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Frequency of NAV DVD updates

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by dk2463, Jul 16, 2009.

  1. dk2463

    dk2463 Junior Member

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    Can anyone with previous Prius w/NAV tell me how often (if at all) the NAV DVD was updated? I know from having a handheld TomTom that updates happened all the time.

    thanks

    Doug K
     
  2. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Once a year, usually around November. Sometimes there's a mid-year update if the quality of previous data justifies it. At $265 MSRP, I wouldn't want to pop for anything that didn't fix current deficiencies.

    Biggest thing that may motivate me for an update sooner than later would be updated/improved XM traffic coverage (car can only display what the NAV DVD suggests is covered by XM) and improved POI's - things that have been around/changed for a year or two are still missing.

    Looking at the current Ver 08.1 DVD -I see ©2008 DENSO and ©2007 NAVTEQ - meaning the data on the release is 1+ years old, and closer to 2 years old when receiving our vehicles.

    Here's to hoping they upgrade to something flash based in the future.
     
    2 people like this.
  3. LoraJ

    LoraJ Active Member

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    Wow, that's a lot. I get lifetime updates for my Garmin at half the price then the DVD.
     
  4. dk2463

    dk2463 Junior Member

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    I'd think we'd get a more recent or up to date DVD from the get go but it seems they are content to give us a year old DVD.
     
  5. jon_lancaster_toyota

    jon_lancaster_toyota Nate Riesen

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    Well, I suppose this could be solved if someone has a Dual Layer DVD burner. Wait...never mind i think that's illegal.
     
  6. dk2463

    dk2463 Junior Member

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    I'm not afraid to use my DVD for evil

     
  7. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    It has been done, but I wouldn't condone it - besides there's nothing newer out there yet.
     
  8. dogllama

    dogllama New Member

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    If they try to charge me $265 for a DVD software update I will go out and buy a dual layer burner download the torrent and pass out the update for free.

    The NAV is overpriced to begin with, and for them to try and charge that much to fix their own deficiencies is a big load of BS.

    It would be one thing if it was an entirely new UI, but a standard UI update should be free. Plain and simple.
     
  9. Muhahahahaz

    Muhahahahaz Member

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    Yeah, I could see maybe... $50-$100 MAX being charged. This $250+ is ridiculous.

    If I ever care to update my 2006 disk, I'll just download it for free. :)
     
  10. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Which then lies a chicken and the egg problem - people downloading illegally drives up prices for those who are paying for it.

    My solution - find a legal copy on eBay. I paid $200ish for my last update (and only did so after 4 years).

    First update was free from Toyota, but that's because the original disc was truly horrendous (POI's were over a mile off at times) and Toyota was "compelled" to replace it.
     
  11. dogllama

    dogllama New Member

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  12. ceric

    ceric New Member

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    The fact that things are expensive does not give you excuses to copy it illegally.
    That thinking is no different from those folks counterfeiting products in countries like China.

    Here in US, you have freedom not to buying it, my friend.
    Get a portable unit or class action Toyota.

    I own a Mazda CX9. The NAVI DVD update is "only" $199. I don't need to go eBay or wait for discount. Toyota parts and accessories are consistently more expensive than Mazda or Honda. Not to mention services like oil changes ($25 for Mazda), etc.
     
  13. dogllama

    dogllama New Member

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  14. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    I agree that it is an ugly 'make money on the razor blades' scheme. Toyota doesn't create the map data, they simply buy it from the same people as a lot of other Nav system businesses. They can't even tell you what has changed since the last update. Who wants to pay a few hundred $$ and not even know if there are any changes that affect them?? I suspect Toyota would make a LOT more money on NAV DVD updates if they charged $50. It isn't like the media or copying is all that expensive so it can only come down to whatever financial deal they have with the mapping company and maybe just a little greed.

    I think the portables are superior here, you just download the area you drive in when you want to for a much lower price. But the portables have puny little screens, hard to read when you are driving.
     
  15. jaywolf

    jaywolf Member

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    Garmin is a far superior unit but it you want it built in your stuck with the Toyota. My Toyota unit will not even drive to my house and my house was built in 1971 and the street was put in in 1965. ("Incompete data on your route") Every one of my garmin's will and one is over 10 years old.
    Delorme's Street Atlas has for the last 20 years.

    Talking price Delorme Steet Atlas is $49 a year and that include all phone numbers not just yellow pages.

    Garmin updates are $60 each or $120 lifetime (LIFE TIME OF UNIT SER # KEYED) for 4 updates a year and the make a living off selling this. So I think Toyota is excessive.

    I wonder when a company like Garmin will make a disk that will work in the Toyota unit. That is what it will take to get Toyota to lower their prices.
     
  16. slkram

    slkram Junior Member

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    Rick,
    How do you like the NAV in the new 2010? Is it any improvement over the NAV system in your previous Prius? Do you think it is worth
    the $1800 they are charging if, on top of it, you have to buy an update for $265 in a few months? thanks.
     
  17. rcarsonk

    rcarsonk New Member

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    I agree, this is the one thing I hate about the nav. system. In my 2007 Camry Hybrid, I had to wait 3 years for a DVD update, which came out this spring.....I asked every time I went in for service. Then I about choked when they said close to $300. I'd rather suffer with a nav. system that doesn't have every address, rather than paying that much for an update. I'm glad to hear that the Prius has been updated more often, but not glad that the prices haven't changed. Love the Nav Traffic, and am planning to purchase the XM subscription with it, but am not happy to hear that if the Nav. System DVD isn't up to date that the Nav Traffic may be crap. Toyota does need to improve some things....why isn't this sytem GPS based, like Garmin, rather than DVD based?
     
  18. jay_man2

    jay_man2 jay_man_also

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    I had an '07 Camry Hybrid and updated the DVD less than a year into ownership, in November of '08. I went from version 6.whatever to 7.whatever, as I recall.

    From what I can tell, whether it's an RX 330 or Camry Hybrid or Highlander Hybrid or Prius the updates are released yearly in October or November, and run about $300 (and are still 2 years behind on mapping any new roads).

    And I think you're confusing terminology. Both the Garmin and the Toyota NAV rely on global positioning satellites (GPS), but the Garmin maps are stored on flash memory in the device and on the DVD in the Toyota NAV.
     
  19. frobie

    frobie Junior Member

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    Can you only get that stuff from Toyota and ebay? I went to the Navteq website and they didnt even have toyota in their list of manufacturers
     
  20. 2010_Prius_Owner

    2010_Prius_Owner New Member

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    Anyone out there know what software tools would be needed to customize the NAV DVD? Nothing to extravagant in mind, but I am a First Responder with the Local Fire Department and I would like the map to display Box areas, the Fire Dept breaks up the county maps into boxes, a call may come in as being in Box 3-6 which means Fire Station 3's area Map Box 6, and in that map would also be displayed locations of all fire hydrants. Also my Prius NAV Map has broken up the areas based on ZIP Code and while the Zip Code is for the Post Office in one township, people in two other Townships are still in that Zip Code, example people who live in the Holland, PA area have the same Zip Code as People who live in Southampton, but if their address is 45 Pine St., Holland PA, the NAV won't recognize Holland, so I have to say Southampton. It would be nice to be able to fix this too. I don't know if a CAD program could be used to modify the map and there would just be a simple database program to modify addresses. Then just change those files and burn a new DVD. Should be simple if you have the software tools.