New Is Sat Nav

[3 Putt]

The Sat Nav on my 250 Sport is stunning...apart from the fact it does not recognise my home address. The house was built in September 1999! In fact, the sat nav tells me I have arrived at my destination when I am about half a mile away. My house is not out 'in the sticks' but part of a modern estate.

Should I be going back to the dealership for some sort of update?

[scott]

The Sat Nav on my 250 Sport is stunning...apart from the fact it does not recognise my home address. The house was built in September 1999! In fact, the sat nav tells me I have arrived at my destination when I am about half a mile away. My house is not out 'in the sticks' but part of a modern estate.

Should I be going back to the dealership for some sort of update?

I'd say Yes! My house was built Nov 2000 and is definitely on the Sat Nav. Are there any later developments on the map ?

I would expect the map to be no older than 18 months, it's possible that your address may have been missed during the compilation - is it a private road ?

[3 Putt]

The Sat Nav on my 250 Sport is stunning...apart from the fact it does not recognise my home address. The house was built in September 1999! In fact, the sat nav tells me I have arrived at my destination when I am about half a mile away. My house is not out 'in the sticks' but part of a modern estate.

Should I be going back to the dealership for some sort of update?

I'd say Yes! My house was built Nov 2000 and is definitely on the Sat Nav. Are there any later developments on the map ?

I would expect the map to be no older than 18 months, it's possible that your address may have been missed during the compilation - is it a private road ?

I'm on a large David Wilson development...but the last 34 houses on our road (built 1999/2000) do not exist according to the sat nav. Throws the system right out on outgoing journeys!

[its_a_doozy]

M60 Roadworks near my house cause the SatNav to go bonkers. Because they are building a wider motorway and new bridges, whenever I go under the new bridge or over it, the SatNav thinks I am on one road, then the next, and sometimes I'm doing a magic floating trick....

Does anybody know how and if the map gets updated?

[The Editor]

ALL Sat nav mapping software has errors in it and nearly all mapping data is anywhere up to three years out of date (sometimes longer)

It all depends where the data is sourced from and how often it is updated. Once the software house has the mapping data it then has to be converted into something the system can understand and again that takes time.

If you bought a brand new DVD Sat Nav Rom that was released today. It WOULD have errors on it and it WOULD be out of date !!

That's life I'm afraid. Having said that, a GPS based system will get you to where you want to go (it may not always chose the roads you would) and the Sat Nav on the Lexus is one of the best around.

Having said the above there will always be someone that jumps up and says "But my Sat Nav has a road on it that was only built 4 hours ago etc, etc" but at the end of the day it all depends at what point in time the 'snapshot' mapping data was taken.

Regards

The Ed

[saracen]

The Sat Nav manual does say that the Nav is no substitue for local knowledge. I think this is a standard get out clause.

[its_a_doozy]

Thanks Editor for that. So we still need to go out and buy an AA or RAC road atlas then

[The Editor]

Thanks Editor for that. So we still need to go out and buy an AA or RAC road atlas then

Well I haven't picked up a road atlas for around 4 years and relied totally on sat Nav (both portable and built in). I've driven over here, France and The Netherlands relying totally on GPS and it has ALWAYS got me to where I wanted to go. So I wouldn't panic too much but it probably never hurts to have a map in the glove box .

One thing I will say though - Navigating using the Sat Nav is sooooooo less stressful than having the other half trying to read a map and shouting directions like a rally drivers mate :P :P :P

The Ed

[its_a_doozy]

Either way, it's still a womans voice shouting at you. I seem to always have my Lexus SatNav woman (named Sexy Lexi) telling me to do a U-turn at the next opportunity, and if it's legal.

So human or robotic, the map reader stilll gives me grief

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

Either way, it's still a womans voice shouting at you. I seem to always have my Lexus SatNav woman (named Sexy Lexi) telling me to do a U-turn at the next opportunity, and if it's legal.

So human or robotic, the map reader stilll gives me grief

That's the funniest post I've read today

We've named our's "Alexi"

BTW - I believe either Navisys or Navtech make the maps, which most companies incl' Tom Tom etc buy the digital data from.

They only guarantee 95% accuracy of roads in the UK/within 10 meters, but pylons, tall buildings etc will sometimes affect the signal and I think you can actually contact Navtech to let them know "local" info.

However, if part of your estate is on the map, then it's not likely to change. I believe they get road information updates from the highways agency, planning dept's etc, and if they get it they get it...so you could try contacting them and hope...and wait...and watch this space...

The maps are never cheap. Things like major motorways are on their quickly, housing estates a lot less frequent.

Also, most systems will recognise upto 12 channels (i.e 12 Sat's orbiting europe and this part of the world).

Having used Nav systems for ages now, I would always recommend that you don't use it in area's you know. They drive you mad....but...The Lex one is fantastic, telling you junctions distances, if you have POI's on where the petrol stations are, so I tend to use mine all of the time :winky: