When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Ok, just received my Garmin SD card. Just plugged it in and it was working right away. I am very satisfied with it. I was told by two dealers that the Real Time Traffic only worked on the Command Nav, but I'm happy to report that is not the case. As you can see from my picture, traffic does indeed work as long as you have Sirius Traffic activated. In my opinion, the Garmin is nicer than the Command Nav that I had in my 2012 C250.
This is great news! I really need the Live Traffic aspect as I live in the San Francisco Bay area. Use Google maps on my iPhone now. Unless I'm driving my wife's Infiniti which has Sirius Traffic. How do you activate Sirius Traffic for the Garmin SD card? Does it provide accurate traffic information for all locations like Google maps or does it limit traffic information to certain locations and roads? Otherwise, how has this product worked out for you?
Need to decide tomorrow between Garmin SD and the Multi. Hope you can respond by then. Thanks!
Another quick bit of love for the Garmin Map Pilot. The photo-realistic backgrounds for the lane assist screens are very accurate and helpful. Check out the screenshot below - you can see the Nashville iconic "Batman" building on the Navi screen AND through the window. It's amazingly realistic with the location of guardrails, bridges, buildings, and everything. Kudos to Garmin -- this is the best vehicle NAV system I've ever used.
just out of curiosity, how come it says East 40 in the nav when it's actually west 40 in the highway pic?
Wow, great catch! How funny that I was bragging about the accuracy of the Garmin and there's a big ol' error right there! First time I've seen it make a mistake.
Does anyone know if a generic (but genuine) Garmin Map SD card will work instead of the MB offered one? Seems ludicrous to me to pay $500-600 to MB when an SD Map card direct from the Garmin site is $79!
My wife is ready to cancel our order for a new CLA over this. I don't mind paying a fair price for the card but this seems a little excessive. We have been driving new Benzes for 30yrs. and certainly understand that most things Mercedes are at a premium. But to pay 7.5 times what Garmin sells a map for because it's branded MB is reaching in a little too far for me.
H
Have any of you a idea of what to do if theres is no SD slot in the car? Mine has only two USB and if one day I decide to buy the MB garmin pilot navigation system is it necessary to open a slot and make a lot of work in the connections?
Have any of you a idea of what to do if theres is no SD slot in the car? Mine has only two USB and if one day I decide to buy the MB garmin pilot navigation system is it necessary to open a slot and make a lot of work in the connections?
Thank you
They all have SDCard slots next to the USB ports.. Look carefully as its just a small slit.
How did you get Sirius Traffic? Because I got the Navi 20 I was told I couldnt get that stuff.
Wonder who told you that you can't get traffic with the Navi 20 CD? My guess would be a salesman. Regardless, if you pass on the overpriced Multi Media option and get the Garmin SD card instead, you can get Sirius Traffic. I have it and it works great.
There are a bunch of mysteries about the Garmin system because it is new and most sales people have not taken the time to learn how it works. In fact, the Garmin actually has some very good documentation - but it is hidden away in a file on the SD card. The technology expert at the dealership was totally unaware of the existence of Garmin documentation until I asked him about it. We checked his Garmin SD card and there it was - a 25 page documentation guide on how to use the Garmin Nav. One of the gems in that document is the first 6 months of Sirius Traffic is free.
Even before I found out about this documentation and the free Traffic, I called Sirius and after moving up the food chain to a real tech, they verified that Sirius Traffic does indeed work fine with the Mercedes Benz Garmin. I signed up for an 18 month discounted subscription.
Having traffic data is one of the primary reasons I want Nav, and I can report to you that Sirius Traffic worked well with the Garmin. The only confusing thing is that part of the documentation says free-flowing traffic is green. However, that is not true. Free flowing traffic is the default orange. Traffic only appears as yellow (heavy) or red (stop-and-go) or black (stopped).
Actually, the more I work with the Garmin the more I like it. It has integrated itself well into the car's voice command system. It has done a good job of itentifying and adjusting for traffic on a route.
Also, most mbrace features also work with the Navi 20 CD system. When I was shopping the car, they told me that almost nothing from mbrace works without multimedia, when in fact the opposite is true.
Wonder who told you that you can't get traffic with the Navi 20 CD? My guess would be a salesman. Regardless, if you pass on the overpriced Multi Media option and get the Garmin SD card instead, you can get Sirius Traffic. I have it and it works great.
There are a bunch of mysteries about the Garmin system because it is new and most sales people have not taken the time to learn how it works. In fact, the Garmin actually has some very good documentation - but it is hidden away in a file on the SD card. The technology expert at the dealership was totally unaware of the existence of Garmin documentation until I asked him about it. We checked his Garmin SD card and there it was - a 25 page documentation guide on how to use the Garmin Nav. One of the gems in that document is the first 6 months of Sirius Traffic is free.
Even before I found out about this documentation and the free Traffic, I called Sirius and after moving up the food chain to a real tech, they verified that Sirius Traffic does indeed work fine with the Mercedes Benz Garmin. I signed up for an 18 month discounted subscription.
Having traffic data is one of the primary reasons I want Nav, and I can report to you that Sirius Traffic worked well with the Garmin. The only confusing thing is that part of the documentation says free-flowing traffic is green. However, that is not true. Free flowing traffic is the default orange. Traffic only appears as yellow (heavy) or red (stop-and-go) or black (stopped).
Actually, the more I work with the Garmin the more I like it. It has integrated itself well into the car's voice command system. It has done a good job of itentifying and adjusting for traffic on a route.
Also, most mbrace features also work with the Navi 20 CD system. When I was shopping the car, they told me that almost nothing from mbrace works without multimedia, when in fact the opposite is true.
Did I understand it correctly that even though map updates are "free" for 3 years, you still have to purchase specific SD-card for several hundred bucks which is not included by default?
1. blsJD02: Option 355 means pre-wired for SD-Card navigation. Check your car paperwork (the piece of paper stuck on the windows that highlights options, features, gas mileage etc.) If you cannot find the information there, then call your dealer and provide them with your VIN number for confirmation.
2. zsh: Map updates being "free" for 3 years is only if you purchase the multimedia package that comes with Mercedes' navigation. To state it is "free" is quite a misnomer, since the multimedia package is a separate package that you are paying for that includes 3 years of updates.
If you purchase the multi-media package, there is no additional SD card to purchase.
If you do not purchase the multi-media package, and provided your vehicle is pre-wired for SD navigation, then you can purchase the Garmin SD navigation (retailing for ~$500 through MB Dealers on eBay).
3. I personally love Waze and was interested in knowing if anyone on this forum has purchase any equipment that allows them to mirror their phones i.e. have phone info, such as, maps display on the screen / monitor. If so, ideally I'd like to use my phone for Waze navigation and have it appear on the central Mercedes monitor in my car.
1. blsJD02: Option 355 means pre-wired for SD-Card navigation. Check your car paperwork (the piece of paper stuck on the windows that highlights options, features, gas mileage etc.) If you cannot find the information there, then call your dealer and provide them with your VIN number for confirmation.
2. zsh: Map updates being "free" for 3 years is only if you purchase the multimedia package that comes with Mercedes' navigation. To state it is "free" is quite a misnomer, since the multimedia package is a separate package that you are paying for that includes 3 years of updates.
If you purchase the multi-media package, there is no additional SD card to purchase.
If you do not purchase the multi-media package, and provided your vehicle is pre-wired for SD navigation, then you can purchase the Garmin SD navigation (retailing for ~$500 through MB Dealers on eBay).
3. I personally love Waze and was interested in knowing if anyone on this forum has purchase any equipment that allows them to mirror their phones i.e. have phone info, such as, maps display on the screen / monitor. If so, ideally I'd like to use my phone for Waze navigation and have it appear on the central Mercedes monitor in my car.
Best,
It it possible to send Google Maps to the car's screen?
@ClifordS: Yes, if you purchase mirroring equipment (you can check out eBay). Mercedes' aren't equipped/developed to run AndroidAuto (https://www.android.com/intl/en_us/auto/)
Hey, I just purchased my new car. Do you happen to still have the link for where you purchased your SD card? Would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!
Originally Posted by radiojon
Newbie here, and first-time MB Owner! Picked up a 2015 C-Class C300 last week with the Premium Package. No COMAND Navi, but it does have the SD card slot for the retrofit to Garmin Map Pilot (for $600). The dealership says they don't know when the SD cards will be available and I can't find them for sale anywhere online.
Does anyone know about the expected availability of the Garmin SD cards (for USA)?
Also, it's my understanding that the mbrace Mercedes-Benz Apps package ($14/month) includes TuneIn Internet Radio -- but I can't find any mention of any sort of data cap with it, so does that mean that you can listen to UNLIMITED TuneIn with this monthly package?
12-30-2014, 02:32 AM
Garmin Live Traffic?
