This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Find out more about how to manage cookies, or dismiss this message and continue to use cookies.
Why does the Nuvi keep trying to take me on back roads?
Wulf
0 Points
I've been searching this forum, but can't quite find a message that addresses the problem I keep seeing on the 205. I live 4 miles from an interstate highway with an exit exactly 4 miles from my house. But, when I'm on that highway comming towards my house the Nuvi starts telling me to take exits when I'm about 16 miles away from the exit that is 4 miles from my house. Every exit off the highway for 16 miles it says"take exit right". I don't understand why it wants to take me on back roads when the highway is the best way. I have only "avoid u-turns and "off road" selected as things to avoid. I have "fastest way" selected. There is no way 16 miles on back roads will be faster than the highway, so I don't feel that that is the problem. Anyway, I've tried other settings and they either don't make a difference or they are obviously not what I want , like "avoid highways".
So, are all the Garmins this bad at navagation? When I selected the 205 it looked like the higher priced models just give you more "bells and whistles", but the navagation programs are the same on all of them.
I keep hearing that the TomToms are better at navagation(after I buy the Nuvi ). Is there something that I may be doing that is causing this?
Maybe a setting or something?
This makes me not trust the 205 when I'm somewhere I'm not familiar with. I don't feel that it will direct me the best way. Makes me feel that it is not worth even using it when on a trip since it will just lead me way off the correct path.
Thanks! :?
So, are all the Garmins this bad at navagation? When I selected the 205 it looked like the higher priced models just give you more "bells and whistles", but the navagation programs are the same on all of them.
I keep hearing that the TomToms are better at navagation(after I buy the Nuvi ). Is there something that I may be doing that is causing this?
Maybe a setting or something?
This makes me not trust the 205 when I'm somewhere I'm not familiar with. I don't feel that it will direct me the best way. Makes me feel that it is not worth even using it when on a trip since it will just lead me way off the correct path.
Thanks! :?
Comments
I find mine to be pretty accurate in finding the best route. But I have seen some glitches, one also around my house. It is trying to guide me on a "detour" there as well. Of course, I don't need it / use it close to home, so this does not worry me much.
It will be a while before I get another chance to test it out on the highway, but when I do try it with a "via" I will let you know how it goes.
Thanks everyone again.
Wulf :)
Turns out it was, on average a couple minutes faster than the highway, and also saved me a couple $ each day getting off the toll road sooner.
My advice is drive it once or twice and see, You might be surprised...or not.
Oh, and just a bit of information. All it takes is one unconnected road segment, or an incorrect attribute on a road segment in the mapping and it can force the software to do weird things at any giver intersection or spot on a road. I work with digital mapping for a living and have seen it happen lots of times. The road data is not perfect by any means. Especially highway interchanges.
I'm hoping Garmin fixes these issues in upcoming software releases because I really like a lot of the features of the unit. However, if you are looking for a device that will get you to your destination the fastest... at this time I don't think Garmin is the way to go.
While in England with my Nuvi 270 I had forgotten that I had used it walking around the previous day. We got in the car, punched in the seaside town we wanted to go to, and away we went.
Although the tour of the countryside was beautiful, we were routed onto all sorts of country lanes, narrow roads, etc. I couldn't figure out why it was sending us down some of these roads as the main roads would have been MUCH faster.
Then I noticed that our ETA was about 5 hours, and I knew that the drive was 30 or 45 minutes. I checked the time settings to see if I had forgotten to change the time zone, but it was correct for the UK.
Eventually I remembered that I had used it in pedestrian mode the previous day and forgot to switch it back. Hence the bizarre routes!
So we meandered our way and got there eventually. Actually, in hindsight, I really enjoyed the driving that day as we were simply out exploring things anyway, and really didn't have a schedule to worry about. I might even do the same thing again when I'd like a tour of the countryside.
But, of course, that's not how a GPS unit is supposed to operate. :) Especially when you want to get from A to B as efficiently as possible.
Not sure if that's the problem, but I thought I'd share the story anyway!
Not sure if you were replying to my comment but I should have mentioned that I was constantly checking avoidances and other possible issues such as the one you mentioned to try to figure out why the unit was so off.
Good story though. Reminds us to keep a sense of humor about all this.
Before leaving on a long trip (I'm in a touring band), we updated it to 2010.1 and it started doing a bunch of nonsensical things like putting us on rural US highways with tons of slow switchbacks through the mountain rim area of AZ instead of using I-19 and I-40 like the older Garmin maps and Google do...
Garmin changed something that's causing the Nuvi units' routing algorithm to think these backroads are faster when they clearly aren't. I know for a fact from experience that taking the roads it told us to (we were going to the TX/OK panhandle area on this trip) would have easily added an hour plus if not more to the travel time vs. the Interstates.
Hope they fix this in a new map update...
In all cases-with NO avoidances checked, and in automobile mode, I was constantly routed off of freeways and major roads onto more minor roads. In IL and Indy I knew these routes to be wrong. I assume the GA routes near Atlanta were similarly wrong.
This is way more than 'all brands do this'. This is a real issue and problem IMO.
Mike
I guess I should have used it a few times before I updated to see if there was a difference - but I didn't. My issue is that when I have it set for the fastest route and select to go HOME - it will take me about 3 miles out of my way to get me home. When I get off the interstate I can go 1 mile take a right turn and follow that road 7 miles to my driveway. Now when I get off the interstate we bypass the right turn that would be a short direct route to my house. Instead we continue straight down the road - passing by several alternative turn offs that would also lead to my house on back roads only to go about 2 miles past my house to take a right turn - go another mile - and then finally take another right to travel back about 1 mile to my house. I haven't checked the mileage going this route because I just turned the Garmin off at the last right turn.
What's up with the NUVI? One other thing I have noticed - speed limits. In our community we do not have trash pick up so we have to go to a central location for trash. I have noticed several times going to the "dump" no speed limit on my Garmin. When I travel back home on the same road - just on the other side of the road - the little speed limit sign will pop up showing the posted speed limit as 55 mph. Tell me why? How is it there is no speed on one side of the road and there is a speed limit on the other side of the road.
I don't understand!!!!
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Waukesha&1s=WI&1a=1100+Summit+Ave&1z=53188
&2c=Chicago+&2s=IL&2pn=John+G+Shedd+aquarium#a/maps/
l::1100+Summit+Ave:Waukesha:WI:53188-2948:US:43.020533:-88.246658:address:Waukesha+County:1/l:John+G+Shedd+Aquarium:
1200+S+Lake+Shore+Dr:Chicago:IL:60605:US:41.86502:-87.616989:address::1/m::5:42.457609:-87.938686:0:::::
/io:1:::::f:EN:M:/e
This is correct. All recent Nuvis have me exit I-94 at the Illinois border and take HWY 41 all the way to downtown Chicago. A ridiculous route.
Mike
"I recently did a 3500 mile road trip and was constantly frustrated by similar actions. My 265wt with updated maps continuously sent us through the middle of town when the freeway would have been the most direct route. Worst example was going from a suburb in Boston to the North End. Took over an hour. My friend whom I was meeting was shocked and gave me the directions via the freeway. Took less than 20 min to get back. Freeway was 2 blocks from where we went in the North End and about a half mile from where we were staying. Same thing happened in Philly. In another case we were traveling in FL from our home in Boca Raton to Atlanta. The Nuvi wanted us to get off the turnpike and get on rt 4 to Orlando (the opposite direction!!) to connect to rt 75. Fortunately I had a FL road map and saw that the turnpike became rt 75 a few miles past where I was told to get off. I passed the turnoff point and immediately our estimated time of arrival in Atlanta dropped by 30 minutes. This happened over and over during our trip. I began getting Google maps where possible and always stopping for maps as we passed through the various states."
Why can't someone get Garmin to address this issue?
I hope though Garmin knows of the issues with their maps by not getting a better direct route. They should have an option called "as much direct highway as possible." LOL
Paul
I'm thinking a backup of my current system is the only way?
Does Garmin sell older maps at a discount?
Detailed map
x:/garmin/gmapprom.img
x:/garmin/gmapprom.unl (if on the unit)
3D Buildings map (unit specific such as nuvi 7x5)
x:/gmap3d.img
x:/gmap3d2.img (transcontinental units such as nuvi 775)
Junction View (unit specific such as nuvi 7x5)
x:/garmin/JCV/xxxxxxxx.jcv
The 3D Buildings map & Junction View are tied to the main detailed map so they need to be kept together as a set. They should not be interchanged/mixed with other map versions. Example: don't use the Junction View & 3D Buildings map from 2010.10 with the 2009.11 map image file or vise-versa.
The .sum files such as gmapprom.sum are not used. They are simply checksum files that are generated when the diagnotic test is run on the unit.
And it's always a good idea to backup the entire contents of the nuvi, not just the maps.
For those not familiar with the area, Brooklyn (Kings County) and Queens County along with Nassau and Suffolk counties are part of Long Island. The is no town, village or city named Long Island, NY.
I'll be happy to simulate the route on my 755T w/2009.11 maps and see what I come up with.