Factory installed car GPS devices...

[Marine Corps Air]

John,

We travel a lot east of the Mississippi. Our primary navigation accessory is our Garmin 2689 LMT and WAZE. My wife (chief navigator) is a "visual person" so she also prefers to have her trusty Rand-McNally map.

In a nutshell, we prefer the best navigation tools that meets our travel and navigation challenges. Even if we are flying somewhere - Reno, Las Vegas, D.C., etc and will rent a car at our destination, our Garmin and WAZE go with us.

My 2004 Lexus includes the Lexus GPS system. The periodic updates (a DVD in the trunk) costs over $400.00 per update. No way!

My wife has a 2019 Toyota Sienna with CarPlay. That's, at best, a 7/10.

However, you just can't beat a Garmin GPS. Free lifetime software program and map updates. The navigation information is excellent - distance to go, ETA, time remaining, delays ahead, speed zone info, your speed, etc.

And thank goodness for WAZE and WAZRs!!! This is especially true for "Object in Road" and "Police Reported Ahead". For the latter, it's "Check Speed" time, mui pronto! In the past the most common hazard has been exploded or blown steel belt radial tires fragments in the road, but it can be anything. The worst situation was last month when we were returning from the Atlanta airport. The "Object in Road" was not a tire tread, it was a box spring mattress from a regular bed that was completely across my lane. All traffic lanes were full of cars, travelling at 65 mph. My wife saw it first and the driver in the express lane next to me also saw it, and slowed and moved over a bit to allow me to swerve to successfully avoid it. Had this not happened I would have hit that box spring mattress at 65 mph on I-85!

We generally use I-20 between Atlanta and Austin (I know, it's I-35 between Dallas and Austin). Another situation occurred on I-20 when there was a major accident. Sometimes in Texas you can use the access roads to drive around it. However, the access road was backed up too. Checking her Rand-McNally, my wife found a state road that paralleled I-20. We exited the Interstate, drove north for fifteen miles, located the Texas state road, ran east on that road for ten miles, and then re-entered the Interstate. Many "parking lot hours" were successfully avoided and we arrived in Meridian MS on time!

Bill

 

[Muss Muggins]

I'm amazed y'all ever get anywhere you're supposed to be. It ain't that hard . . .

 

[Secundius]

I just pair my iPhone with the system and use that map. It displays on the screen . . .

So do I, but losing them means whoever retrieve’s it not only has all you personal information on it, but every place you’ve visited via your iPhone which keeps a record of your GPS activities as well. I’d rather have a stand alone Garmin which isn’t directly connected to you in anyway and would be virtually meaningless if found by someone else, unless your dumb enough to use your home as a starting point or end point…


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[GaryS]

Nice Ram mount in your Tacoma. I used a different system, but the concept
Is the same.

My Tacoma came with built in navigation, but requires an app on my phone. The app gets one star ratings and the one time I saw it used in a friends Toyota it told us where to turn AFTER we passed the intersection. If I wanted that, I'd have my wife navigate.

Waze has a couple of annoying quirks, but overall does a great job navigating. I even run it when i don't need navigation because of all of the alerts and warnings. It's like having radar in the truck.

Google maps and Android have yet to let me down.

Never understood why people wanted to see their phones when driving till I started using it. Shows road conditions ahead, speed limit and your current speed, ETA, and a feeble attempt at speed traps. Bought a radar detector to help out with that.

 

[snowman]

Word of advise - don't EVER admit to asking for directions. Dang good way to lose your man-card.

I observed my Dad(and have heard from wives whose husbands do the same thing) run all over the the countryside or city trying to find his way, wasting a lot of precious time in the process, simply to avoid taking the obviously wise step of stopping and asking a local who usually could show him, often in less than a minute or two, how to get to his destination.

I do the latter every single time, and encourage other non-GPS users to do the same. I'm afraid I have to disregard any advice which assumes that masculinity or the lack of it has any connection to the issue in question.

Regards,
Andy

 

[TX-Dennis]

My Lincoln has the built in GPS, but as it's a 2017 the map is hopelessly outdated. I did buy an update a couple years ago, but it's badly out of date now. One good thing about the Garmins and TomToms is that they come with lifetime map updates. Ford only updates their map once a year, and while it's easy to update via USB stick, it's not inexpensive to buy the updates.

Therefore I use Android Auto. Plug my phone into the car's USB port, and Google maps is on screen. The car's GPS is there for a backup in case I'm in an area with no cell reception. I do frequent remote areas, so that happens regularly - although much less often than it once did.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Therefore I use Android Auto. Plug my phone into the car's USB port, and Google maps is on screen.

FYI, The new version of Android Auto works wirelessly. The map generated from your phone GPS now pops up on the dashboard screen as soon as the car starts, as long as the phone is in Bluetooth range.




Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

 

[Secundius]

FYI, The new version of Android Auto works wirelessly. The map generated from your phone GPS now pops up on the dashboard screen as soon as the car starts, as long as the phone is in Bluetooth range.




Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

AIRcable Bluetooth, can extend a standard Bluetooth reception signal by ~6-miles…


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[Beemerguy53]

I remember the days (and I'm talking about the 90's) where you could send off to AAA, tell them where you are starting from , where you want to go and what stops you want to make and they would send you an actual booklet made up of a series of maps outlining your route. Probably still have a couple lying around somewhere.

I've been a AAA member for about 40 years, and used Triptiks regularly years ago.

WAZE is the way to go now. It plots your route in real time, and changes your directions in response to changing traffic conditions as you drive. I use it for even relatively short drives, because it knows where there is road construction, broken-down vehicles, speed traps, etc. It shows you the speed limit, and you can set it to beep if you exceed it. You can program it in advance, let it know what time you want to arrive at a given destination, and it will let you know the best time to leave. Both of my cars have built-in GPS, but I no longer use it, and my Garmin Nuvi is permanently retired...yes, WAZE is that good.

 

[chief38]

My vehicle is a 2016 GMC Yukon with a built in Bose navigational GPS system. I just updated it for the very first time since I own the vehicle and I paid $99.00 and got free shipping too. They sent me a plug-in chip and installation took about 45 minutes while I sat there taking on my phone - easy - peasy!

I much prefer the built-in system for many reasons. I have a descent sized screen in the vehicle and it is much better quality than a cell phone. The speakers from the vehicle itself are used and sound quality is great - good with lousy hearing! It interrupts the radio, CD, player, phone conversation to give directions so you don't miss anything, and the best part is that it gives me plenty of heads up time for the next maneuver. While it is true it does not alert you about speed traps, I don't really speed anyway so I don't give a hoot. I do have the optional traffic alert so that works well.

I have tried Wayz many times and dislike it immensely! It is slow to react, gives very little warning of the next turn and in many instances the alerts are not accurate at the time I would get them. I also do not like using my phone as a GPS and the controls are not as good or convenient as when they are on the steering wheel and integral with the vehicles system.

BTW, mine does give the ETA, the speed limit of the road you are on is on the vehicles dash board, gives traffic jam info with the Serius system right on the GPS, and I have no ides what he limit of programmable locations are but if it were 50, that is way more than I'd use. The ONLY reason I even upgraded the map is because we live in a brand new community and it was not built 5 years ago when I got the vehicle. I wanted my area on the map!
While I did have to pay the sale price of $99 for the upgrade, I so much enjoy the voice programming and features of the Bose built in GPS, it was well worth it to me. My wife loves the Wayz system but her cars GPS system is antiquated and tied into the On-star which we no longer subscribe to. Some of my friends use Apple and some use Google and they like those - but me..... I like the OEM unit.

 

[twodog max]

+1 for the Rand McNally. When I make a rare extended trip I like to look at possible routes and go to places I have never been before. See new places. A few years ago my wife and I were in New Mexico and southern Colorado. We drove back across Colorado and Kansas on 2 lane roads not on the interstate system. It may not have been as fast but was hugely more relaxing and saw places that before were only spots on a map

 

[ladder13]

Can’t imagine anything can beat the thousands of active Wazers ahead of you feeding info into the system.

I’m sure even the pohleece use it too.

Stick with what works for you.

 

[F4phantom]

+1 for the Rand McNally, always have one in the truck, just in case. I use a Garmin and I prefer it over the built in that costs too much to use. Besides dedicated satellites are better than phones, IMHO

 

[cmj8591]

That factory GPS probably isn’t there for you. It’s there for Big Brother.

That ship has sailed. If your car is less that ten years old, it's talking to everyone weather you're using GPS or not.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Have had some memorable fights with the wife on trips. Middle of the night on the DC loop asking her for a particular exit....silence and then "we just passed it" I think these trips were where my marriage was tested the most.....

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Your Smartphone and some Tablets have built in GPS.
You just need an APP which turns The Goose Loose.
Allows it to operate independent of other sources or inputs.
Like maps.me.

 

[PALADIN85020]

I remember the days (and I'm talking about the 90's) where you could send off to AAA, tell them where you are starting from , where you want to go and what stops you want to make and they would send you an actual booklet made up of a series of maps outlining your route. Probably still have a couple lying around somewhere.

TRIPTIKS! My dad ordered them from AAA before we ever set off on vacations. I used them myself after my wife and I were married. They were an immense help getting around in unfamiliar territory. I guess they have gone the way of the buggy whip.

John

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

TRIPTIKS! My dad ordered them from AAA before we ever set off on vacations. I used them myself after my wife and I were married. They were an immense help getting around in unfamiliar territory. I guess they have gone the way of the buggy whip.

John

There ARE other uses for a buggy whip.......if yer into that sort of thing

 

[BigBoy99]

I have Nissan Truck and the factory installed GPS does all of the things you say your unit does not do.

 

[Rich Richardson]

I haven’t seen a GPS in dash NAV system in years. Do they still display the message “Not to be used while driving” or something similar regarding the distraction?