Navigation Update

[KREED_X5]

I just ordered from here. East Region. I'll let you know how it is when I get it. $49

2011 BMW Navigation DVD Maps - Home

[aeggroup]

Originally Posted by KREED_X5

I'll let you know how it is when I get it. $49

2011 BMW Navigation DVD Maps - Home

Please do...don't forget. I'm interested too.

[mouivann]

do you guys think the updates are worth the cost of $200?

[aeggroup]

Originally Posted by AlexK

B.t.w, it always amuses me that people who can afford buying/leasing "premium" (even if used) cars have to resort to plain theft (from a legal point of view) in order to save less than 1% of total car's price on some unnecessary accessory for it

Alex...you wanna tell us you're always doing only legal stuff ? Come on..... and...btw...we're all glad to bring some amusement to your boring life )

[aeggroup]

Originally Posted by AlexK

Did I do... "stuff" in past? Yea, but that was "past", when I was young and stupid and not legally responsible for doing that

Alex...send me your picture . I will show my son a row model for his life ...
Big thanks in advance ...

[brian5]

Originally Posted by AlexK

Store portion is dead now. Guess they got plenty of $$$ from gullible people... Or they got their mandatory "cease and desist" letter from BMW's legal department.

I know someone who was impatient because the torrent was not being posted and purchased the East version from that "store". When the DVD arrive, it looked like the real thing and worked perfectly. He was very happy with his $49 purchase.

But you're right, they are available on torrents now. Not that I know anything about that...

[ukwildcat]

Originally Posted by mouivann

do you guys think the updates are worth the cost of $200?

In a word, yes, but only probably every three years or so.
(oh, and if you think $200 is bad, they used to charge $400 for it)

Roads - even major roads - change in my area quite often, but that's rare for most folks.

It does take a year or more for changes to be reflected in the data sources, and there's a lot of effort in collecting those data. Someone didn't create it for free, so I don't expect to get it for free, either.

It's true that some NAV device makers offer "free lifetime updates" - for their little tiny awkward display that always makes you look like a tool driving down the road.

I prefer a large, integrated display, but I do understand those that want a newer device with maybe more features, it's cheap, etc. Suit yourself.

It probably would not kill BMW to make map updates free, though..

[KREED_X5]

Originally Posted by AlexK

Store portion is dead now. Guess they got plenty of $$$ from gullible people... Or they got their mandatory "cease and desist" letter from BMW's legal department.

Finally got home after being away on business the past couple days. Actually checked their website again this morning and it was completely down this time. Well, the disk was in the mail when I got home. Put it in the DVD player and told me to shut the system down for five minutes and that it detected a newer version. When I turned the car back on it worked!! : )

I thought I would give it a try and it found a restaurant that just opened maybe 8 months ago. I also tried the red-light\speed trap - it showed the one that just went active down the road about 4-5 months ago. I also have the Escort 9500ix which I keep updated with all the red-light\speed trap info; but it's nice that I can now see the current cameras on my Nav screen.

[ukwildcat]

Originally Posted by ukwildcat

In a word, yes, but only probably every three years or so.
(oh, and if you think $200 is bad, they used to charge $400 for it)

Roads - even major roads - change in my area quite often, but that's rare for most folks.

It does take a year or more for changes to be reflected in the data sources, and there's a lot of effort in collecting those data. Someone didn't create it for free, so I don't expect to get it for free, either.

It's true that some NAV device makers offer "free lifetime updates" - for their little tiny awkward display that always makes you look like a tool driving down the road.

I prefer a large, integrated display, but I do understand those that want a newer device with maybe more features, it's cheap, etc. Suit yourself.

It probably would not kill BMW to make map updates free, though..

Sorry, I forgot to add originally..

My version says..

112.9104.12
Road Map North America Premium 2010

A version number is good, but if they change the meaning, not so much.. and I don't know what it means, really. But that's what it says.

I thought I read an update on this thread but can't find it right now, so..

I'm not really a fan of Garmin or TomTom, but that's a matter of opinion, of course. The main thing I like about an integrated NAV unit is that it usually has a large screen (very true on the X5, and it's BEAUTIFUL) and of course ergonomics, etc. have been done to acccomodate everything.

I know folks who had manufacturer units that were based on TomTom or other designs and they were not happy with them. The graphics can be quite crude - new Acuras, for example - and their routing is.. interesting.

Certainly, people almost always question their car's NAV routing, forgetting that it may be basing that route on time, distance or efficiency, which are not always the most obvious routes.

Garmin seems better in this respect - and it's EXCELLENT for "not in the car" applications, particularly with terrain, etc. - but still seems somewhat ill-suited to the car.

Currently, my only two complaints about the 2011 X5 NAV is that it's ETA for "city" destinations is absurd. For example, it will say that it takes an hour and 20 minutes to get to work, which is 18 miles and takes maybe 40 minutes in heavy traffic, yet it gives very accurate estimates for highway trips. The Lexus was MUCH better in this regard.

It's POI database is not the best around, but to put that in perspective, it's actual road maps tend to be very, very recent based on whenever the data was finalized.

Yes, I think maybe it's high time they gave us "lifetime" or some period of free updates. Yes, it would be better if they were more frequent.

But even Garmin and TomTom owners have complained that yeah, the updates are free, and yeah, they're frequent, but they're also frequently WRONG. The most common problem being "road X" that is PLANNED to go from point A to point C through point B is on the map.. But the road dead ends at point B. I guess it's a matter of preference as to whether one likes THAT way or "there is no point B, so I'll give you another route to point C."

And something like the opposite is true.. Where the road DOES go from A to C but it shows that it does not pass through point B at this time.

I wish it gave me the option to "ignore" certain sections, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't. The Lexus did - although that was restricted to, as I recall, only THREE such points, but that was useful. Even major roads change around here yearly, so it's kind of a headache. I really don't want to buy a new map update if it's not going to reflect changes.

Such is the price of technology, I guess.

[ard]

Originally Posted by AlexK

Sometimes it's faster than that - I submitted a few "corrections" to Navteq in the past and they updated their map database appropriately after approximately 6 months. Of course it doesn't work that fast every time but at least I get the changes on my portable device faster (Garmin and TomTom release map updates several times a year). I wish BMW would stop screwing around and would simply sign a contract with Garmin or TomTom and let them handle the navigation portion of iDrive (including the user-upgradeable maps)...

Tomtom IS "teleatlas"!!! Tomtom got into a bidding war with Garmin, and tomtom won.

There are two vendors for map data in the USA:

Teleatlas
navteq

BMW chose wrong.

Google does their own mapping, AFAIK- although they had previously used teleatlas, my guess is they grew tired of the incompetence...

A