Please help me sort this all out:
I have remote start and other FEATURES for 1 year free. Then it is $150 a year after that?
There is cell hot spot wifi option that is guessing $40 a month to activate - unrelated to the above.
Then Navigation is $550 to install, then it is permenent. BUT, does nav REQUIRE the above yearly plan, or the monthly cell plan to continue getting updates, or both?
Can nav still be used if I don't buy the yearly features, or the monthly cellular?

I simply use Google maps on the wire, but pondering the utility of the build in Nav.
Thanks for any feedback.

 

If the car wasn't ordered with navigation pre-installed from the factory, then you can add it with the $550 one-time option. After that you can use navigation, but w/o the yearly subscription you won't have live traffic, map updates etc., so if you want that you still have to renew the subscription every year. The Wi-FI hotspot is not needed for anything. That's just if you want your devices or passenger's devices to be able to connect to the Internet. Not really necessary, IMO, since most devices these days have their own Internet connection. I've never activated the Wi-Fi hotspot.

 

perfect, thank you. that makes sense

 

I'ma just post this here instead of new thread.
I bought the Navigation, installed, setup - turned all the features on to decide which things I liked
downloaded and installed all the MB Map updates using their tool and USB
and everything went great.

BUT...

This is the worst gps/map/routing I have ever used with it failing me around 8 out 10 uses in just one week.
It's taken me to construction blocked roads I had to back track miles to get around (ok this one was before I updated the maps, so, forgiveable),
wanted to turn me onto one way roads to cross over a grass median to get to my road,
wanted me to drive off an overpass to get to the road below,
even wanted me to turn left then left again making a u turn just to make a simple right turn.
It's slow announcing, pretty much telling you to turn right at the turn instead of right before it (granted, the pre warning does happen).
I was going to keep it just because, and hope it improves, but with each failing use, I finally give up and am getting it refunded.
There is no way I can trust it for anything. Very disappointed in it.
I live in the largest capitol city in my state, and shouldn't have nav issues like this.

For comparison, I can't even remember the last time google maps failed me.
On that note, I read Benz is connecting with Google soon, so perhaps the very near future the mapping aspect will be up to par.

 

Odd. It's the best navigation I've used. Google maps has been flaky for a few years now in my experience and the MBUX featuring Here maps works very well in Charlotte NC.
My wife's car is older and uses the Command infotainment and a Garmin card based system. That system has boned me countless times on the interstate.

 

Same story for me. I have finally given up on MBUX navigation and use Google maps with CarPlay. The only annoying thing is that unlike the built in nave and Apple Maps, Google maps won’t display turn by turn on the digital gauge cluster.

 

We also have 3 navigation options in our 2020 GLC300: M-B navigation, Google maps, and Apple Maps. After 43,000 miles in 5 US states, we have found the built in navigation to be superior in every way. We expect to be surprised by construction projects; Arizona and California roads are very bad. We like the extras like local danger notifications, altitude display, weather overlay on call, and route-based speed control. Cons are the infrequent updates (May 2023 ws our last), and the stop light picture which would benefit by a sharper camera.

 

That does sound like a major malfunction of some sorts. I have more experience with the slightly older COMAND navigation system in my C63. I get OTA map updates as well and it uses the same live traffic data as MBUX. It hasn't let me down yet. In fact it has at times found better routes than Google Maps. I mostly use the built-in navigation, because it just works and is nicely integrated with the rest of the car. It has much better lane guidance for example, instructing when to enter express lanes and when to leave them for example. Google Maps doesn't even acknowledge HOA lanes.

 

Once last fall, I compared MBUX (HERE), with Waze and Google Maps, by sharing the screen. I was waiting for my Wife, on a hill with a panoramic view of a very busy road for about two miles, three busy intersections.

MBUX with HERE technology reflected the slowdowns and stoppages, and more importantly, the clearing up of traffic - much quicker than Google maps.
HERE showed the congestion within a minute; G maps took about 5 min, but much longer to show cleared up.

Waze, for the most part, only showed congestion after 5 min, and never showed 'clear' in the half hour I watched.

My driving experience - Rerouting with Waze is almost 100% guaranteed to route you away from a cleared area, into a new congestion that it hasn't seen yet.
G Maps has only a 75% chance of that mistake, while HERE gets a reroute right most of the time.

The difference?
Waze uses Crowdsourced data with poor validation.
G Maps uses location sensors on cell phones.
HERE uses Car-to-X plus live data from highway road sensors, via subscriptions to state and local departments of transportation.

G Maps is transitioning to live highway sensors, but hasn't fully gotten there yet.

Google is trying to catch up, but HERE seems to be supplanting Google for onboard NAV - they sell their services to a lot of manufacturers.
This could clearly change next year.

I only use Android auto for music, but sparingly because it's awkward to get back to MBUX NAV while selecting music.

 

I've made similar observations. The traffic shown in the MB nav is generally right on the money, whereas GM shows traffic when the road is clear. GM often shows congestion on my neighborhood streets. It clearly mistakes everybody walking their dogs as cars stuck in traffic. So much for crowdsourcing. I believe it was in the UK where somebody a couple of years ago pulled a stunt by loading a cart full of smartphones and dragging it behind them down a street. Within a short time, GM showed stop&go traffic on that road. He wanted to draw attention to how blindly many follow these apps. I stopped using Waze after it got me stuck in downtown San Francisco forcing me to make left hand turns against pedestrians during rush hour. I disregarded the navigation system in my car at that time which recommended to stay on the highway despite congestion. I won't make this mistake again.

 

I definitely admit I am not getting many traffic notifications as I usually avoid busy times anyway. I've got all those notifies turned on, but haven't seen any yet.
I'm only using mapping routes, and head scratching at my own place where it tells me to turn right, into an open field instead of left to my place.
I certainly do beleive it works great for many others. But my google maps has been 99% where as benz nav is sitting around 10% useable to me right now.

I'm trying other settings, like avoid highways and dirt roads, and fast verses eco routes, but still get, "Turn right here, off this bridge and plummet to the road below, to your death"
2023 maps

* back story is, all AI hates be because I know what it is up to and have been blowing the whistle about it. AI is out to get me. Just more proof.

 

It's possible that your GPS antenna, compass or another sensor is on the fritz feeding it garbage data. Sometimes it's little things that can cause issues. For example my voice recognition stopped working after they did some work on the headliner. Brought it back and they found pieces of paper blocking the microphones.

 

Good point, but it doesn't look for feel that way. The little arrow is spot on and does track perfectly where I am. It just hates me.

 

Did they change the way we renew remote start and other options? Last year when I renewed them I was able to pick and choose the options I wanted and now I'm only being offered the $150 package. This is what I was able to choose last year.

 

And this is what I'm offered now but a lot of things aren't available? Why no map update or live traffic?

 

Yes, they moved to a flat pricing model. It's the same price for everybody, but the services depend on the equipment of your car. Online map updates is only available if your car has navigation for example. I just renewed for my C63. The new pricing model is cheaper for me. I paid $175 last year w/o renewing remote engine start which would have been another $35 for a total of $210. Now for $150 I get remote engine start and geofencing in addition to what I renewed last year, so effectively it's $60 cheaper now. Geofencing was available when I first got the car, but they took it offline for the last three years and now it's offered again. It still remembered my geofences I had setup originally.

 

My car does have factory Nav so why would it say Map updates not available? That sounds like a good deal for you but I have an $80 increase for the year.

 

Based on the unavailable services, it doesn't think you have the factory navigation. Here's my list. I have COMAND with factory navigation and live traffic etc. was all renewed. The only one that seems incorrect on this list is Satellite images. I do have satellite images, even though it says it's not available. Actually I also have weather forecast as far as I know.

 

So if it doesn't think I have Nav, would that prevent the Maps from updating, or if I do have some of the things it's saying I don't, they will all work since I actually do have them?

 

That's a good question and I don't have the answer to that. You would only know for sure once you renew and then check the Manage Services page and see if Online Map Update is active and the term got extended. What does it say for you now?

 

Is that from the website? How do I get to those options?

 

https://www.me.mercedes-benz.com/pas...anagement.html

 

Yeah, I don't have the Map update option. That's weird.

 

What about Live Traffic etc.? What year is your car?

 

2019 GLC 300. I have live traffic with my Sirius account.