Opinion about navigation system and maps
 

Hello, just got a used 2011 e350 and I have not used it much. It seems like maps never been updated and very old.

What is your opinion about cars Navigation system and maps ?

I like to use Google maps on my iPhone and does not want to maintain two address and contact database. Do you really use cars Nav system and maps very often or end using your phone more.

It also seems expensive to update the maps.

Any ideas and opinions appreciated
Happy New Year to everybody
Thanks

I use send to car through MBrace

:y
(or alternatively, use Google Maps 'Send To Car' option)

Its easy to do an update using the MB 2014 or 2013 map update dvd. I updated mine and it took about 3 hours. Its best to do it with engine running and hood opened. I purchased the dvds through ebay.

Just did my upgrade to the 2014 version. Night and day from the MY2010. All the street names actually show up on .5 zoom. POIs are all updated along with all street changes.

FYI I have the 2014 DVD for sale on eBay if your interested.

thanks can you send me the link

Are these disks truly pass around friendly? I assumed there had to be some sort of key code or "dial home to the mothership" feature to prevent this. My wife has a 2013 ML - would the disk that came with her car work in my 2011?

I am very pleased with Nav system and maps on my 2013. The system from the 2008 was so bad I would rarely use it. The map updates you can buy on E-bay worked fine.

Likely not. The dvd disc are model specific. If you look on ebay at the photos of the cover, the dvd box list what Mercedes models and years the update is for.

Thanks, assumed as much but wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.

they are sharable with the same model group they are made for. That's why people resell them.

Do you need to subscribe to anything MB to make this work? I don't really want to pay a monthly fee for that MBrace-like crap.

If free, I'd appreciate schooling on how to do it.

TIA

In 2014 Garmen started making the navigation system for MB. The results were pretty bad for the 2014 year. My $24 hand held Garmen works better and gives better instruction than my $60,000 2014 MB. I have driven MB prior to 2014 and the navigation systems worked fine but that was before they started with Garmen. I guess 2014 was an experimental year for the navigation system. What a piece of garbage. I do not know if the 2015 MB are any better. Time will tell.

I never rely on my car's (2014) expensive system. I end up using my cheap phone with the Waze app. The car system sometimes gives me some wild direction heading off to God knows where.

Grille and NAV DVD
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261717507264...84.m1555.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261715947448...84.m1555.l2649

When I went on vacation the car had me make a left then another left and then a third left. Made a complete circle and went straight on the road I was on to begin with. I love the waze app. use it all the time.

We've been over this plenty of times, but yeah it's not the best system. It can be embarrassing to use at times. It works fairly well if you give it an exact address. The poi search is terrible. I use my phone to look up poi address data with google maps and enter the address by voice or the knahb

I have traffic info via the intergrated sim card. however it sometimes does not connect & have to switch off the car completely in order to reconnect. anyone else have similar problems...?

Unfortunately, you need an MBrace account for it to work (but just the basic service will do, $280/yr I think,... no need for extra MBrace option or apps that cost monthly on top of the basic).

Thanks for your reply.
when you use mbrace;
1. can you see Google map on the nav screen?
or is it just send the address info (street, city, zip) from iPhone to nav System?
2. what if the Nav system map is outdated, will mbrace still be effective and give you the correct directions?

You see the map as installed in the car, if I want google maps I just use my phone


I don't know, I have never tried to go to somewhere that is not on a map

If you try to send it to an address not in the map software, it won't work. Also, buying the latest maps doesn't guarantee that all the new streets will be there, which is sad considering the update DVD costs like $250. Google maps always seems to have the best and latest data, including traffic. Why they haven't integrated it to date is beyond me.

Maps
 

I bought the same year new so I too thought I would update my maps since there are some major road changes around Vancouver..
I was pee'd to find my discounted price for the CD was $194 CDN when BMW, Toyota etc. wanted significantly less money and in the case of BMW a 3 yr deal was included on updates. Unfortunately we cannot use the net for these cars as far as I know so the CD is the only way to go.
Having said that I found a couple of club members who offered to share the cost with me. Nope! They wrote the software such that once it has been accessed it cannot be accessed again even by my system it seems.
To make matters worse it is not up to date.
As an example there was a new ring road approved in 2008 from the Twasseen ferry terminal to Hwy 1 in Surrey. It is a major route and time saver.
The road went into construction in 2009 and opened December 26, 2013. I bought my disc in August 2014 and the road is not there.
On my Garmin LM40 the first update in April showed the road. (I have the LM package for life time map updates) as did my Maps on my iPhone.
Wasted my money.
You can get a Garmin or Tom Tom or Magellan with a life time maps subscription easily for the cost of the DVD. if you want more sophisticated systems - e.g. voice commands - I am sure you can get them but I would not recommend you do the updates as they are at least 3 yr behind by their own admission.
My LM40 was a factory refurb, with a 1 yr warranty, life time maps, all mounts and cables for $89 CDN. Hard to beat. I use it when I travel using rental cars and in my Slick because the phone mount is too low.

I am trying to simply my life. All of my contacts and address including docs are synced among my laptop, iPad and iPhone. I do not want to duplicate the work and enter another set of contact etc into car's nav system. I have used so many different nav systems including Garmin, TomTom , Apple maps and I have found that the most accurate and the best one is Google maps. That is why I like to use Google maps on my iPhone.

My current solution is;
1. connect my iphone to cars system with 30pin to lighting cable and
2. use a Universal Smartphone CD Slot to mount my iPhone

The best solution would be to mirror iPhone's screen to car's nav screen.

Does anybody know if there is any iPhone screen mirroring device or apps?

Nav
 

That is a good way to go. Do you use Siri to enter destinations? Do the voice directions play through the system so you can hear them?