Am I missing something or in a 2005 S class, is threre an option to plot a place name (i.e. Target, Bonefish Grill, Shell Gas) in our Navagation?

If there is, I cannot figure out how to do it.
If there is not, I frustrated to believe our system only goes by POI or actual address....

 

You're not missing anything - unfortunately, that's exactly how it works. POI or actual address - and sometimes only to the block the address occurs on, not the actual address itself.

 

Thank again, Skylaw.
I am not a fan of this system.....love my car, hate the Nav.
I am too familiar with using the newer GPS/Navigation systems of the recent years, that this antiquated nav in my car makes me a little bananas.
I will keep reading how people install the double din touch screen units and when I feel comfortable enough I will outfit the car with one....

-Chris

 

The truly disgusting part is that MB uses the same NavTeq database that far better systems do; they just don't implement the features. For example, they use only about half of the available POI (yellow page) database. The failure to provide for specific street addresses is also a shortcut; the information is in the database.

By simply providing the information on the DVD, and with some firmware changes, MB could provide a much better system. But, they don't. My 2 year old Garmin that I use in my '78 450SL has far better features - including display of the speed limit where I am, my actual speed, and a very accurate representation of the signage that will be encountered near an Interstate exit. True, that technology is 5 years newer than my MB system - but not to have better yellow pages, and precise street addresses, is dumb.

 

What do you mean by "plot"?

Searching by name, instead of by category like restaurant or something?

I know S-Class could do that, but those were later models I drove. Your nav design was probably frozen in 2003 or so, and things were more primitive then, so maybe it can't.

Ironically, the excuse later on for E- and C- not to have some navi features was that "S-Class doesn't have it, so we can't put it in the lower models." Literally-Mercedes engineers told me that off the record on different occasions.

 

That's because it takes an enormous amount of verification before they can release it. And very few people buy the upgrades. So, it becomes not cost effective. Plus, MB or any other car maker do not want so many software versions floating around, it makes diagnosis more difficult.

That's why the only good thing about OEM navigation is usually the big screen.

 

Sorry, head_unit - those excuses just don't fly. NavTeq provides the database, including verification, and many manufacturers use it in their systems. MB uses only half of the available POI (yellow pages) database - some 5 to 6 million entries - that NavTeq provides (over 13 million entries). That is why it is so lacking.

The DVD-based S-Classes from '06 and '06 cannot search POIs by store name; the smallest entity is a shopping mall. One can find restaurants by name, but not stores.

Further, the ability to show an address and a business phone number is a matter of 1) placing the information on the DVD in the first place, and 2) providing firmware that will allow the phone number to be accessed via the business name. For pete's sake, I have 4 apps on my iPhone that can do that easily.

Even the CD-based system in my '00 S-Class could locate a specific street address. That capability went away with the DVD based systems. Ridiculous.

As for "not wanting so many software versions" - there need not be "so many." There would be no more current nav firmware versions than there are now.

As for not being "cost effective" - one reason that I, and I suspect many others, do not update nav DVDs every year is because the system is so useless. With a better system of POIs, my bet is that people would indeed update more often. The POI (yellow page) data changes far more rapidly than road construction. And the cost of MB DVDs is outrageous; my wife's '05 Lincoln Town Car costs $100 less to update annually that my '05 S-Class, and it has a MUCH better POI set, and it has specific street addresses. The same is true for the Garmin unit I use in my '78 SL - except that the update is online, and is more than $200 less than an MB update. And it uses the SAME NavTeq database of which MB only implements a portion. That shows clearly how ridiculous MB's effort is.

No, the sad excuses just don't fly.

 

This question is for Skylaw, and I apologise for being off topic here but I can't figure out how to simply message a forum member. Anyways I was wondering if you could help me out Skylaw as you seem very knowledgable and we own nearly the same car. I own a 2004 S500 4matic and the fuse chart that is normally stored in the trunk is missing. Would the fuse chart from your '05 be the same? If so is there anyway you know that you could like scan it or take a picture of it or something and email it to me? I have not been able to find any useful information regarding this so far.

Thank you very much for your consideration. And again my apologies Vebene for interrupting your thread.

John Horsley

 

Welcome to the forum, John.

Apparently you figured out how to send a private message, and I answered this question last night.

It is better not to hijack a thread with something completely unrelated. More people will see your question if you post it as a new thread, or in a recent related thread.

In addition, there are MANY knowledgeable folks on the forum who could have answered your request. Usually it isn't necessary, at least in an initial post, to direct the question to a particular forum member. If you don't get a response and want to ask a particular member, then a private message would be appropriate.

For others who may read this, the W220 S-Class Encyclopedia at http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w220...tart-here.html or at http://www.mbca.org/forum/w220-s-cla...dia-start-here is a good starting point, and it has links to fuse charts.

I no longer maintain the Encyclopedia on MBWorld, because members would not allow it to be used as a reference tool rather than as a discussion thread. With questions, comments, and interruptions, it was extremely unwieldy as a reference tool, and was becoming moreso. As a moderator on the other locations, I can lock the thread and prevent that problem.