No map upgrade unless it's been years-is worth $20. Leave it be.

 

I just want to know:

NAVTEQ who makes the maps for ford/Lincoln/Mercury also makes the maps for Garmin. That said, why are they 8X the price for a Factory Nav?

 

That's what I'd like to know also, the dealer said that is just what ford charges, and part is 3 hours labor for the dealer to install.

 

If u have an 08 or lower, the new updated map software is through Navteq for the Ford lincoln Mercury navigation ver. 8P available on Navteq website $199. Just updated mine recently. NAVTEQ Maps ? Buy the latest map update for your GPS navigation Navteq provides all the maps for all oem and aftermarket manufacturers

 

$199 is ludicrous for a map update. It's pure rape.

 

Berry, your absolutely right, $199 is garbage.

 

I think I might have seen this update on a certain site that sounds like 'hire it ray'.

 

Used to get free maps at Texaco.

 

To my knowledge there are only two companies that do "digitizing" for maps and one of those in NavTeq, I can't remember the other one. Most all roads have been put into the format ready to go into your nav units, it's up to Garmin or Ford, or Mercedez, or Dodge(I hope you get the point) to set what they allow or don't allow to be on the DVD, CD(yes those were still used up to about a year ago), or software update.

As far as the areas that I've been to(all over Dixie), the stock nav unit has been better then some aftermarket ones, however, that will change region by region and it could has have been were I traveled within that region as well.

Even when you are updating maps through Garmin, you might be disappointed with what you get on the update depending on where you live. Garmin does the same thing that Ford does(or any of them do). I know the Garmin update for every where that I go to wasn't as good as it was for some people. The one big bonus is the cost of updates is significantly lower. Ford is a little too high considering Mercedez is even cheaper then that to upgrade their nav software.

 

I got an offer today from ford for an update for my N-Sync navigator.. 199.00 which I think is rediculous... I can buy a brand new navigator with up to date maps in it for under 200.00 ???? now Ford wants to try and collect 200.00 a year to keep my map up to date. I am getting sick of ford products. I bought this brand new with this navigation system.. so everything would be intergrated together.... what a waste. Never again I get radio delete and go with aftermarket. and put in the extra effort to install it myself so I don't have to be subject to fords whims. better come back to earth ford. I will hack it myself of find someone who has hacked it already... ford needs to make this stuff reasonable otherwise I'm not going to buy it... Never gonna buy an expensive system from ford just to have it go obsolete if I don't pay their ransom

 

No matter what system you get, if it is dependent on CD/DVD or something that takes up memory space, you are going to have to pay for updates.

Some has to do with the changes due to addition of new roads or changes to existing roads. Roads around my area of changed for 2 lanes to 4 lanes. Or the updated in different areas roads that they didn't have on the previous set of memory.

The only GPS system that you are not going to have to worry about updates due to change in road conditions etc is if you use a system that get's it from the internet or directly from the satellites. Internet one you can use a smart phone to do. But if there are any aftermarket systems that are dependent on uploading information from a CD/DVD to a hard-drive or just using the digital media itself, you'll have updates.

Some are due to try to have a reason to get money through updates, others are legitimate due to updates in the road conditions. Hell, I'm seen some roads become walking trails or two lane roads go to one way roads.

I wouldn't assume all updates are due to trying to bilk everything that they can, however, there is that too.

Oh by the way, that update price isn't all that much more then some of the updates that I had seen for some Garmin units (depending on all the features available for that unit) and it sure as hell is better price then what Benz used to charge for updates to their 7 CD Nav upgrades ($500).

Hell, you don't have to get the upgrade if you don't want it. If the navigation does everything that you need it to do for all the places that you travel, don't get the upgrade. It's that simple. Nothing says that you have to get the upgrade. However, don't get yourself, most systems that are dependent on memory in some shape, form or fashion being on the device itself will have upgrades and like I said, Ford's isn't as expensive as other auto companies.