Hands up if your Sat Nav can find your local dealership?

[Wuffles]

I can tell you now Bristol Audi are still showing their old premises from a few years back - a tech at the garage told me they'd even had a German Audi employee caught out by this when he came to visit the dealership - still not changed it though.

[Pausten]

Same in Perigueux, France - Not too impressive!

[KAM]

Last week I had my car in for its very first service - one year and a day since I got it and bang on the mileage according to the service prompt in the display.
One thing I'd noticed since day one was the validity of the map data in the sat-nav. I'd found more examples than I'd expected of new roads not being included and other little incongruities. There was even one spectacularly wrong road labelling. I was driving on a couple of miles of unadopted road right out on the west coast of Scotland leading from an A-road down to a yacht basin (no, no, I don't have that sort of money, I was just visiting!). The sat-nav showed the road I was driving on, but proudly labelled this minor minor strip of tarmac as the "Clydeside Expressway". That does exist: it's the A814 dual-carriageway in Glasgow, which at the time was a good 100 miles away!

Anyway, when I booked the service I asked the dealer if they would do a map update while they had it. Initially they warned me it was chargeable and expensive (their words). I said the car was owned by a leasing company and I'd see if they would cough up for this. I didn't actually get around to it, but the day before the service, when the dealer called to confirm the arrangements, I was told "And we've checked and there is an update notice has been issued for your sat nav by Audi. We'll do that for you." I've no idea what a "sat-nav update notice" meant and I didn't question them any further. The update was listed as one of the f-o-c items on the workheet when I got it back at the end of day.

Since then I've not had the chance to go back to any areas of the country I know had given problems previously to see if the behaviour has changed. But it might be worth asking around your own local dealers to see about this mystery 'update' (assuming you can find your way to them, that is).

[jbanfie]

That's interesting I'd thought a little about this, when your sat nav is DVD or SD card based, you just buy a new DVD and insert it, these used to be about £150.

When your sat nav is HDD based, you have to pay an Audi Technician to put the update on for you - I think this is going to really annoy just about everyone!!!

[Wuffles]

I've had two updates, FOC since owning the vehicle - just scream at them and they'll do it (joking of course), just have an unbelievable amount of problems with the car from new and they'll generally update it FOC (no longer joking).

It was after the latest update I had the conversation I mentioned in my initial post about the Bristol Audi dealership being wrongly identified, so as far as I am aware I'm on the latest version (I'd love to be wrong on this). Plus, the chances of me springing for map updates, as jbanfie quite rightly pointed out as being annoying simply isn't going to happen. There will undoubtedly be a back door approach to this popping up eventually I hope.

[jbanfie]

Don't get me wrong, I'm never going to be after map updates every year, but let's say over the life of my ownership I'd like two map updates, I'd happily pay £75 each, which is what TomTom charge. Sadly I suspect it will be a fortune.

I've just put a call into the dealers, but all the service people are with customers - they are going to call me back, and I'll ask the price!

[jbanfie]

Well it's £200 for 2013 maps - that's actually not tooooo bad, but I'd get it on good will when it came to it!

[Wuffles]

It's easy enough to argue that if the dealerships themselves are inaccurate on the maps then it's not correct, and therefore should be repaired in my opinion. It was the veiled point of the thread in the first place really. I was curious how many dealerships are "broken" on the manufacturer supplied information in the vehicle I own.

[EvilPostIt]

To be honest I'd be surprised if the maps are actually done by Audi and not just bought from someone like TomTom and then re-badged. Just like Apple maps (Not to say that they are quite that bad) ;)

[Wuffles]

No-one would ever doubt that.

[KAM]

Well it's £200 for 2013 maps - that's actually not tooooo bad Well, I'm afraid we differ there, sir. This is the first vehicle I've had with a built-in sat-nav. With my previous transportable Garmin I took out a one-payment life-time updates entitlement. That cost about £75 a few years ago. I've been getting about two updates a year since then.

I accept that the infrastructure environment changes continuously, so I don't hold Audi responsible for renewing map data just to keep me up to date. My request to them was more of a mild 'let's-see-if-I-can-get-something-for-nothing' attempt on my part. For all I know the supposed update they did had no affect on the map data itself but was a bug-fix for some errors in how Audi's operating system decodes and displays that data. That I would say is their responsibility. Genuine errors that existed at purchase should be fixed, but something that becomes incorrect due to external changes wouldn't really count as a shouting issue in my book.

I also agree with others that Audi are not a mapping company - even TomTom and Garmin don't do this. They rely on third-parties for the source data which will be sold to sat-nav makers, and publishers, and all sorts of other organisation who require coordinates and the ability to link these to the physical environment.

[Timothy Nathan]

The A4 Rheims bypass has been open for over three years and is one of the busiest roads in Europe, possibly the world, and still doesn't show on Audi SatNav.

[CeeTee]

My dealer told me that the maps are only updated every two years and if your build fell in between you could have a nav system that is 4 tears old?
I wonder if you can get "updated" maps via a download from a torrent website and overwrite a current SD card, burn a new DVD etc?

[Wuffles]

I think they left the DVD in a box on the floor of my car last time it was updated, I'll check tomorrow. Wonder if it's able to update others for free. Cue barrage of people asking for a copy - which if it does work I'm happy to do by the way.

[jbanfie]

If you live in the Axbridge near the M5 just south of Bristol, quite close to the Butcombe brewery, then I can see a few birds being killed with one trip from Wincanton!!!!

[Wuffles]

On closer inspection unfortunately it's just the box and manuals. That is the right Axbridge though for what it's worth. Says NavTeq on the box too, which would indicate it's based on the (now Nokia owned) maps. Wonder how out of date they are in their vanilla form.

[EvilPostIt]

This does make me glad I have gone for the google maps option, didn't realise quite how out of date the maps could get...

[Wuffles]

This does make me glad I have gone for the google maps option, didn't realise quite how out of date the maps could get...

I'll bite, what's the Google Maps option?

[Guest 2]

The car I have out atm has Belfast Audi's new location on the Sydenham Road.

It's the SD based nav with 2013 maps.

[EvilPostIt]

I'll bite, what's the Google Maps option?

If you get the mobile phone prep high option it adds google maps and google street view (At least this is my understanding, car hasnt arrived yet...) along with some other data related features. MFGF has this option he should be able to confirm or not. Although from what I have read due to the issue that it doesnt support rSAP which can cause connectivity problems.

[EvilPostIt]

Why do i get the distinct feeling that this post will be shortly followed by....

"No you idiot thats not what that does!"

[Wuffles]

I've got that I think, but we use iPhones so it's another thing that (can't strike this out for comedy value, so imagine it is - "probably doesn't work") has an incompatibility.

[EvilPostIt]

I've got that I think, but we use iPhones so it's another thing that (can't strike this out for comedy value, so imagine it is - "probably doesn't work") has an incompatibility.

I also have an iPhone but fortunately Orange do a business contract that allows you to have 2 sims for a single number which will sort that issue out.

[Wuffles]

That does appear to be the holy grail in getting an iPhone (no matter how much iPhone prepping you've paid for) to do what it's supposed to do. EE isn't an option for where we live, on o2, plus we simply couldn't live without the national network outages that o2 frequently offer.

[johnsimcox]

I think they left the DVD in a box on the floor of my car last time it was updated, I'll check tomorrow. Wonder if it's able to update others for free. Cue barrage of people asking for a copy - which if it does work I'm happy to do by the way.
The C7 does not have a DVD for the navigation it is either an SD card left in the car or hard disk updated by the dealer (from - I believe - their own SD Card) so I suspect the DVD case has nothing to do with your car. The map data that came with my A6 is from Tele Atlas and my understanding was that for all the new SD card based systems they are using Tele Atlas for the map data. It is certainly much more up to date and accurate than the Navteq data in my previous C6 with the 3G DVD system, which used to take some very odd routes because the road type was wrong in the database and hence the estimated speed for the journey as wrong, something that the new system avoids by having speed limit data held in the map database.

[Wuffles]

I know it's either HDD or SD, but my assumption based on the disk sized case left on the floor of the car was that it was some kind of update DVD - it was on the day I found they'd scuffed the alloy and scratched the bumper at the front, so I wasn't really paying attention and threw it in the glove box.

However, if they don't use Navteq for my car, then this must must be litter from the dealer, which also wouldn't surprise me, but it does appear to relate to the MMI3G which I think I have?
19293

[EasyTiger75]

I can confirm that the latest C7's with SD Card based navigation are shipping with maps marked as 'Europa Version 2013' and that these are Tele Atlas based maps (copyright TomTom on the box the SD card comes in)

[Guest 2]

I can confirm that the latest C7's with SD Card based navigation are shipping with maps marked as 'Europa Version 2013' and that these are Tele Atlas based maps (copyright TomTom on the box the SD card comes in)

X2 - have a 2013 SE out at the minute with SD nav and 2013 maps

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/Courtesy%20Cars/a6se2013/IMG_3402_zps1a3b7335.jpg

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/Courtesy%20Cars/a6se2013/IMG_3403_zpsa7fb18c0.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[Wuffles]

So the SD is using TeleAtlas and the HDD may or may not be using NavTeq (well, mine might be)? Or is it the 2013 maps that have a different mapper? Would a kind soul check the Bristol Audi dealership location please? If it says it's central Bristol, it's still wrong.

[Guest 2]

I'll check now

[Guest 2]

2013 maps SD

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/iPhone%20Uploads/C5717EAE-1720-4A21-82B8-AA5F2C3BC1B2-1828-000000EB6128609B_zps56f9a16d.jpg

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/iPhone%20Uploads/013600F8-D026-4860-912F-568A945E73C2-1828-000000EB6A6272EC_zps08456162.jpg

http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz90/57_audi/iPhone%20Uploads/885CDDA4-CE67-4301-9F1A-DBAA27BACD8E-1828-000000EB70264761_zps5db82eb3.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[Wuffles]

Spot on, cheers - albeit an odd place name. Anyone got a 2013 HDD?

[MFGF]

If you get the mobile phone prep high option it adds google maps and google street view (At least this is my understanding, car hasnt arrived yet...) along with some other data related features. MFGF has this option he should be able to confirm or not. Although from what I have read due to the issue that it doesnt support rSAP which can cause connectivity problems.

Yep. If you spec the HDD based nav with phone prep high (both were in the Tech Pack when I ordered my car) you get google maps via your online connection (if you have either an rSAP enabled phone or a sim card in the dash). You can zoom right in to Google Street View on the maps too, and when you reach your destination the nav will display a street view picture of your arrival point.

Cheers!

MF.

[Wuffles]

Same as google maps did on the Android phones I've used in the past I guess - was a nice touch to have the street view destination on the phone's screen when you get there. Sadly I do have this option available but either the wrong choice of phone or network provider/tariff to use it.

[EvilPostIt]

Yep. If you spec the HDD based nav with phone prep high (both were in the Tech Pack when I ordered my car) you get google maps via your online connection (if you have either an rSAP enabled phone or a sim card in the dash). You can zoom right in to Google Street View on the maps too, and when you reach your destination the nav will display a street view picture of your arrival point.

Cheers!

MF.

Thanks for the confirmation MF. I thought that's what it meant.

[Timothy Nathan]

...but you cannot (as far as I know, happy to be corrected) navigate using Google maps, they just act as a rather pretty and occasionally informative wallpaper to the HDD map.

[Wuffles]

Bingo.

[MFGF]

...but you cannot (as far as I know, happy to be corrected) navigate using Google maps, they just act as a rather pretty and occasionally informative wallpaper to the HDD map.

Yes - the car overlays the roads defined in the HDD maps onto the Google images. You can do Google searches for destinations and POIs though.