Fusion is D.O.A

Havana Shamrock

Well-Known Member
SILVER Sponsor
Sep 9, 2008
5,422
Sarasota Fla.
Boat Info
2019. 250 SDX OB
Engines
300 Verado V8
Well my 4 year old fusion ms700i head unit is toast went to the boat 2 days ago and it wouldn’t power up tested for power and I have power to the unit.
I’m pretty bummed about it as they are not cheap I’d hoped for more than 24 months of use (if you count our seasons as 6 months long)

So anyone else have one die on them and what did you replace it with? As of right now I may go with the new Apollo series as my boat is fully wired for Fusion. Argh.
 
I would drop them a note or call them. If they are doing as well as it seems in our vertical, they should help make things right for you.
 
I read that a guy was 6 months out of warranty with a different head unit and he had to bite the bullet
But hell its worth a shot ...
 
And I have a vested interest, because I am about to pull the trigger on one of their newer units with wifi streaming, rather than bluetooth. My 2001 Clarion is going strong, but my wife and daughters are calling me a cheap @#$&*%@#$ blah, blah, blah becaue they want to stream Amazon Music, so it is time to bite the bullet. Fortunately, I did upgrade my speakers to JL, so the head unit should be all I need, I hope!
 
I too like the features of the new MS RA770 I’m just mad as hell that this thing only lasted this long.
 
Just confirm that you have battery voltage across the black ground and the yellow constant, and again across the ground and red switched? Do the remotes power up, even though they would indicate no communication with the head?
 
I have proper voltage at the red and yellow and past the inline fuse. The remote does not power up I’ve exhausted all of my testing I believe
 
And I have a vested interest, because I am about to pull the trigger on one of their newer units with wifi streaming, rather than bluetooth. My 2001 Clarion is going strong, but my wife and daughters are calling me a cheap @#$&*%@#$ blah, blah, blah becaue they want to stream Amazon Music, so it is time to bite the bullet. Fortunately, I did upgrade my speakers to JL, so the head unit should be all I need, I hope!

I just added the Fusion Bluetooth dongle to my Clarion Aux-in when I got my boat to solve that problem. Now Amazon Music, Spotify, etc all stream from my phone or tablet. With my Raymarine Axiom I even have a Netflix and Spotify app (Axiom is Android OS underneath) that I can use to control the media with (I would like to see them add the Amazon music). That might buy you some time on the head unit - upgrading my head unit is still on the list but much further down.

-Kevin
 
Update: spoke with fusion today and determined my head unit was purchased in Jan 2015.
So almost 4 years old and out of warranty.
However they are going to cover it under warranty and if it’s not repairable they’ll send me a new radio with a 90 day warranty. So kudos to Fusion (Garmin) I guess.
 
My Fusion did the exact same thing. Went to turn it on one afternoon and no power. No prior symptoms. It just died.
Looked through receipts I got for things on the boat from the prior owner and while it was a bit older than yours. It was still only about 4 years old.
We had about a dozen people coming on the boat the next day so I ran to West Marine and picked up a MS-UD 650nthat they had in stock. Had to get a new remote for up at the helm too because the new unit didn’t work with the old remote.
Decided on just putting another Fusion in there because I was pressed for time and just wanted something that would fit in the same spot and would plug and play.
installed the remote the following week when I had more time.
Looking back, while it didn’t die as quickly as yours, the old one should have lasted more than 4 years mounted in a cabinet inside the cabin.
If I had more time I probably would have shopped around a little more.
 
I really like the fusion stuff besides my boat is set up for fusion with a remote in the cockpit etc. don’t know what brand I would go to if I didn’t want fusion again.
I’d buy the new fusion if they didn’t warranty this one .
 
Update: spoke with fusion today and determined my head unit was purchased in Jan 2015.
So almost 4 years old and out of warranty.
However they are going to cover it under warranty and if it’s not repairable they’ll send me a new radio with a 90 day warranty. So kudos to Fusion (Garmin) I guess.

I find most reputable companies stand behind their product when it is clearly their shortfall and discussed in a professional way. Kudos Shamrock!
 
The cool thing about Fusion stereos is you don't really need remotes mounted in the boat. I downloaded the apps and everywhere I had a phone or an iPad I had a remote.
 
I like Fusion stuff. The design is nice, Very intuitive. But I have a few friends that have had the same issue. I guess as long as they fix it. I've always just stuck with Clarion and have never had one issue.
I really like the Rockford stuff too. The integration with these things are getting crazy way advanced. Need to spend a day just to learn how to listen to your music :)
 
MY remote in the cockpit is NMEA 2000 so it shows me water depth and temp which is handy when on the hook.we don’t use the app because then you need to keep your phone close by the remote does away with that.
 
I like having the Fusion remote at the helm, especially when running the boat.
I’ve got the Fusion App on my phone, but rarely use it.
 
Update: spoke with fusion today and determined my head unit was purchased in Jan 2015.
So almost 4 years old and out of warranty.
However they are going to cover it under warranty and if it’s not repairable they’ll send me a new radio with a 90 day warranty. So kudos to Fusion (Garmin) I guess.

You got lucky. I called their tech line when my old one wouldn’t power up and they never brought up that possibility. In all fairness though, I did mention that I wasn’t the original purchaser and didn’t think to ask about it.
 
I like having the Fusion remote at the helm, especially when running the boat.
I’ve got the Fusion App on my phone, but rarely use it.

I like having a separate remote for the stereo at the helm also. Also have a RF wireless.
I use my phone to stream BT so the app thing isn't good for me.
 
Craig, depending on the model, you can stream and use the app as a remote at the same time. I have the RA-70N and it works great. Wasn't very expensive either. I recently added a Garmin plotter at the helm and can use it as a remote for the fusion too. Some of the older fusions have to be on wifi to use the app. I have donated an old router to a dock neighbor and hooked him up so he can use the app, no need for an internet signal just the router connection.
 
I had my Fusion on a 52' CPMY. I was using all 4 zones and I didn't want to run cable through the boat for remotes so the apps worked fine for me. And if the stereo was on and I was down the dock a bit I could adjust and make changes without being on the boat. Just saying the app worked best for my situation.
 

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