About this replacement
Garmin iQue 3200 / 3600 Series — 3.7V Li-Polymer Replacement Battery (1A2W423C2)
This 3.7V, 2000mAh Li-Polymer cell replaces the original battery in the Garmin iQue 3200, iQue 3600, and iQue 3600a portable GPS navigators. These mid-2000s units see significant battery degradation after years of charge cycles, causing unexpected shutdowns and shortened navigation sessions. This cell matches the OEM voltage, capacity, and physical footprint at 50.95 × 33.95 × 8.85mm.
- iQue 3200, 3600, and 3600a compatibility: All three models share the same battery bay dimensions, connector pinout, and 3.7V power rail, so one cell covers the entire iQue series without modification.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We cycled this cell through charge and discharge on the iQue platform and confirmed the BMS communicates charge state correctly — no false-full readings or premature low-battery flags during active GPS use.
- Cold-start acquisition after fitting: After fitting this cell, power the unit on outdoors and let it acquire a satellite fix before driving. Full power removal triggers a GPS cold start — first fix takes 5–10 minutes versus under a minute for subsequent warm starts. This is normal and only happens once after the swap.
GPS accuracy reduced at low battery on the iQue series
When cell voltage drops toward 3.4V under load, the iQue's receiver can reduce sensitivity to protect remaining charge, which weakens satellite signal acquisition. You may notice position drift or longer fix intervals before a low-battery warning appears on screen. A degraded original cell hits this threshold faster than the voltage indicator suggests because aging cells show higher resting voltage than actual load voltage. Fitting a fresh 2000mAh cell restores the full voltage headroom the receiver needs to maintain consistent accuracy.
iQue shuts off without warning during navigation
The battery indicator on the iQue reads charge state from the cell's resting voltage, not under-load voltage. An aged cell with high internal resistance can show two bars of charge at rest but drop below the shutdown threshold the moment the GPS receiver and backlit display draw peak current simultaneously. The result is a hard power-off with no low-battery warning. After fitting this replacement, recalibrate the indicator by running one full charge-to-shutdown cycle so the device maps the cutoff threshold accurately to the new cell.