GARMIN - We want your advice and feedback!

i second adding the ability to touch the screen and drag the route to suit our needs...sort of like you can on google maps


And program it to stop trying to send me straight through atlanta on i-20, i-85 and i-75......and when i take i-285 make it stop telling me to turn off on every exit and head straight through downtown


One other question.....why is it sometimes setting the gps to "shortest distance" gives a faster ETA.... than the same route set to "faster time"?

and im talking 15-20 minutes for a 150-200 mile run

 

Ok here's something that came to me the other day.

Right now, you enter a destination and when the route is calculated, the screen switches to 3D view (I think that's what its called). This is as it should be. If you then tap the map screen, it will switch to top-down view and is automatically zoomed out the show the entire calculated route. This is also as it should be.

But now go back to 3D view and start driving the route. If you tap to switch to top-down view at any time while you're driving the route, the zoom goes to the same entire route view as before. This is not the best choice IMO. What is behind you is not important. If I've driven 95% of the way to my destination, I no longer care about seeing where I've been when I switch to top-down view. I just want to see what is still ahead. So it would be nice if when you switch to top-down view, it automatically zooms to show only from your present position to the destination without having to zoom zoom wait scroll, zoom zoom wait scroll in order to get an overview of what you have coming up ahead of you.

 

I am interested in buying a truck GPS. After reviewing the Trucker GPS features comparison chart by DieselBoss that was updated on 24 January 2012 I have some questions that I would like Garmin to answer. I cannot find the answers on the Garmin website.

1. What is the latest software and firmware version for the Nuvi 465T and when were they issued? This product gets a poor score for Route accuracy of only 6. I note the Dezl 560 gets a score of 8 but all other GPS units from other makers get a score of 9. Garmin seems to have a problem regarding route accuracy. Why? I would like to know if Garmin has issued a recent update to solve this problem, particularly on the Nuvi 465T.

2. What is the latest North American/Canada map version for the Nuvi 465T and when was it issued? Perhaps the poor Route accuracy score is due to using outdated and inaccurate maps.

3. If I want to buy a Garmin GPS how may I be sure that it has the latest software, firmware and map updates? I do not want to buy an obsolescent product.

4. All of the GPS units from other makers come with a windscreen suction mount as standard in the box. This is what I need. I regularly drive different vehicles, sometimes more than one a day. Some are tractor-trailers and some are coaches; some do not have a dashboard on which to mount anything. All other makers have recognised this need so I am wondering what the problem is at Garmin. I am not prepared to pay for a useless dash mount and then pay extra for an add-on window suction mount that should have been in the box. What is the product number for the Nuvi 465T that has a window suction mount as standard in the box?

5. How does Garmin expect customers to transport the GPS between vehicles and going to and from work or hotel when the GPS always has to be removed from a vehicle at the end of each trip, usually daily? I see no mention of a case for the GPS, charger and cord being included in the box. This should be part of the package and should not be an add-on feature and expense. Please advise the product number of the Nuvi 465T that includes a suitable case in the box.

I was unable to find an email address on the current Garmin website to send this product information query to. Garmin should publish an email address on its website. Related to this, in 2003/4 I several times sent emails to Garmin regarding issues with an aviation GPS. Garmin never responded. Is there an after-sales support problem at Garmin?

I trust you will be able to satisfactorily answer my questions.

 

In my experience, the 465t tends to take more chances when guessing on roads that it's not sure of. That leads to it choosing the wrong city street to get you to that business hidden behind a neighborhood. You can usually tell which street you need to use once you get there and it's not a really big problem. All units tend to do the same thing in their own way.

A lot of the routing has to do with inaccurate restriction flags set on roads that aren't restricted. There's also a bug with it trying to route you past the entrance ramp of the highway you're right next to to turn around down the road and come back to it. Another problem that can easily be ignored but it brings the score down. They know about it and they're working on figuring out what causes it.

On the route guessing on questionable roads, it does tend to guess right more often than wrong but, as with any unit, it will get you into trouble if you always follow it blindly.

The maps are updated quite a bit and they buy them from Navtech, which is the same company that Rand a couple other companies buy their maps from. They are pretty accurate as long as you keep them updated.

Software updates are available free from the website. You should be able to update to the latest maps from the website for free. Map updates after that, unless you get a lifetime maps deal when you buy it, are extra. This is the same with all units.

The 465t isn't obsolete, but it is an old design. Software and maps are still actively updated on it and mine is still going strong with well over 200,000 miles on it. I'm looking to upgrade mine to a Dezl though.

They're still selling that useless dash mount with new units? Wow. There's a universal suction cup mount that works fine with garmin units though, so you can get one even if they don't have one.

Garmin has never really tried to make any contact with their customer base before now (that I know of.) Whether they're serious about it remains to be seen.

 

Jon i update my maps today on my dezl 560LT and now my maps will not come up it shows ( cannot unlock maps ) . What went wrong.

 

Oh yeah, that reminds me. When I signed up for lifetime updates I also signed up for the email reminder so Garmin would send me an email when there was a new update out. Now every once in a while I get an email that says, "Are Your Garmin Maps Up To Date?"

I don't know, are they?!?

 

A bump to bring this up

Hey Jon from Garmin what happened to you? you still around?

 

Garmin is ignoring that the 1st quarter u
Map update screwed up the PA turnpike again and will not route a truck between breezewood and somerset.

 

How about a way to search your route for an end of day spot say show me truck stops at every 500 or so miles and also not just for end of day but it would be nice if there was a way to say show me rest areas and or trucks tops that are on my route only say within 1 mile of route or so

 

I have the dezl. Love it. Maybe I'm using it wrong, but I can't see rest areas or truckstops on the way. If that is already available, how do I do it?!?!?! Lol!! Seriously, I love the dezl. I had an RM710, 2 of them and they both failed on me. I'm really liking this one. Thanks for taking the time.