The prices are extraordinary – if you count "high" in the extraordinary definition. But they'll sweeten the deal by giving you lifetime map updates – just plug your unit into your computer, log onto the Internet, and freshen up with the latest streets and POIs.
But I have to argue with this "lifetime" business.
After plugging into GPS units with prices at over $300 with all the whistles and bells, and using them for a couple of good years, our experience with several different machines from these two companies have got us wondering. Why do these spendy little units with the "lifetime free map updates" have such a short life? They'll be happy as a clam one day, ordering you and your rig around like a sweety-voiced, semi-robotic drill sergeant, then Poof! The next day, the screen is as blank as the look on my face when my better-half asks me why I didn't take the garbage out.
Forget sending these puppies in for service. The best that you can hope for is to return your dead unit and get offered a "discount" on a new or refurbed unit. If a look over eBay is any indicator, you're better off just buying a refurb or used unit there and save a few bucks. No, you'll have no idea how long those ones will hold up either. But even with a warranty from the company, it seems to me that it's a bit of a crap shoot.
Is it just us? Do we have the "black thumb" of GPS units, or do these pricey little gadgets have a shelf life only long enough to get through one or two generations of new units before they roll over and not just play dead, they really are dead? We'd like to hear back from readers as to their experiences with GPS longevity. Drop us a line at russ at rvtravel dot com.
Russ and Tiña De Maris don't always rant. Tune in their weekly podcast at yourrvpodcast.com for other information and tips.
I am interested to see what you get back on this question. We use my Android phone with Google maps to navigate, basically cause its no extra to do so. The POIs always sound good, but I could never get past the cost of a unit that only does one thing supposedly well.
ReplyDeleteHope you will post any/good responses.
Monte
Perhaps you should try a Garmin. I've never had a Garmin die on me.
ReplyDeleteBruce
We bought a Garmin a few years back and after being led astray with our 38 foot deisel MoHo on two different occasions we gave up on it and sold it on a garage sale for peanuts. Like Monte in the comment above we use our Android phone with Google maps. It is low cost and always updated. It isn't foolproof either, but we have decided it is the best option for us. We especially like it for navigating through cities and being told what lane to be in.
ReplyDeleteI had a Garmin C340 from 2006. I used it over the years until I bought a 5" model. The C340 had lifetime map updates I purchased aftermarket from Amazon. Late last year I attempted to download the most current update. The update would not load into the C340. I called Garmin Tech Support only to be told that map updates would no longer function with the C340. The representative told me that Garmin would replace my ten year old unit with a brand new model with more features and 5" screen FREE OF CHARGE. About ten days later I received the brand new Nuvi 54LM!
ReplyDeleteMy primary GPS these days is a 7" Garmin 2797 with free maps and traffic. I very loyal to Garmin and will remain so. Their units are superior to the others in reliability, accuracy and customer service.
We use our TomTom as an add-on to our good old paper maps (or in our case, our Gazetteers). Nothing beats the co-pilot reading a map where you can get the 'big picture'. I've had two hand held GPS's go bad, and my fave current GPS just seems to be getting slower and slower to lock onto satellites. What's up with that? My quadcopter locks onto satellites faster than my GPS. And, I'd like the ability to make 'waypoints' which are not ON the road. Sometimes when I'm trying to make a waypoint it tells me to get closer to a road - AND I'M STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!
ReplyDeleteI have always used Garmin GPS units. They have lasted 5 years on average and I mostly replace them to get enhanced features rather than because they are dead.
ReplyDeleteJust as a point of interest, TomTom makes an excellent GPS for use with RVs. It also has the lifetime map updates. I bought my 1st TomTom GPS about 10 years ago and it is still in use by one of my children, never had a problem and he added a lifetime map update to it. I have been using my current unit, a TomTom VIA 1605M RV with Lifetime RV Maps. It has served me well. I have POI list for Passport America, GoodSams, Thousand Trails, Coast to Coast, and there are many more available for download from their site. I love my TomTom
ReplyDeleteIf you're talking breakage, I've never had a GPS actually break... what I have seen is "lifetime map updates" that none the less are "not supported" after a few years. Sure, the map updates would be free if they existed for your (*gasp!*) 5 year old unit...
ReplyDeleteBeing a bit of a hacker, I turned an old GPS into a touch screen computer for the kids when the maps got too old...
In a decade of using GPS, Tom Tom and others, I have not had one die on me. I don't know about Androids but I really like the "lane view" I've had on the last two GPS when you approach an exit you're taking. I don't worry a lot about map updates as the main roads never or seldom really change. I do have free updates on my current GPS and do the updates before a major trip ie: before heading south in the fall. I find it humorous as to the pronunciation of many of the cities but I guess that's just how a voice synthesizer works. "Welcome to Loss Vay Gusss"
ReplyDeleteI've lost track of how many different GPS units we have purchased, but TomTom and Rand McNally stand out as a couple the worst. I don't think either one of them lasted a whole year. The last couple of years we have just used my android phone with Google Maps, it is so easy you just speak the name of the business or place you want to go and it takes you right there, and who makes better maps than Google?
ReplyDeleteI've been using a Rand McNally rvnd7710 for for over 3 years but had to have it replaced twice in the first year under warranty. Then about a year after the warranty expired it failed again, but I talked them into giving me a "one time" free repair. Now it's been working for the past year just fine. You're right, there is no reason these units shouldn't be able to last at least 4-5 years. I recently contacted the company about a problem with their rv dock software on my computer. I thoroughly explained the situation and even attached a screen shot of what it was doing. Though they acknowledged my email and said they would get back to me, they never did.
ReplyDeleteWe use the Garmin 760RV. It has a large display, voice prompts, travel assist, if the is traffic congestion ahead. It knows where the RV parks are, Wal-Marts, amusement places , restaurants, gas stations, etc. Garmin has been in business a long time. My 765 is 8 to 10 years old and has never experienced a failure. I would recommend this unit to anyone.
ReplyDeleteI so agree with you concerning the price of the units.I to have gotten to useing my Android phone, Google Maps as well.
ReplyDeleteIurchased
ReplyDeleteI purchased a Garmin 7200 in '07 & the lifetime map updates & tried to update them last year & was told it wasn't supportive anymore. Typical scam. Oh well.
I am now on my 5th replacement Nuvi 1490T. Two failed by "noise in the display," another from complete power failure, and the first unit failed due to a weird displacement of touch sensing location (you had to push about 1/2" to the right of the button image). I also own two Magellan 1700 units, and both are prone to brain freeze due to electrical noise at turn-on. If you have to do a re-set, the Garmin push-button is much nicer than the rather sticky Magellan slide switch.
ReplyDelete"Lifetime" maps are not based on your lifetime, nor on the life of the GPS unit. Rather, the "lifetime" ends when the manufacturer decides it ends. Both Magellan and Garmin buy their map data from the same vendor, and at some point, they will decide that you have gotten as much use out of your unit as they will allow, and they will simply declare that your model is beyond support. They use the excuse that their vendor no longer supports your model, but that stinks (I really doubt that map databases are changing format year to year). Thus, at some time, your lifetime will end, quite possibly while your GPS is completely functional. At that time, your GPS doesn't stop operation, but the map data never gets updated again. If you really depend on your GPS, that means you will have to buy a new model and buy another "lifetime" map package. As far as I can guess, a GPS lifetime is longer than a fruit fly life but shorter than a dog life.
ReplyDeleteFor all who think the nav units are "smart", that my friends, they are not. It is merely another tool to use. However, like any tool you need to understand its' limits. For the "set it and forget it" crowd, you will sorely be disappointed with a gps more times than you would think. Use it in concert with a good road atlas, and it becomes a more useful tool. It is an aide, not an end all solution to sucessful navigation. I am from the before time, so I am amuzed by all those who 1. never bothered to read maps and 2.the ones who think a gps is the end all to getting to your destination without a hitch, you my friends are misguided to what that little box can do.
ReplyDeleteIt's sobering to realize that every page of every printed atlas included a few deliberate errors (sometimes a short road that really didn't exist, sometimes a deliberate misspelling of a street name). Why did good old Rand (and everyone else) do that? Simple, it was a way to prove copyright ownership; if some competitor published a map that was copied from your work, they would likely copy your deliberate distortions. Even paper tools can't be completely trusted.
DeleteI'm also from the era of paper maps, and my head's inertial guidance still works pretty well, but I always drive with my GPS running and a destination programmed. You can be running a very familiar route, but if you encounter a roadblock that requires a deviation, you might find yourself driving down some curvy streets with cul-de-sacs, and that GPS will be right a whole lot more than it's wrong. True, nothing is perfect, but that little box is a smarter copilot than most anybody who rides with me.
We have a Garmin Nuvi 260W and must be 10 yrs old. Has worked ok although battery doesn't hold a charge for very long anymore. Has misdirected us a few times but ok most of the time. We always have a paper map backup to give us an overview of our trip. Got the lifetime map update a few years back and it still works although new map downloads are bigger than the onboard hard drive and had to insert a SIM card for added storage space. We have found that since the addition of the SIM card it takes longer to calculate the trips and, most annoying, longer to give updated directions after turning a corner.
ReplyDeleteCurrently looking at a new unit that will provide more info to help with RV Travel. Our unit was pretty basic when we bought it so I imagine now any unit will be an impressive upgrade in features. Based on above comments it would seem that any make is a bit of a crapshoot so will probably rely on a combination of features and price.
We do have a GPS in the truck but for the price to upgrade the truck we can buy a new handheld unit with more functionality. Time to start shopping.
PS, we always have our atlas ready and our Android to monitor traffic and find detours as needed.
ReplyDelete