Nav data update

welcome!

sorry, no. garmin? phone?

 

Replace it with aftermarket radio

Pixel XL ?

 

depending on the nav, it can be done with 70-100 euro

 

Garmin. Phone is OK, but I much prefer my Garmin with lifetime maps for a long trip. It shows speed limits and which lanes to be in for exits and stuff. You can buy one for less than one Toyota map update. And you don't have to look so far away from the road to see the map.

 

I forgot to mention: official toyota update is about 120 euro. The Russian guy I know can do it for 70

 

Why would I give a pile of money to Toyota for inferior maps?

 

They are actually HERE maps, the best out there

 

And the navigation software is igo primo.

At least for touch and go

 

Have you looked at MAPS.ME (MapsWithMe), detailed offline maps of the World for iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire and BlackBerry ? I use them in Togo, West Africa and in Honduras. Open source maps, constantly updated.

 

Maps.me use OSM. That's great, but nowhere near the quality of paid maps like HERE or TOMTOM

 

putin maps?

 

I updated my sat nav for free, but as far as I read when I was researching, it really depends on what type of nav system do you have. Mine is with HDD in it and it was relatively easy. The maps are very accurate and up to date, I got the latest ones - 2017-2018.

I'll write about the nav with the HDD, I haven't read anything about the other type with the DVD and don't know about it.

So, I have a JBL system with 40 GB HDD in it (in EU, the JBL logo is not printed on the unit...). My nav is GEN 6 with the old type of HDD - 2.5" ATA (very important, not the SATA type). The later is GEN 7 with SATA hdd (blue menus in the UI).
You'll need:
1. PC (cannot be done with laptop, you'll need the direct connection to the motherboard via ATA/SATA cables)
2. If you have GEN 6: 2.5 ATA >>> 3.5 ATA or 2.5 ATA >>> SATA adapter.
3. PATIENCE - the update is 18GB and the HDD very slow!

You'll have to get the sat unit out of the center console. To do that, firstly the plastic around the shifter must be removed (just pull, it's hold by clips), then the plastic where is the cupholder - you can start by opening the upper glovebox, then the facia around the unit and then the power button. There is instruction video here or pdf from Toyota here.

Then, when the sat nav unit is out, the HDD must be removed. It's on the left side, under a metal bracket. It's an Hitachi drive, like in the old laptops, 40GB, ATA interface.

The HDD is locked, you'll need a program like HDAT2, which works only in DOS mode. The easiest way is to burn a Hiren's boot CD with WindowsXP, boot the PC from it and enter in HDAT2. When in the program, enter in "Security" menu -> "Unlock device". Hit the "F" key, and then "P", to show the cursor. Using the right and left arrows on the keyboard, put the cursor on the third placeholder. Hold the "Delete" to clear the remaining chars. Then a password must be entered: "IVANWANISIA", without the quotes. Press enter, "S", "Y".

After that, the HDD is unlocked and very easy to be updated. Boot the PC as usual and the new HDD's partitions will be shown in "My Computer. I used my laptop and eSATAp <-> SATA cable, but a regular PC with the usual cables can be used too.

Just download the maps for your country (mine won't work in the US, they're for Europe, Russia and part of Asia) and replace the files on the HDD. Contents on the HDD: Partition 1: maps; Partition 2: CD DB; Partition 3: Sat nav unit software and parking assist software.

I read the above in the prius-club.su forums (in Russian, .su = solviet union , didn't know this type of domain exists! ) and I'm very grateful for the great write-up and the maps. On the second and third photos, the 2.5 ATA >>> SATA adapter can be seen - the small PCB, next to the HDD.

 

I paid about $12.50 US for the DVD update for my 2011 factory NAV unit.

 

Yes, DVD and HDD can be updated for ~ low cost, but newer ones that update with USB stick can't

 

Are you saying "very important" just because this procedure doesn't exactly apply to the SATA version, or because no one has a working procedure at all for the SATA one?

One of my first thoughts was, as long as the locked-disk hurdle is overcome, copying it all to a comparably-sized SSD might make the nav snappier and be a nice cheap upgrade to the unit. It could also be quieter, both from the disk itself and from generating less heat, running the fan in the unit less. Do you know if that's been tried?

-Chap

 

That's pretty cheap. In the Netherlands the dealer asks € 250 for it and there is a third party vendor that asks € 60.

I like the guide by 4md, but that's a bit too hands on for me. I'm not real comfortable removing the head unit and HDD just for a nav update.

 

Hi Chap, sorry for not been clearer. This method works with both ATA and SATA types of hard drives. It's important to know your nav generation (GEN6 or GEN7) to purchase the correct adapter before disassembling the unit and using the correct password after that. If the nav is the older type (like mine, ATA HDD), you'll need ATA 2.5 to SATA or ATA 2.5 to ATA 3.5 adapter. If the navigation is the later type, the HDD in it will be SATA and it can be connected to the PC without any adapters.

From the chosen adapter, it depend where to connect the HDD. If ATA 2.5 >>> ATA 3.5 is used, the adapter must be connected to the old ATA ports (like the ones that was used to connect CD-ROMs). It doesn't matter if it will be master or slave device as far as it can be "seen" by the system. The difference between 2.5 and 3.5 ATA drives are the number of pins in the connectors, so 2.5 ATA HDD cannot be connected directly to the PC's motherboard even if it's an old motherboard without SATA connectors. If ATA 2.5 >>> SATA is used, then you can connect the HDD to the SATA connector on the motherboard. In both cases these drives mustn't be bootable - let the system boot from the Hiren's (or other preferred) CD/USB.

Forgot to mention that the passwords for the different types of HDDs are different! Here are the passwords:

- The ATA (GEN6, older) type uses "IVANWANISIA"
- The SATA (GEN7, newer) type uses "siihakawhc2o6937" and the spaces left MUST be filled with spaces, so the HEX sould look like this:
"73 69 69 68 61 6B 61 77 68 63 32 6F 36 39 33 37 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20"

Again, everything is from the prius-club.su forums (these are the original topics: GEN6 and GEN7).

It's definitely possible if the correct connection is used. GEN6 with PATA SSD and GEN7 with SATA SSD.
When a new or updated HDD is put back in the nav and it's started for the first time, it locks the disc automatically, so the only thing that must be done is to clone the old disc to a new one.
But I don't think it will make the navigation cooler or quieter. There are 3 fans with heat-sinks in the navigation and they're cooling some transistors and other electronic elements in it. Usually HDDs work within rather constant temperatures about 45-50*C / 110-115*F independently on the load. Sure an SSD will produce less internal heat, but the other elements that are cooled with the fans are hotter.

I disassembled my nav unit completely to clean it from dust and to put some oil to the bearings/axles of the fans. Before, when the car was stopped, ICE not running, A/C turned off and quiet environment outside, there was some noise from the unit, but after the cleaning and lubricating the fans, they are completely quiet.

Will the nav become snappier? It's possible, but only for maps. The music upload from CDs to the HDD won't change, because the bottleneck is the CD read speed, which is too slow (1-3 MB/s). But the update will be blazingly fast, compared to that 4260 rpm hdd The update was something like 18GB and it took me about 4 hours to complete it. This includes removing the sat nav from the car, updating and putting it back with all the plastics. And the most time was eaten by "copying ... to ..."

Once you start it's very easy and straight-forward. The plastics pop up very easily and the sat nav can be removed within like 5 minutes. The nav is held with 4 short 10mm bolts which can be accessed easily with an extender.

 

I don't know that we even get a music upload from CDs option in the US; at least I've never noticed it. I was just thinking of maps. And update speed...

-Chap

 

Is anyone still following this thread....??
Two questions:
1) 4md said: "Just download the maps for your country" Where from? What format is required?
2) "...the bottleneck is the CD read speed, which is too slow." Whilst the Prius HDD is on the bench and connected to the PC, could I copy audio files (previously 'ripped' from my own CDs) onto the HDD?