Garmin’s GNS 430/530 Sunset Takes Another Step

The long-expected discontinuation of maintenance support for Garmin’s iconic GNS 430/530 series navigators has taken a big step. The company has posted a service advisory telling customers that “display repairs for the WAAS and Non-WAAS GPS 400, GNC 420, and GNS 430 are no longer available and have been discontinued.”

In a statement sent to AVweb sister publication Flying, Garmin advised “due to multiple component availability limitations, comprehensive repair service for Garmin’s GNS 430/530 series is estimated to become limited in the years ahead. This includes all GPS/Com and GPS-only variants, as well as all WAAS [wide-area augmentation system] models. Initially these limitations are estimated to impact a small percentage of repairs in 2024.”

The GNS 430/530 series, introduced in 1998, has now been out of production for 13 years. But in the meantime, Garmin said, it will continue to provide service as long as it has the components needed in stock. But be forewarned, if Garmin must return a unit as “unrepairable due to the announced unavailability of repair parts,” there will be a $500 processing fee, per unit.