any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

Sun 9 Aug 2015 17:20

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - nick62

I have a discrete TomTom XL satnav that is several years old and has never been updated.

As I take this with me to use in hire cars when I go to Europe on business or holdays, I thought it was about time the maps were updated, (as for one, there is the rather unfortunate error on the Milan - Verona motoway, where the exit for Lake Garda DOES NOT actually exist)!

So today, I create an on-line account at TomTom Home, it asks me what device I have (by giving the serial number) and I buy the latest Western Europe map update.

When I try to upload to the device, it kindly tells me the memory is too small and I need to use a bigger SD card............................ but my TomTom DOES NOT have a removable memory card, ...............arrgh!!! How can they be so inept, (or maybe they just want to take your money)?

Based on the on-line forums, I'm not looking forward to the inevitible wait for someone to answer my call to their customer service number tomorrow.

Edited by nick62 on 09/08/2015 at 17:20

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Sun 9 Aug 2015 19:26

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - Manatee

My Garmin (2011 vintage Nuvi 1390) has a 4GB card in it. It came with full Europe maps and I have lifetime updates.

Updating this week at my daughter's, it demanded the insertion of a card of not less than 4GB and not more than 32GB. That's when I checked the card in it and confirmed it is 4GB.

I continued by changing the map selection to Western Europe only.

I then moved on to updating the boss's Garmin 2597LMT, about a year old, also with free updates. It gave the size of the map update as 6.8GB...absolutely no chance of doing that at home on our 1.5mbps line.

The PC applications for both Garmin and TomTom are poor in my experience. TomTom probably the worse of the two.

Edited by Manatee on 09/08/2015 at 19:28

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Sun 9 Aug 2015 22:06

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - focussed

The last time I updated a TomTom because their website told me to do it, the download screwed the thing up entirely-the gps reciever stopped working so it had to go back to TT in the Netherlands under their warranty - it came back with a different set of innards which included an internal battery that never will hold a charge.

Best to throw it away and buy a new one every three or four years I reckon.

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Mon 10 Aug 2015 10:48

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - nick62

Well they answered the telephone in good time this morning (no horrific "musak") and very quickly offered me a refund.

Only alternatiive was northern Europe (without Italy), or southern Europe (without UK / Ireland or Germany), so about as much use as a glass hammer!

Built-in obsolescence!

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Mon 10 Aug 2015 10:58

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - oldroverboy.

Built-in obsolescence!

Naturally!

I have a 2 year old Garmin Nuvi and the cost of updating is daft, so got a huawei y330 £15 carphone warehouse, installed HERE maps for free from google playstore. Can use as handheld satnav as well and shows walking and other transport routes. Cost £0.00

Updates free on wifi... does the job quite well.

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Mon 10 Aug 2015 15:40

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - MrDanno

I like the way alot of the new satnavs come with lifetime map updates for free, shame none of the manufacturers will state what the expected lifetime of the devices are.

I also use Here maps on my phone but, can't use the full Europe version as the phones internal memory is not large enough and android no longer allows you to move some programs to sd card.

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Mon 10 Aug 2015 23:21

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - Big John

I have a Tomtom Go 5000 which has European lifetime maps and traffic but even though it has an internal memory of 8 Gb this has already been filled up by the European maps - I've had to use a 32Gb micro SD - cheap but surely these devices should have adequate memory to start with. For a device that only been out for a year and is still on sale.........

However in use its a great device with amazingly detailed traffic updates - really saved me a lot of time in avoiding really bad traffic between Luxembourg and Zeebrugge . I use every day on my trip to work as it even shows traffic on minor roads.

P.S. Don't drive into France without recent udates as you still may have French speed cameras stored on it - now a very very serious offence

Edited by Big John on 10/08/2015 at 23:23

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Mon 10 Aug 2015 23:42

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - focussed

I have a Tomtom Go 5000 which has European lifetime maps and traffic but even though it has an internal memory of 8 Gb this has already been filled up by the European maps - I've had to use a 32Gb micro SD - cheap but surely these devices should have adequate memory to start with. For a device that only been out for a year and is still on sale.........

However in use its a great device with amazingly detailed traffic updates - really saved me a lot of time in avoiding really bad traffic between Luxembourg and Zeebrugge . I use every day on my trip to work as it even shows traffic on minor roads.

P.S. Don't drive into France without recent udates as you still may have French speed cameras stored on it - now a very very serious offence

I live in France and nobody takes any notice of the stupid "no speed camera warnings on your sat nav" law. The police and gendarmes are not allowed to mess about with your satnav so if asked if you have the warnings just say "no". The customs police - the douanes- are allowed to search it however, so just put the password function into operation, you are not required to tell them the password.

The most discrete warning device for speed radars is the Inforad K3 - about the size of a USB flash drive-works really well-I was using mine today-picked up and warned of every radar.

Edited by focussed on 10/08/2015 at 23:47

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Tue 11 Aug 2015 12:34

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - colinh

Rather like the required/not required situation regarding carrying breathalysers in France

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Tue 11 Aug 2015 15:54

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - Big John

Sounds like it's calmed down a bit.

A few years ago the summer just after the law was introduced I witnessed a "sting" operation at a service station where they "seemed" to be pulling over people with windscreen mounted sat navs for questioning - or thats where they peered into my car as I passed! There was a car transporter parked around the corner from this full of cars complete with roofboxes / bike racks etc, most seemed to be British cars. I was waived through but my sat nav was out of sight on a vent mount.

Didn't hang about to ask questions to find out what it was about..

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Tue 11 Aug 2015 22:19

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - focussed

It's pretty much known that the flics target UK registered cars coming off the boat and on the holiday routes for all the usual things, hiviz jackets, triangle, etc. They don't seem to pester french reg vehicles as they probably know that the locals know the ropes better than the brits.

All my wheels are french registered so I guess I get treated as a local-until they see the steering wheel is on the right-then they can't be bothered to listen to atrocious britfranglais so get waved through the controle.

I got stopped for making too much progress about a year ago by a gendarme who in the end apologised for stopping me as I live in the same village as his granny!

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Wed 12 Aug 2015 22:47

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - slowdown avenue

i have a snooper sat nav cost £100 approx, free updates. but wouldn't recommend it.doesn' do want it says on the tin. you would need to spend about £300 to get agood one, i think.

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Thu 13 Aug 2015 08:14

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - xtrailman

I have TT sat nav on my car.

TT are pretty useless in my experience, it takes nearly 2 hours for me to up date. And with my car the "live" services cost a staggering £55 a year!

Maps are on offer for my version, are were at £35. System uses a 4 gb card which covers most of europe.

I also have a 3 year old Garmin which is already dated, not least with its dire touch screen our smart phone puts it to shame.

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Fri 14 Aug 2015 23:28

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - Big John

The later Tom Tom satnavs include map updates and traffic as part of the purchase price (including my 5000)

The even later ones include map updates, traffic, any world maps and free speed camera updates as part of the purchase price (5100)

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Sat 15 Aug 2015 13:52

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - focussed

5100 - Eh - how much?

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Sat 15 Aug 2015 22:57

any - SatNav update (and how not to Spend a Sunday) - Big John

TomTom 5100 £239 on Amazon plus £50 cash back - at the moment

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