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Navi Map Update...Update

128K views 658 replies 92 participants last post by  weppler 
#1 ·
So, about a month ago I suggested that we start writing letters and email to FCA Executives about the outdated maps with no updates. About two weeks ago, I was contacted by a Senior Executive with FCA who is tasked with responding to the concerns of FCA top level executives. Apparently, my letter about spending $1950 for a Navi system that now has almost 3 year old maps, while Europe gets three years of free map updates every three months, hit a nerve with the company trying to place Alfa in the premium product range.

I had a productive discussion with this executive, who then met with his “brain team” to review my allegations and concerns. After another phone call a couple of days ago to clarify some details, the gentleman called me back today and advised me of the following:

1) FCA US is developing a customer website to support map updates.

2) These map updates will be downloaded by the owner and then installed at home.

3) There is no word on the costs, if any free updates will be given to existing customers, what will be offered to new owners, or such.

4) All Giulia (and Stelvio, I assume) Owners (that’s what was said, perhaps all NAVI owning was the intent?) will be notified of the new site and how to register.

5) This is not expected to take long (no explanation of what that means).


Now, this is encouraging news, and the quick promise suggests adaptation of the European interface/program might be part of this plan. I’m not going to get too excited until something happens, but this is good news for us Navi Owners.
 
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#6 ·
Nice work. I probably will still never used the navigation as long as it's so painful to enter addresses and has to traffic but still...
So to get this level of response you wrote actual letters? LETTERS? so that's what we should do about the non functional touch pad and the missing apple carplay?
 
#8 ·
Thank you all, but the proof is in the pudding....I’m not celebrating until I see that result. Feel free to email questions to FCA about map updates, it can’t hurt!
 
#9 ·
Many thanks for the initiative. Hoping Canada is included in the rollout, I believe we share the same map packages.

Regardless of the outcome, the effort is appreciated. Cheers!
 
#14 ·
Exactly why I said just that...and, BTW, my experience with voice controlled navigation has been less than stellar too. I’m hopeful because it seems unlikely that I would be mislead just to get me off their case, but money talk and bullshit walks.
 
#17 ·
You're lucky. If you live in Australia, and you erroneously got upgraded to .055 infotainment update, then your expensive voice nav would cease to work, and you would be unable to downgrade. Your only option would be to upgrade to a new head unit and update the software, and start the argument with FCA Australia.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#18 ·
I am pretty sure that happened to me, not sure if they updated my early 17 to .055 or .059 first but maps disappeared and could not be installed again....they replaced head unit with new hardware and installed software 81.000.004 with no questions asked under warranty....
 
#22 ·
I couldn’t hold my breath long enough, (for the Nav Map update).

I guess they don’t have the installation software to install the AA/ACP, on hardware capable of it.

I think we should not be surprised though, with the Nav Map update as an example!

No maps on the EU site.

FCA spinning off Magneti Marelli for $6.5B may not hasten the solution....
 
#27 ·
Our Stelvio has the factory Navigation and it is balky and difficult, to say nothing of outdated. In the Giulia we opted for no Navigation but got Apple CarPlay instead and WAZE works wonderfully well, and is updated almost on a minute by basis as other users report traffic conditions, police, detours, better routes etc.
I want CarPlay in our Stelvio and I'll gladly pay for a retrofit. Factory hard installed navigation is a dinosaur. I'm surprised it is still offered in cars when smartphone synchronization is widely available. It's like cassette players that stayed in cars long after cassette tapes went extinct.
 
#28 ·
There are times and places where cell service isn’t available, and/or you just don’t want to bother plugging in the phone, so I see the benefit of having native, onboard nav. It just needs to be better than what we have.
 
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#38 ·
Yeah, there is no live traffic for onboard nav in USA. I don’t know what would trigger a “found faster route” calculation, but it’s almost certainly not live traffic assessment.
 
#44 ·
I have used Waze extensively on road trips, including West coast runs from San Diego to Jenner in N. Cal, cross continent trips from the west coast to Atlanta and Phoenix to St Louis, across vast tracts of seemingly desolate land in Texas and southern states, and WAZE has always had continuous GPS connection and accurate guidance for the whole trip. I stand by my opinion that GPS systems in cars are basically obsolete given the ability to use smartphone navigation systems (WAZE/Apple Maps/Google Maps etc), as standalone items on the phone screen or synchronized to the car's infotainment system via Apple CarPlay or the comparable Android app
 
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#50 ·
I was driving in Spain last week and often had either weak data or no service at all, not that I was particularly keen to be burning up my data allowance or phone battery on maps n’ nav in any case. Therefore, I wasquite happy to have the Opel Mokka’s onboard nav with live traffic.

I won’t argue what’s exceptional and for whom, but nav is a $950 option on Giulia in NoAm markets, so it seems like they’ve got the bases covered for those who don’t want it, ut are dropping the ball for those of us who do.
 
#46 ·
^RdS is only encoded to FM signal as well as any digital source like satellite radio....I still remember beginning of RDS as EBU project in Europe 30 years ago, it was initially meant so that you could listen to same station when you traveled long distances....for example you could tune to ZDFII and receiver would automatically switch between frequencies that carried that program as you drove say 1000 km across Germany....of course most stations in Europe then were government operated.....I do remember RDS warnings about stau (jams) locally (guess that might have evolved in TMC here) that would enable you to quickly avoid massive delays on highways (Germany has no speed limit on about 20 percent of highways but traffic jams and rush hour traffic is even worse than in US, in case of an accident you might be parked for hours)
 
#51 ·
Thanks. In the Bridgeport California area there are no FM stations that Giulia can receive. Real radios can get several, very weak stations. Some FM stations are intermittent, probably getting "skip" off of the almost always present air traffic overhead. I let my Sirius subscription expire because I did not find anything there that I wanted to listen to. I wonder if RDS over satellite works without a subscription?

Traffic issues around Bridgeport are unlikely to get huge, but highly likely to cause a road closure when they do happen. With roads few and far between driving around an issue can take a huge amount of time.

Case in point: A large tree fell in Topaz due to high winds, closing US-395. CHP stopped people in Walker and told them to take the alternate route: drive 30 miles back to Bridgeport, then take the scenic route through Sweetwater (about +7 miles relative to taking US-395) for a total of a ~67 mile detour.
 
#47 ·
lockem, as far as I know you do not need to be on any specific station to receive the data. One time that it notified me I was in really slow traffic on the 210 W near the 605 S junction. As some people say there is no such thing here on the Giulia I am hoping to drive around using the nav until I catch it asking me again, and somehow catch that on video or at least an image....
 
#49 ·
Those are to slow down the traffic flow sometimes 100km out from major intersections of highways like Wurzburg or going into any major metro area during rush hour....high speeds bring high flow of vehicles, it is also beautifully automated but massive jams still happen....germans are also slightly religious about the traffic rules so it does work there...when RDS comes up you better listen in Germany, quickly exiting hwy at first exit can save you whole day
 
#52 ·
lockem, it has been unlikely that smaller counties like yours have this traffic service, which unfortunately adds to the confusion. I’m not sure whether the US fully developed all areas, kind of like cell phone service. Quite a few times traffic enabled service information, from experience in the past, (RDS is used by BMW from experience), takes you on an alternative route that may end up taking even more time, (my feeling), than keeping on the same route.
 
#60 ·
At 3044 square miles, Mono county is physically pretty large, but almost the entire population of 14,000 lives at the south end of the county on the edge of the 2nd largest volcano in NA. My house is near the north end of the county. Verizon 4G LTE is available along almost all of the major roads, unlike FM radio.

Google maps is pretty good at picking the route, although it is not always right.
 
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