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Really Annoying Sat-nav Problems


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Guys,

I have lost all faith in my Sat-Nav System. About to take it to the dealer in Swindon. I was wondering if anyone else has found these problems? I expect the dealer to solve the first one, but imagine they will fob me off about numbers 2 and three - by the way these problems did not all start at the same time:

1) Display stopped working for 4 days, now has a blue tinge permanently.

2) For some reason it has started sending me ridiculously long routes some times and good routes others. No pattern, tried it lots of times on same route from Reading to my house in Swindon to test the theory. Sometimes sends me correct way - literally turn off at motorway, go down dual carriageway and I am home. No Brainer. Other times want to send me via completely different motorway junction which would be a 12-mile detour, and won't even recalculate to the correct route when I ignore it, until I am literally a minute from home. Played with the preferences (avoid motorways etc) and this didn't help. The routing was faultless till a few month ago, now I have to confirm the routes with a map.

3) Sat-Nav: After 8 months of being really impressed, I am losing trust. On two recent journeys, the system got me to within two miles of my city-centre destinations, then kept telling me I had reached my destination, even though I clearly had not - I could see the marked point on the screen, and I was nowhere near it - the routing had evidently stopped way short for some reason. Highly, highly annoying! Dodgy mapping on CD I wonder? (by the way, getting it wrong twice doesn't sound much if you are using it every day, I am not - I've only used it four times in anger lately)

By the way, it's the CD-based system.

I'd love to know if others have experienced these, or other issues. I'll let you know what the dealer says.

Take care

paul

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Regarding the display, that is usually a mylar strip that they can replace. May even be a connection problem in the boot.

When the GPS is sending you the wrong way and you're driving around, is your placement on the map correct?

I think there could possibly be some corruption from the GPS receiver into the system. It sends it as serial data. This could go back to the connection issue in the boot.

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I got the cd system too, apart from a tyre change and me NOT reading the manual i aint had any problems. Last week it took me from yorkshire to london without a single wrong turn. THE WIFE WAS WELL IMPRESSED! Not one raised voice!!! Now thats a first :whistling: Looks like its a job for the dealer mate :crying:

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Bonjour Paul,

On my last IS the GPS was a CD one, my father is experiencing some troubles too, I was when I sold him the car so I went to my Lexus agent and we sort out the CD, was full of scratch, don't know why but...

So I had to buy a new Data CD-rom (very expensive) and the system turn back to normal ... until two weeks ago, my father is again experiencing troubles, as no location, screen freeze and so on.

He will probably let his car next week to Lexus, so we will see what is going on.

My current GPS is now the DVD one, and I haven't experienced any trouble at the moment.

@d'taleur

Vince

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Cheers for your thoughts guys,

Took it to my dealer in Swindon. He's mystified by the guidance issues, but he has said the blue screen is a problem which occurs from time to time and it requires a new screen. Apparently there is a fix where they install a spacer, but he reckons it's highly unreliable. Cost of the new screen: £1800. GULP!

He has recommended that I take it to Reading, where I bought the car. He feels that the screen should be covered under the extended warranty but he's not sure about the guidance issues (remember the extended warranty is basically an insurance policy from a 3rd party insurer. He said that the showroom that sold the car would normally consider some issues should be fixed as good faith even if not technically covered...

Have fun guys

Paul

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Paul,

This might sound like a daft question, but, You don't have anything "metalic" sat ontop of your rear parcel shelf do you?

It's just that the GPS antenna sits under there and will not see through metal objects.

Just a thought.

Otherwise I think it's your disc.

Do you know anyone nearby who could lend you there's ???

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2) long routes: It doesn't guarantee the shortest routes. On some journeys the sat nav takes me all the way down the M1 and back up the A1 rather than across country which is a LOT shorter. But on mine it will do this consistently for the same journey.

Agree with the earlier post about the possibility of a bad GPS signal. There should be the letters GPS under the North Icon when you have a signal. Check this is the case when you have problems.

I haven't had problems with mine other than when I turned off the screen on a long journey. It wouldn't come back on until I'd stopped though the voice prompts still kept going. Don't know if this is a fault, design flaw or intentional behaviour.

When there isn't a signal, I arrive at junctions before the screen thinks I'm there. It's based on the rotation of the wheels but I've got the standard fit 225/60 Dunlops D8zs.

Perhaps the Americans are playing with their GPS system as a counter-terrorist effort or the European Galileo prototypes are being played with. Wonder if Galileo will mean we get a more accurate system.

Perhaps you could also provide exact details of a test route for comparison, say "High St." Reading to "High St." Swindon.

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I had problems with my system 'freezing'. Basically not working when starting the car. Never found what the probelm was but do have a theory. I was having problems with my Battery and replaced it with a new Battery. The problem on the Sat Nav got worse and I was intermittently getting flat batteries for now apparent reason. I suggested I had got a duff Battery and dealer swapped it for another new one (But Higher rating) since then I've never had a problem. I suggested that the Sat Nav problem might be due to the voltage dropping and dealer was going to ask technical - needless to say we never got an answer but I still think the system must be very voltage sensitive.

Try doing a drop test on your Battery.

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Thanks for your thoughts chaps, some interesting views. To answer a couple:

The sat-nav always has a good signal - Green on the sat-nav signal indicator.

No metallic stuff on the parcel shelf.

I agree that it does tend to choose long routes, but it alway used to be consistent. It never used to select some of the routes it does now, the one near my house is a riduculous diversion, and it never used to try and suggest it, as it now does 50% of the time.

Interesting theory about volt-drop. It could happen. I work in computers and have seen some funny things when the voltage gets iffy.

I will keep you posted though if the dealer comes up with answers, could be interesting..

many thanks

Paul

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