Transfering maps to BMW motorrad nav 111

[silverfox]

I recently posted a question (in the wrong place ) about trying to download City navigator NT Europe 2008 onto my BMW motorrad nav 111. For those who don't remember, when I tried to download the Updated European maps, mapsource told me there was only just over 6 megs of space available on my gps and the space needed was just over 12 megs. This even though the nav111 is supposed to have 2 gigs of memory. From the feedback I got from this site it would appear that instead of the downloaded maps replacing the original european maps in the primary memory on the gps, they were being down loaded into the secondary memory ie the space left on the gps after map installation where routes, waypoints etc. are downloaded. After contacting garmin on numerous occassions and being given different advice each time, non of which worked, I emailed bmw. After the exchange of 3 emails, bmw told me the garmin products don't always work on bmw units as the bmw garmin software contains details of bmw dealerships throughout europe and this somehow interferes with the map updates. There is special garmin bmw map updates available free from bmw dealers but i would still need an unlock code from garmin. I got the software from my local dealer. This looks just the same as garmins city navigator NT 2008. I installed it on my pc no problem. It told me to plug in my nav111 for software updates, which it did, and then asked for an unlock code to down load the maps to my unit. ( I phoned garmin for an unlock code but was told by an automated answer phone that the offices were closed and to ring back monday to friday between 9am and 5pm, even though it was 10am today tuesday ) Anyway I pressed EXIT to close the program with a view to continuing later when I had an unlock code. The computer program, instead of exiting, proceeded to down load the european maps to my Nav111. Aprox 1 hour later the installation was complete, all my maps updated, brilliant. Sorry this has been a bit long winded but I hope this might help anyone else with similar problems. The annoying thing is that if you go on ''my garmin '' on the garmin web site they are still advertising garmin updates for bmw units, which may not work. Why can't they just sell garmin bmw software for bmw units and why don't their customer service know this !!!

 

[Yellow Peril]

Never had a problem with my Nav 3 and am happily using the latest lfetime update service from garmin

 

[silverfox]

Well, you appear to be one of the lucky ones. According to my last posts when I was having trouble downloading all europe so were alot of other people.

 

[Berin]

Well, I finally got the new disc from Garmin, CN NT 2009, with a free unlock code.

I put the disc in the PC, followed the instructions, and I now have CN NT 2009 successfully installed on the Nav III. The BMW dealer database (v3.00) is also there - I think that this was on the unit before.

I'm now updating to the latest mapsource 6.15.4.0.

 

[silverfox]

how much of europe did you manage to download on the gps

 

[Berin]

All of it - that is, the whole mapset CN NT 2009 which replaced the CN NT 2008 that was on there previously. I've just also put the Smelly Biker maps on too.

 

[Thermo King]

Hi, I've unlocked City Navigator NT Europe onto my PC but I can't find a way to transfer the update on to my BMW Nav3. If I'd known about the lifetime updates via the internet I wouldn't have bothered ordering/unlocking the disc. Can anybody explain what I need to do to update the GPS itself? Should I just bite the bullet and fork out $129 on top of the $80 odd I paid to unlock the disc?
I have searched the forum already but can't find the exact info I need and I've also e-mailed Garmin support but no reply yet.

Regards,
Kieran.

 

[Berin]

When I updated, I used an install disc from Garmin which had the unlock code on a green label on the back. I connected the Nav III, put in the disc and ran it. I entered the lock code which then unlocked the maps to the PC, and then install routine on the disc made a map image and transferred it to the "reserved" area on the Nav III disc.

Since you can't see the nav III as a mass storage device on the PC, if you use Mapsource to transfer a map set it only adds it to the "non-reserved area" on the drive, and doesn't remove the old map set, which is stored in a separate partition.

I would ask Garmin to send you the correct disc, then it should all go OK.

Hope that helps

 

[silverfox]

As I've said before. I had trouble with the update from garmin. Went to my BMW dealer, they gave me a free update, It went straight into my nav 111, in the correct place and replaced the old maps automaticall and not in the space left for downloading waypoints etc.

 

[Bumpkin]

If you're really stuck then there's a hack that will probably get the mapping onto your GPS, same as the issue I had replacing the US pre installed mapping on my 2720 with European mapping.

Instructions here, it's a long read and sort of technical. If the mapping that Garmin have provided is the regular City Navigator product rather than the specific BMW version then you'd loose the BMW dealership points of interest (I think this is the only real difference between them).

Though probably better getting the correct mapping from BMW and complaining to Garmin that they sent/sold you the wrong disk.

 

[Yellow Peril]

Interesting that both the BMW and Garmin version have exactly the same codes details printed on there covers, they are the same disk just in different covers, they both come from Garmin.

 

[Thermo King]

Hi,
thanks for the above. All a bit technical for me at the moment. I've sent an
e-mail to garmin support. I'll see what they come up with. Will be in BMW dealer in about two weeks if first option doesn't work.
Will report back here later.


Regards,
Kieran.

 

[Bumpkin]

Interesting that both the BMW and Garmin version have exactly the same codes details printed on there covers, they are the same disk just in different covers, they both come from Garmin.

Aren't the BMW dealerships included as POIs as part of the mapping data for the BMW disks though. As far as know this is the only difference. Seems crazy to lock you into using only the BMW update.

 

[Berin]

No, you're not locked into using only the BMW update. My disc came direct from Garmin. I think the only restriction is that you have to install via the CD (which means getting a CD with an unlock code, rather than getting a CD and unlocking online) rather than via mapsource so you can use the installer to write the maps to the hidden partition on the Nav III. My CD didn't have the BMW dealer POI's on it.

Couldn't have been simpler.

 

[silverfox]

It's about time it was sorted by garmin. I must have spoken to 6 different customer service people at garmin. Each one has a different cure for the problem, none of which work. There has to be a difference between the garmin produced BMW maps and the garmin ones cos one works straight away and one doesn't. You should not have to do anything other than transfer maps to the device, end of story. I can't understand why , when they have details of your device, and you order new mapping, they don't provide the maps they provide to the BMW dealers or is that too simple. I know some of you say that your maps from garmin work but for too many of us they don't so there is a problem and you should not have to be buggering about deleting this and moving that to create memory space for new maps