Satnav Woe

[dipstick]

I do hate writing to Lexus GB. Mailed them about a problem with the latest CD Satnav to which I've just upgraded.

Got a very helpful response back listing all the things I could try - none of which are on the CD. They're on the DVD. I had no IDEA there were options to force an "Adjacent Road" or a "Required Road", along with quicker/shorter route options.

Fiddle. Going to have to ditch a perfectly good GS and buy another just to get the dvd version of the damned satnav.

Mind you, I was impressed with the speed of their response and their suggestions, even if it does just confirm the latest CD version has a nasty gotcha on (at least) one specific route.

[AMH]

OK - got to ask - where and what is the glitch - my disk makes silly errors near Southampton airport - can smile at being told to take the airport turning when it means the M3 junction only cos I know the road - would be well peeved if the detour was in an unknown area !

[dipstick]

Glitch is:

Using the main road out of Cambridge leading to the A14 and then home. I've always gone this way.

With the older version of the CD, all was well, directed me along this road. It;s the sensible choice, and the way everyone goes.

With the newer version of the software it wants to to turn off at every single junction along the road and go back the way I've been, and then go through loads of little villages instead of the main A14 to get home.

I've checked. The point at which it wants me to go that weird route rather that the sensible way it used to recommend is precisely one tenth of a mile shorter.

So in the new version it seems that it thinks that a shorter distance is much more important than road classification; it will ALWAYS prefer little tiny roads to major ones, if the route is shorter. The old one didn't do that.

The obvious thing to do is "recalculate entire route" at a point after the routes diverge, but - and here's the glitch - it sticks with the "weird wiggly nobody in their right mind would go that way but it's shorter" route, even if it's now longer becasue you have to go back on yourself to get to it.

Not sure I was very clear there, but I know what I mean!

[AMH]

Thanks for info.

There is a setting to prioritise the type of road preferences - unsure if only between motorways and other roads or down to A road / B road levels - might be worth a look.

Apologies if you've already tried - guess you have reading your mails !

Other work around is to set way-points avoiding the route - ie select point(s) along route you want it to take or enter points to avoid - the previous owner of mine did this I noticed.

Hope it helps in some way.

[dipstick]

Ta; tried the prioritisation. Just had a confirm from Lexus GB; system will now always choose shortest, not quickest, hence problem.

I could put in waypoints but would have to do that every time I think. Don't think if I do that and then choose "previous destination" next time it will remember the waypoints, but I might be wrong. Will play!

Unsurprisingly, Lexus GB agree I should upgrade the car! :)

[AMH]

Interesting - I will play with my system the weekend to try a few ideas.

Assume you are on release 3.7.

[dipstick]

Yep, 3.7.

[UKPulse]

I've got the latest version of the DVD system, and the "shortest route no matter how bad the road" thing is still there! Near Billingshurst it took me off down a farm track - no kidding! This road was one car wide with grass up the middle and not even tarmac'd. Ended up driving thru a farm and a school - one very amused farmhand must have been p*ssing himself to see a shiny silver Lex emerge from this field...

[dipstick]

It's marvellous when it works and toss when it doesn't, eh? Mine actually got lost for the first time this morning. It might have been cos the wheels were spinning all the time in the snow, but it didn't even know which way I was facing, and the map showed me as being in the middle of nowhere.

But at least on the DVD version you have the option to switch between shortest/quickest, unlike the cd version. Allegedly.

[flotsam]

I've got the 2000 CD whichever version that is.

I don't believe it does things via the shortest route as, rather than go cross country, it once took me all the way down to London on the M1 and then all the way back up. It still takes you along tiddly back roads occasionally.

It does say however, that you shouldn't disengage your brain completely when using the navigation, though I suspect most of us now do. When asked directions, these days I just don't know where anything is.

[dipstick]

Ah, well there's the nub. If you have to 2000 version (ie earlier than 3.7) then the algorithm appears different. So for me whilst my route home hasn't changed between versions, the software has, and now I get crap instructions when I used to get good ones.

You're right about the brain though. Sometimes we arrive at places like holiday homes to be greeted with "which way did you come" and they are bamboozled when we say "not the faintest idea".

You worry sometimes that in strange territory it's taking you 50 miles instead of two, but I suppose you know that it WILL get you there in the end.

Unlike the old BMW system that dropped a friend in a field entrance in Wiltshire that was literally miles from where he was supposed to be, smugly announced he had arrived at his destination and switched off. Frantic re-entry of the intended destination failed because it thought he was already there...

[Bobski]

I've got the latest version of the DVD system, and the "shortest route no matter how bad the road" thing is still there! Near Billingshurst it took me off down a farm track - no kidding! This road was one car wide with grass up the middle and not even tarmac'd. Ended up driving thru a farm and a school - one very amused farmhand must have been p*ssing himself to see a shiny silver Lex emerge from this field...

Sounds like it set in that getaway driver mode.

It has happened before :P