Garmin is shite. Get it off your chest here.

So, I've been using the Nav V for some 4 years now. The mapping software has become so bloated that it needs to be on an SD card. This along with music and routes slows the device down so much that the refresh rate doesn't keep up with the map, so in town you're lost. My unit regularly reboots in use. The routing algorithms are crazy too. I can't remember how many times we've been sent up a single-track dirt road for no apparent reason. My old Tom-Tom was a better and more intuitive device. Shame as the Navigator promises so much but fails to deliver.
Garmin don't give a shit! They have not provided enough memory to cope with their bloated maps and need to allow minimal upgrades for older units. I dare say the VI will not be future proofed either.
They have offered me a replacement at a cost of over £120, for a refurbished unit. It’s a worry when my own V is in mint condition (apart from being worse than useless at times). Not funny when you have a group following you!!!
A recent trip to the Pyrenees was a disaster, as even although I had installed whole Europe map, only North Europe was visible? Another trip this year to Dresden and Prague I had no mapping when in towns - which was fun. I asked Garmin to upgrade me (and I'd pay the difference) but they are not in the least bit interested in customer loyalty. Be the last Garmin I use, and this may influence me not to buy another BMW. BMW take note!
The apps for route planning are also abysmal, in no way user friendly.

You have the most amazing patience to put up with the Garmin for so long.

You should continue to enjoy your BMW motorcycle but move back to a TomTom. I note that in the Consumer Which? tests the TomTom usually comes out just ahead of the Garmin as a car SatNav, so they are excellent units.

Please accept that there are many others (including myself) who are happy with their Garmins and the Basecamp route planning software.
 
You have the most amazing patience to put up with the Garmin for so long.

You should continue to enjoy your BMW motorcycle but move back to a TomTom. I note that in the Consumer Which? tests the TomTom usually comes out just ahead of the Garmin as a car SatNav, so they are excellent units.

Please accept that there are many others (including myself) who are happy with their Garmins and the Basecamp route planning software.

You were doing ok until you mentioned Base Camp :)
 
Mine is perfectly fine. Just use it as a navigation device and plan all my routes using the inbuilt trip planner app. Been to Europe several times with no issues. You just need to ensure you have the correct avoidances set, and the maps are up to date.
 
Amazing as it might seem, I have just spent two happy days in The Ardennes, running longish routes I created In BaseCamp, without one significant glitch.

The same device got me here from Calais, down roads I chose. It will doubtless get me home again, down different roads of my choosing.

It’s not very hard and it’s reliable.
 
.... and when all else fails I revert to my likkle Garmin Quests :D



I never update the maps. The people that have a problem with the Garmin it is usually after a map update!

:beerjug:

Not my experience in nearly 4 years of Nav V ownership, and many tours. Once the maps are updated, you just need to check all areas you need are stored on the device. If not, simply reload them (not something I have had to do).
 
Not my experience in nearly 4 years of Nav V ownership, and many tours. Once the maps are updated, you just need to check all areas you need are stored on the device. If not, simply reload them (not something I have had to do).

I'm happy for you :thumb2

:beerjug:
 
Had my Nav V for a few years now ... one of the best sat navs ever.

I don't update the maps ... the roads I require have been around hundreds of years, and I don't have any music on it. Not updating the maps has never been a problem .... find myself on a new bit of road, a new ring road or whatever never been an issue.

Oh ... and it's a two second job in settings to avoid unsurfaced roads ;)
:beerjug:


He’s right about the avoidance setting.

As to the map updates, each to their own.
 
Amazing as it might seem, I have just spent two happy days in The Ardennes, running longish routes I created In BaseCamp, without one significant glitch.

The same device got me here from Calais, down roads I chose. It will doubtless get me home again, down different roads of my choosing.

It’s not very hard and it’s reliable.

I had the same experience on a recent trip to and through Slovenia, with only minor glitches of my own making.

What’s all the fuss about
 
Intuitive is easily and quickly creating a route in BC without having to revert to a YouTube ‘how to’ video because ‘it’s been a while’!

Garmin is not that. :D
 
Amazing as it might seem, I have just spent two happy days in The Ardennes, running longish routes I created In BaseCamp, without one significant glitch.

The same device got me here from Calais, down roads I chose. It will doubtless get me home again, down different roads of my choosing.

It’s not very hard and it’s reliable.

I had the same experience on a recent trip to and through Slovenia, with only minor glitches of my own making.

What’s all the fuss about
 
So, I've been using the Nav V for some 4 years now. The mapping software has become so bloated that it needs to be on an SD card. This along with music and routes slows the device down so much that the refresh rate doesn't keep up with the map, so in town you're lost. My unit regularly reboots in use. The routing algorithms are crazy too. I can't remember how many times we've been sent up a single-track dirt road for no apparent reason. My old Tom-Tom was a better and more intuitive device. Shame as the Navigator promises so much but fails to deliver.
Garmin don't give a shit! They have not provided enough memory to cope with their bloated maps and need to allow minimal upgrades for older units. I dare say the VI will not be future proofed either.
They have offered me a replacement at a cost of over £120, for a refurbished unit. It’s a worry when my own V is in mint condition (apart from being worse than useless at times). Not funny when you have a group following you!!!
A recent trip to the Pyrenees was a disaster, as even although I had installed whole Europe map, only North Europe was visible? Another trip this year to Dresden and Prague I had no mapping when in towns - which was fun. I asked Garmin to upgrade me (and I'd pay the difference) but they are not in the least bit interested in customer loyalty. Be the last Garmin I use, and this may influence me not to buy another BMW. BMW take note!
The apps for route planning are also abysmal, in no way user friendly.

Now here is a guy who has absolutely zero idea of how to operate a sat nav or indeed the route planning settings due to his refusal to read the most basic of advice in theses pages of wisdom or indeed the manual which he can access online.

I gave up on Garmin last year.Been using them since Quest days and had many including 2610, Nuvi 220,Zumo 660,590 etc .
But I’ve bought a Tom Tom 550.
It’s so much more intuitive,you can plan routes on iPad/iPhone and it’ll send straight to the device and the device updates over WiFi which non of my Garmins ever did, though I believe the very latest may do now.

Much quicker to process stuff as quad core processor and also lifetime world mapping as opposed to charging a fortune for add ons like rip off Garmin.

And then the opposite end of the spectrum. Somebody who has a sat nav that suits his use of it best.

A machine is a machine and although the software that you interact with makes it less or more user friendly the old adage of 'duff gen in, duff gen out' still applies. Your cock up is your own doing.
 
Beats me why this is even a sticky, far more important things should be.

I think it is much better to have one sticky where people can vent rather than a multitude of smaller rants appearing all the time. More experienced users can dip in and out of one long thread to offer advice if required.

John
 
I've just spent today rejuvenating an old StreetPilot 3 using a POS laptop running XP for another member of the forum. I felt a sense of achievement when I beat the b'stard and got NW France loaded and up and running. Garmins website was as useful as a chocolate tea pot.
 
I've just spent today rejuvenating an old StreetPilot 3......for another member of the forum

Testament to the build quality of old Garmin GPS devices that it still functions; probably better than its owner.
 
Testament to the build quality of old Garmin GPS devices that it still functions; probably better than its owner.

Amen to that. I've got my original Zumo 550 from 2007 which is still going strong...though only ever used in car now as the plastic power button cover broke a while back, spoiling it's weatherproofing (rant rant).

The Luddite in me actually prefers the 550 to my Nav V. I enjoy being able to create routes on the device as opposed to external applications like Base Camp, Tyre etc. In this respect, the route creator on the 550 was a joyful breeze to use, the separate "app" (pah, says the Luddite) on the Nav V is IMHO a thundercunt. This is just personal observation though. :D

In nearly all other respects, the Nav is OK though. From what I can see of this thread, many of the rants could've been avoided if the good peeps involved just rtfm or did some judicious Googling. The answer's usually out there somewhere, though I guess sometimes it's easier to just blame the unit / manufacturer and rant :D

(apologies to anyone that's had a genuinely dodgy unit with a problem other than a p.i.c.n.i.c as I'm sure your rant was justified and well founded)
 
I never bothered to register my XT.
Just had a look and it tells you to use Garmin Express to register devices,so I assume you have to then plug the XT in to your laptop/computer.

What is the point of this when the benefit of the XT is updates etc are all done over wifi. I remember now why Garmin are so shite and I switched to Tom Tom.

So can you register the XT without having to plug it in ?? Ta.
 
I never bothered to register my XT.
Just had a look and it tells you to use Garmin Express to register devices,so I assume you have to then plug the XT in to your laptop/computer.

What is the point of this when the benefit of the XT is updates etc are all done over wifi. I remember now why Garmin are so shite and I switched to Tom Tom.

So can you register the XT without having to plug it in ?? Ta.

It takes 30 seconds to plug it in and type in your email address.

Hardly onerous.
 
It takes 30 seconds to plug it in and type in your email address.

Hardly onerous.

I've not used my laptop (macbook) for months. Don't even have a lead to hand,as laptop only has USB-C port and XT ships with old style USB cable,so actually it's quite onerous and I won't be bothering.

Seems ridiculous that Garmin can't update their website so you can register a product by inputting the serial number,like most other items .I could understand if you had to update the device by plugging it in,but you don't !!
 


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