’s In The Box:

There is not a lot in there when you open the box up. Yes there is this big screen that just tries to out stare you back. I was shocked at just how big this actually is in comparison to the old one. The six-inch screen looked like a TV monitor in comparison.  There was a usb lead, 12v car socket adaptor, a suction holder and a flimsy quick guide paper, that’s about it. What does give me the hump is that there is no manual any more in these things. Yes it saves trees and I can download it via PDF or html. That’s not the point, I want to read what all the little symbols mean. The one thing I think they should put in is a screen protector like the smart phones have but they don’t, they sell them of course though. The protector would stop scratches and glare, take note TomTom! The unit itself is quite heavy and has been rounded off on all the edges and looks quite simple but designed well. A single button at the top on the right is all you see, holding down for a second or two stirs the unit into life with the familiar drums sound. The unit is in full screen mode at thirty-one seconds. Nice. To turn the unit off you press the off button and you are prompted for sleep or turn off options on the screen. You can put the unit to sleep instantly by a quick press of the on/off button to save battery if not plugged in.

The car suction mount is the full ball and cup design and can be mounted for most angles, such as on the glass or mounted on a suitable dash surface. The business end has two prongs that are beside the connections for the unit that act as a guide to hold the unit on the bracket. The usb cable plugs into the holder at the back out-of-the-way and not the unit itself. Mounting the unit is a simple locate at the bottom first and it will snap backwards and is held tight via the metal grill on the back for the speaker to a magnet on the bracket. The magnet is quite strong and you are able to adjust the angle without pulling it from the mount. To remove the unit hold at the top and roll it forward. The suction end is a redesign, the circular mount doesn’t really show the latex cup apart from the two ears at the sides. Mounting the bracket is simplicity itself,  push to the screen and twist the collar at the base ninety degrees and its on, solid. To remove, just untwist and a quick pull of the ear to break the vacuum and its off. All very neat and a vast improvement on the old design that fell off in hot weather. Standard cable length for the lead will fit all the cars I can think of. The advantage is the lead will also double up as the data cable for updating on the PC. Incidentally the connection for this TomTom is exactly the same as my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 connection. I can use one cable for both items. Sorted.

Usage:

I would like to say that I will not be doing a walk through for all the functions, they can be read from the manual which I have downloaded the PDF for you and the link is at the bottom. I will be talking about the main points with a few screen shots. The screen shots were taken during a bright sunny day so a little bit of glare but you can still make it out.

I use my satnav all the time so I like to think I know my way round the screens. The old unit had to go through three screens to clear the route, the new unit one screen from the route menu. That’s an improvement already.

The screen is 800×480 (I know I said I wouldn’t, but don’t worry it’s the only reference), pixels and is very clear and sharp. You can still see the screen on the brightest of days. The screen update and scrolling is smooth and the car is pretty much where you expect it to be and not a number of car lengths behind where you actually are. The screen has the interactive functions for double tap, two finger pinch to zoom etc and feels so much more like a smart phone and natural to go through. The screen responds well to touch or tapping. You can zoom right in on a map with a few double taps on the place just in front of you if you want. Handy for checking out the unfamiliar location.

Lets get the functions out-of-the-way, my 920T had about eight screen to customise the maps colour, the car pointer, voices, quick dial, emergency numbers, in case of emergency SOS, safe road driving tips etc. All marvellous and customisable, but let me ask the questions, how many times do you change the map colours? How many times do you read the safe driving hints and  tips? How many times do you change the voices? I had different voices etc, After a while it gets very annoying to hear “Luke this is your father, take the next left and you have reached the death star, you used the force well to get to your destination, you will make a great Jedi Knight”. Yeah funny first time or second time, not funny when you take a wrong turn and “the force” is not with you. I turned all that off and I just wanted my directions clear and in a timely fashion. Click on any of the pictures to see the larger and clearer images.

Here are the keyboards for the search functions

To start navigator, press the bottom left icon and there you have the main menu that will slide sideways to show settings. The main screen has search, current route, my places, parking, petrol, the other screen has traffic and speed cameras, settings for the units or date or battery settings and about icons. Pressing the search beings up the keyboard, qwerty or abc depending on settings, type the full postcode, or road name and you are given options to choose from. You are also offered the option for on map, near me, in town or city, along route or near destination. Great little function that could get even better with more and more firmware updates. Calculating the route takes only a few seconds and you are on your way. There are many options to choose what you want the voice to say, early instructions, road names and or numbers etc.

My old unit had a big long aerial that plugged into the bottom and also had to be stuck to the screen, very untidy and was only updated via the road RDS signal anyway, it never worked that well. My old unit also had connectivity for Bluetooth, Apple and their big brother mentality wouldn’t connect to it, which was one of the reasons I changed to Android. Now you Bluetooth your phone and use the phones data plan to get real-time updates. The traffic works flawlessly and accurate. Coming home a while ago there was a big hold up on the M11, the unit piped up with a quicker route if I wanted. I accepted and it took me all over the place for about ten or fifteen minutes. Eventually it brought me back onto the slip road almost at the front of the queue. Total waiting time, couple of minutes. Incredible result and I always let it take me around the hold up if its longer than five minutes. There is always the plus or minus arrows for old school zooming, and just above that is the 2D/3D toggle. I would liked to have seen a battery icon but if you’re in a car what’s the point. It’s only if walking you would need that. To be fair I would use my Google Maps on my phone if I was walking not the satnav.

There are options to add to the route or avoid when selecting your route, you have the options for fastest,  shortest,  most eco-friendly, avoid motorways, walking or cycle. Ferries , tool roads etc are also options to configure with a simple slide over button. The time is automatically set for you but you can have twenty-four hour or am/pm if you want. The unit will auto dim down when it gets dark if you want it to. The volume is also easier to find as well.

Maps:

I have seen so many people verbally giving these new maps a pasting, I’m not sure why. There are reports saying the colours aren’t very good, but why do I want to see pretty coloured roads when I am not on them? The roads you travel on are in colour, the rest are dark grey, you can see the roads on the roundabouts fine but only the one you want is highlighted. Click on any of the pictures to see the larger and clearer images.

The auto zoom function for the turns is there and can be turned of if you want. The new maps took a little while to get used to for all of about ten minutes! Now my old one looks like somebody has flicked a paintbrush all over it.

There is still the great lane change guides here as well when you need them. The map even has an option for early announcements of directions if you want.

The maps on this model are free for life. Life only means while TomTom support the device, yearly maps is around the £75 mark and if the support is only three years for the unit, then you have got your money’s worth out of it. To update your new device you have to drop the TomTom home program and use MyTomTom which is web-based. My account picked up the new unit within seconds and applied an update to it before I had a chance to hit the road with it. There is plenty of internal storage space left, just over 6.2GB with the UK map already on there. You can add other maps from the store, or purchase the memory cards to slide into the bottom of the unit, just to the other side of the cradle connections. Swapping maps is dead easy, one level down from the main menu and select your map.

Speed Cameras:

The unit comes with three months free which I think is a bit stingy to be honest, six months would have been fairer. Again this is subscription at around £20 a year. Still cheaper than a ticket and your insurance going up. The speed camera mapping still has some old cameras in place and is not the most accurate of systems still as it sort of relies on user feedback and TomTom validation it’s still good. I had a similar speed camera app on my phone which was supposed to be brilliant, I ran them together and the app didn’t pick up a couple that TomTom did, I had a false alarm where the app didn’t. The speed cameras mentions mobile speed cameras so it must be updated regularly to cater for that. I have yet to see that working! Click on any of the pictures to see the larger and clearer images.

POI’s:

The points of interest are not present here on these maps as a download for your interest what ever that may be, such as supermarkets or low bridges or wild life parks etc.

There is however a brilliant function for petrol stations and parking. From the map just click on petrol or parking icons and they show on your map, tap one and you are guided to the location. It worked great for me while looking for a car park in a strange town. Try and beat that?

3D Maps:

When arriving at certain destinations the map will change to 3D buildings etc. This is not for every town, just the bigger cities. I expect this could be expanded on, I don’t know for sure. The 3D buildings are not perfect but pretty damn good, and when driving in London, you can look for turning just past that big building etc. I liked it as a function and just adds that little extra to your navigation without distraction.

Symbols:

The symbols make sense when you understand what they mean. It took me a little while to find out so I have posted the main ones here for you.

I have tried to show them in action but the reflection from the unit makes it difficult to see but you can just about make them out but here are the official explanations. Click on any of the pictures to see the larger and clearer images.

The Traffic Notification:

The best part of this unit is the fact it gets on-line real-time updates via my phone and tells me what is going on with the roads I intend to be on or near me. Going across the QE2 bridge it showed delays which was incredibly accurate. Crawling through the traffic you can see the hold up stops exactly where the toll gate is. I was impressed again.

Click on any of the pictures to see the larger and clearer images.

Here I was stopped at a toll booth to pay the fee, the TomTom has me exactly at the front of the hold up and shows a clear road in front which it is.

Accessories:

There is limited amount of accessories for the unit at the moment, but that is being added to all the time as well as are the prices getting cheaper. I bought a case for mine which was £10 when I was expecting something in the box, but no. Come on TomTom who doesn’t have a case for an expensive piece of kit?

Rating: 8 out 10

The rating was difficult. The maps are better and more fluid to use. The search options are much better. The lack of a simple hands free to answer a call has pulled the score down. All the extra functions I had on my old 920T I didn’t use, so the lack of them here seems like it’s missing to start with but the bits you need are all there and improved. So you want a pretty car on the map? Big deal, are you watching he road or the little car on the map?

Personally I want a navigation unit that does the job well, and this unit does exactly that. Functionality and accuracy are my priorities, not what colour shall I make the little pointer on the map.

Conclusion:

Would I buy it again? Definitely. I have also seen an article from TomTom themselves saying that customization is coming. That will be a firmware update I expect. Then those people out there who moan about not having a car symbol can get one when that update is released.

I really like this unit and if a little more customization comes in for it I might up it to 9 out 10.

I believe TomTom have focused on getting the basics right to get you where you want to go without any aggravation.

The fact that there is no hands free is a little bit annoying, but I have ordered a blue tooth earpiece for my phone that cost cost me a pittance of £3 from Hong Kong including postage. I know it wont be brilliant but as long as it does the job I will be happy. Besides hands free is struggle to hear the call on a noisy road, if its in my ear I will be able to hear properly.

In short, if you want lots of customization then doesn’t have that, Yet! But if you want to search somewhere and get there with minimum fuss, then this s for you. The lifetime maps alone would make it worth while.

Click the Icon for the Full User Manual for the TomTom Go 600

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Battery Replacement Walkthrough Guide

Completed 6th December 2025

On this device the battery lasts about one hour when not plugged in. Over time the battery no longer holds a charge of any sort, often to the point that the plugin from the cigarette lighter can’t power the unit and shut off on me a couple of times. Even after being on an overnight charge, the device hardly has enough power to show the empty battery symbol and just dies, not even a proper shut down.

After a quick bit of research I found video on YouTube as a tutorial on how to change the battery, it was worth a go. The battery arrived the next day along with tools needed to take these sort of devices apart. I also needed a pen knife, a blunt one which is sometimes used to open packages etc.

Disclaimer: If you attempt this it’s of your own choice and I won’t be held responsible for any damage or loss.

My experience of the practical wasn’t so easy as the video suggested, so I thought I would document what I did to fix it. I don’t know if the models are designed differently after a while, but my internals were different to the YouTube video even though it was the same model.

The first step was to separate the two halves of the device, this is where the plastic tools came in, well to start with anyway.

The two parts we so well together I had to get the penknife to get between the two halves and lever them apart. As I worked my way round I used triangular picks in various place to stop the device snapping back together again. There are no screws that hold the two halves together. As the device separated I heard a couple of little snaps where the plastic catches has snapped below right. I was not brutal in fact rather careful, perhaps the plastic is getting brittle with age. The face has a little piece of tape which holds the screen ribbon in place just before the connector itself to the main motherboard.

With the screen out of the way the plastic flat ribbon needs to be eased out of the connector by moving the white clamp towards the ribbon which will release the pressure on the clamp and allow the cable to be pulled out.

The two halves are now fully separated, put the screen to one side out of harms way. The below image shows one of the additional sprung connections below the tip of the screw driver. These are delicate and transfer the touch inputs of the screen to the main board. Hence the flat metal plate that is on the back of the screen.

Next we need to disconnect the speaker and the battery connections, using the plastic tools separate the two plugs.

Get yourself a nice set of screw drivers to remove the five flat cross head screws holding the circuit board to the back case.

With the screws removed lift the top of the board, the opposite to the connections at the bottom. With the board elevated you can then slide the bottom half of the board out of the case. With the board also put out of harms way the battery is exposed at the bottom. The battery will need to be prized away from the case as it’s stuck in place with double sided tape. As with all Li-ion batteries be very very careful.

The old battery and the new one side by side. The new battery on the left has a slightly higher capacity which should retain a little longer life. the original battery is on the right.

In the box supplied with my battery was fresh double sided tape, which needs to stuck on the back to hold the battery in place. The new battery is slightly smaller but still sits neatly in the area. Make sure that the wires are near the speaker and not the opposite end or they wont be long enough to connect.

Take the circuit board and align the bottom of the board to openings. Gently lay the fish the two sets of wires through the hole in the circuit board and then lower the board down into place. Align the screw holes and lightly screw into place. This will allow you to pick the device up and make sure the connections are fully located correctly. Once you are happy with the alignment fully tighten the five screws, do not over tighten. Next re-insert the battery and the speaker cables to the back of the board.

Hold the screen near the main circuit board that will allow the flat cable to fall above the ribbon connection. I couldn’t take pictures at this point as I needed both hands. While holding the screen still gently guide the flat ribbon into the opening evenly. Do not force the ribbon or it will kink, the ribbon should just slot into place. Once the ribbon is fully inserted in place, slide the white clamp away from the ribbon to clamp the ribbon in place. Both the screen and the ribbon should now be connected. Very lightly pull the screen to make sure the ribbon does not pull out.

Lay the screen onto the case to align the two halves again. Make sure that the sprung connectors are not damaged be fully lowering the screen down. Starting at the bottom snap into place and work up the sides to the top. As you snap the case together make sure the connections at the bottom are stay correctly aligned. The broken clips were at opposite ends of the device so it didn’t prevent re-assembly of the unit.

Now turn the device on.

Now check that the screen is still touch responsive once the unit has fully started.

Once everything was working I was able to give everything a clean and full charge. The difficult part was separating the two halves without damage. The YouTube video showed it almost falling apart which wasn’t the case. The plastic tools weren’t quite man enough to separate the halves, hence the use of the pen knife for a little more robust leverage. Once apart it was pretty simple to remove the board, replace the battery and re-assemble.

Total time taken: 40 mins

Difficulty Level: 4 out 10

Conclusion: the only real difficulty was taking apart without damage and aligning the motherboard ports to the bottom of the case.