2010 Navigation system errors and malfunctions

[dfochil]

I have a 2010 750Li. The navigation system has multiple defects. On several occasions, the system has taken me to a location that's from a few hundred feet to several miles from the correct destination. This can be demonstrated to the dealer by calling up the address, requesting route guidance, selecting the interactive map, zooming in on the chequered flag, then comparing where the flag is to where the destination is located as per Mapquest. Another defect is that the current location (city or town) as shown for example on the interactive map is often incorrect; my own home town shows up as a non-existent town name on the interactive map and also in the current location screen when BMW assist is activated. A third defect involves repeated instructions to take every next exit from an expressway or, in another case, a divided highway with traffic lights, even when the correct route requires staying on the existing road for another 50-100 miles.

BMW has been aware of this problem for a long time. Service Information Bulletin SI 65 07 09 issued in August 2009 states the problem to be that "the navigation system route guidance is incorrect; navigation to certain addresses is not possible; or road data is missing." However the bulletin continues: "This is not a problem in the BMW navigation systems. The road map is the responsibility of Tele Atlas (which) has been the world's most trusted source of fresh, rich and accurate digital maps and dynamic content for more than 20 years. ... Combined with the Tele Atlas powerful source network, continuous customer feedback is helping them constantly validate TeleAtlas road maps. Therefore. a road map error or missing data must be reported directly to Tele Atlas. The Tele Atlas website has a section for reporting map errors. ... The customer must have the latest available Tele Atlas Road map data before reporting an error. ... A valid email address must be provided so that Tele Atlas can reply to customer feedback."

I'm not making this up! BMW is saying loud and clear that the fact that the BMW navigation system in the 2010 750 doesn't work is not their responsibility! And my dealer, which has contacted BMW about it, cannot give me any assurance that the system in my car will be fixed. The dealer seems to be just as much in the dark as I am. He did completely reprogram my car with a new download, but it made no difference. Most recently, he told me that other dealers are also complaing to BMW about this situation.

[Mikenmass]

I've not experienced any of these issues and I wonder if it's a regional issue with the Atlas information. Is this across several areas or in one general area?

[dfochil]

I have used the system only in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. Have encountered errors in all those states. However the system has directed me correctly to many addresses in those states also. So maybe you've just been lucky. The service bulletin is national not regional.

[texgeekboy]

I just noticed a weird thing in my '09 750 nav system. I was looking for an address in downtown Houston (I live in the burbs and never go downtown, so I needed some help in navigating through the one-way streets). It turns out for the address I keyed in, it referred to the town as 'Clutch City', not Houston. That is a term used back when the Rockets won the NBA champs back to back in the mid-90s. It really fell off after that. I was really surprised to see that term come up.

Otherwise, I have not seen any problems with the system not taking me to where I asked. To the OP, which version of the Nav software do you have?

[LovinM6]

I don't seem to have this problem here in Northern California.

[dfochil]

The problem that you describe is exactly one of the three that I have identified.

I do not know my nav software version. The car was assembled in 9/09.

[texgeekboy]

I can't recall exactly how you get there, perhaps in vehicle info, or the map software itself, but the map software version can be shown. I can't recall my version, but I know there is an update to it. There was another thread about it, and it goes for around $300 or so. It isn't a fix per se, but new roads and perhaps some better navigation logic. When I take mine in for its 15K mile maintenance, I plan on having it added. While it's pricey, there are a lot of new roads in my area that don't show up.

As a reference, I bought my kid upgraded maps to his hand-held Garmin, and it was around $80. It doesn't have anywhere near the capabilites as the BMW nav system, so the price is high but not outrageous IMHO.

[Deutsch100]

Knock on wood...so far the Navi in both our 2010 M6 and 750i has been (surprisingly) excellent...considering BMW and Mercedes are not navigation system masters :) I remember the Navi in our 2004 and 2008 X5 did what you are describing. Frustrating. Sorry!!

[dfochil]

Today my dealer gave me a 2010 328i as a loaner. Recent vintage, only 1,500 miles on the clock. It has a nav system which is identical to the one on my 2010 750Li so I tested it for the problems which I posted (above). The 328's system has exactly the same malfunctions -- all of them. Since this car was manufactured recently, it is clear that BMW is not taking any action to correct the errors which make the current BMW nav systems useless in many situations --i f not dangerous, given the confusion that they can cause.

Meanwhile my dealer says he continues to hear nothing from BMW about any plans to make the necessary corrections.

[CC Brown]

I have used Nav systems of all types since 1988. Maps data can be incomplete and TeleAtlas data for the USA is not known as the best. In Europe it is considered the best. Here Navteq is considered the best. No matter what routing algorithm you have if it has bad map data it will not work correctly. I have found this true on the Garmin, Auto-pilot( on PC or handheld) and Mercedes( Navteq). So as much as you want to blame BMW it sounds like bad map data.

[dfochil]

I certainly do blame BMW because they sold it to me. Therefore they should fix it.

[DrRob]

My 2010 528i navigation system has the same glitch. I'm told "the fix is coming". I didn't get so much as an apology from BMW. I have the re-programming report on my car. The "fault" is clearly tagged. Why knowingly deliver the problem to me? I asked for an extended warranty from the dealer to add back some of the value that was lost. No deal. I will wait until my first service and when there is still "no-fix" and ramp-up my displeasure again.

[BMW_F1]

I have had no issues here in Northern California, primarily in the SF Bay Area.

[TFulci]

I bought brand new 2010 528i in October 2009 and have been complaining to my dealer ever since. Literally within 2 weeks of purchase, I started having issues with Navigation system. The system simply does not recognize many addresses. My dealer updated a new version of system earlier in year and it corrected one large problem on NJ Turnpike, but all the local issues which are higher priority still exist. I think it is a disgrace that BMW cannot fix this issue and that the dealers are not making good on the "lemon" they sold to all of us 2010 BMW owners. See my posting for further feedback on my issue.

[DrRob]

Have you complained up the "escalation" chain at BMW North America customer service? I'd like to look into the problem being related to a manufacturing problem in September 2009. Could be a lot problem related to a chip. This is why some responders say they have no problem when some of us have an identical problem. BMW may be stalling so we will just give up. I love the car otherwise, but feel I spent way too much money to be treated like this.

[wjhughes420384]

anyone know how to check nav version?

[wjhughes420384]

found it, now I only need to find the SW version for the car itself

[TFulci]

Have you complained up the "escalation" chain at BMW North America customer service? I'd like to look into the problem being related to a manufacturing problem in September 2009. Could be a lot problem related to a chip. This is why some responders say they have no problem when some of us have an identical problem. BMW may be stalling so we will just give up. I love the car otherwise, but feel I spent way too much money to be treated like this.

I completely agree. I haven't gone the route of BMW N.A. as I think that this is the dealer's job. As a customer that paid over $50K to BMW of Freehold for a brand new car and complained about navigation issue within first 2 weeks of purchase, I think the dealer has an obligation. Also, I should hope the dealer has more clout than I would individually.

The day I posted initial issue, I received a phone call from manager of BMW of Freehold. Clearly he wasn't happy about my posting, but nothing I stated is incorrect so there's not much to argue. Anyway, he set up an appointment for me with someone from BMW N.A. in mid-August to drop off my car so they can look into issue.

Ironically, I stated in my original posting that BMW corrected the NJ Turnpike issue in March 2010. However, I drove my car last week to my office in Jersey City for the first time since then and sure enough, the issue is not corrected. It is better than before, but the system still instructs me to get off one of the first exits of NJ Turnpike as soon as I get onto Turnpike. So even this issue is not fixed, although BMW says it is.

[texgeekboy]

...The day I posted initial issue, I received a phone call from manager of BMW of Freehold. Clearly he wasn't happy about my posting, but nothing I stated is incorrect so there's not much to argue. Anyway, he set up an appointment for me with someone from BMW N.A. in mid-August to drop off my car so they can look into issue. ...

The fact that he scans the board is a good thing. At first I was surprised that he was not happy, but after thinking about it a bit that subsided. Perhaps he made the initial contact too soon after reading your post (it's always best to count to 10 :) ). The important fact was that he offered to do something.

Keep us posted on how the mid-August thingy goes. I'll be taking my car in for service a little after that, and I would like to know what to ask for.

[hawk94]

I bought brand new 2010 528i in October 2009 and have been complaining to my dealer ever since. Literally within 2 weeks of purchase, I started having issues with Navigation system. The system simply does not recognize many addresses. My dealer updated a new version of system earlier in year and it corrected one large problem on NJ Turnpike, but all the local issues which are higher priority still exist. I think it is a disgrace that BMW cannot fix this issue and that the dealers are not making good on the "lemon" they sold to all of us 2010 BMW owners. See my posting for further feedback on my issue.

I have exactly the same problem with my 2010 528xi. Nav tells me to get off every exit on the NJ Turnpike. Princeton BMW dealer re-flushed Nav programing, but still not fixed. it is very annoying. Unhappy about BMW did not do anything about it. Will bring this up agin when bringing in for service.

[thrang]

I had a few poor navigation experiences as well recently in Massachusetts. The worst was when navigating to the Foxboro sports arena (a hockey rink). The nav said I arrived and left me on 95, with the rink nowhere in sight. I pulled over, entered the same poi, an it took me to the next exit and two miles later put me in the correct spot

The lack of street names is frustrating, and not showing the name of the street you're on is poor design as well.

[JaiJai]

[QUOTE=dfochil;5256598]A third defect involves repeated instructions to take every next exit from an expressway or, in another case, a divided highway with traffic lights, even when the correct route requires staying on the existing road for another 50-100 miles.

QUOTE]


This happened on my '11 X6 when I was on the NJ Turn pike and it kept telling me to get off the"Cars only" lanes only to get back on the "Cars, Trucks and busses" lanes...I was really freaked out!!!!:mad:

[texgeekboy]

I just had the 2010 map software installed (I previously had the 2009 version). This was the first time my dealer upgraded the map software for any F01 model. They did not have the upgrade disks (3!), so they had to get them sent from BMW. AFTER they got the disks, it took 2 full days to load it! They said the learned a lot and it would be quicker for the next guy/gal. I had a loaner so it wasn't that big a deal. The upgrade was less than $250 total, including taxes.

The issue I mentioned early on in this thread, regarding 'Clutch City' appearing as an alias for Houston appear to still be there. I see some additional roads in the '10 version that weren't in the '09 version, but not everything I was expecting to see.

[henaleena]

I have experienced some of the same problems mentioned in this thread dealing navigation issues. I could not program (the navigation does not recognize these addresses and locations!) some of the addresses in my 2010 LXi Individidual (navigation map version?) in MO and Nav directed me wrong addresses several blocks or miles off. These addresses had been in existence for over 10 years. My old 2003 740L (NAVTEK System) recognized these addresses and correctly navigated. I took my car and complained the problem to Baron BMW of Kansas City and the SA compared the programmed car map with Mapquest and it appeared the same but the car nav direcyed me to a different location. The SA could not resolve it. The SA also told me (which I did not agree with) that the BMW uses a Google map on line for navigation which gets updated on the fly and should be in its most updated form which means we would never have to update the road maps ever. Please educate me on this. I am taking my car back to Baron BMW of Kansas City to have it fixed or raise hell.

[texgeekboy]

...The SA also told me (which I did not agree with) that the BMW uses a Google map on line for navigation which gets updated on the fly and should be in its most updated form which means we would never have to update the road maps ever...

The SA must be confusing the ability to down load an address from Google maps with navigation. This is simply not so.

The only drive outside of Houston and the burbs I've been on is to San Antonio. The navigation has been accurate for all Houston and San Antonio addresses (except for the goofy Clutch City thing I previously mentioned). I'm heading to Dallas in December, and if there are any Nav issues on that trip, I'll make a post.

[dfochil]

Nothing any of us or any of our dealers do is going to solve the nav system problem because, as noted in my original post (June 13), BMW denies any responsibility for the undeniable fact that the nav system is defective. The fact that this situation has been known to BMW for going on two years now tells me that nothing short of a class action suit is going to change that.

[derrick_lui]

I've had trouble using it in NYC where the nav asked me to make turns into one way street...but its NYC so I guess its not too nav friendly.

[TFulci]

I'm close to giving up. BMW of Freehold (NJ) is absolutely no help nor was BMW USA. I will never purchase another vehicle from them for the poor and unprofessional manner in which they addressed the issue of Navigation system.

[henaleena]

It looks like BMW corporate and involved dealership would not fix the ongoing problems with navigation. BMW should switch back to NAVTEK map and provide free upgrade or installation; otherwise the blogs should bring a class action suite against BMW corporate

[texgeekboy]

We were in an unfamiliar part of town, and I requested navigation. It took us there for a bit, we were getting close, the checkered flag was about 2.5 blocks straight ahead, and all of the sudden the Nav lady starts telling me to "do a u turn if possible". So, the checkered flag said one thing, and the Nav lady is thinking we're somewhere else.

Then, when I requested a route home, it took me to a nearby tollway, which is what I wanted. I was on it for a mile, with about 8 miles to go, but Nav lady told me to exit to the right? The map indicated to stay on the tollway.

For both of the above cases, the roads have been there for years, so nothing should have confused Nav lady. I'll have to watch the map since it appears to be more correct than Nav Lady. The direction assistance that pops up on the dashboard was in sync with Nav Lady, not the map.

[LovinM6]

We were in an unfamiliar part of town, and I requested navigation. It took us there for a bit, we were getting close, the checkered flag was about 2.5 blocks straight ahead, and all of the sudden the Nav lady starts telling me to "do a u turn if possible". So, the checkered flag said one thing, and the Nav lady is thinking we're somewhere else.

Then, when I requested a route home, it took me to a nearby tollway, which is what I wanted. I was on it for a mile, with about 8 miles to go, but Nav lady told me to exit to the right? The map indicated to stay on the tollway.

For both of the above cases, the roads have been there for years, so nothing should have confused Nav lady. I'll have to watch the map since it appears to be more correct than Nav Lady. The direction assistance that pops up on the dashboard was in sync with Nav Lady, not the map.

I am not sure this is the case of your first incident but sometimes it tells you to make a U turn because your address is on the other side of the street and it doesn't think you can make a left into the address.

[texgeekboy]

I am not sure this is the case of your first incident but sometimes it tells you to make a U turn because your address is on the other side of the street and it doesn't think you can make a left into the address.

I thought about that too. This part of town is laid out in a nice grid with relatively small blocks and no one-way streets. I think Nav lady should have told me to U-turn after passing it in two blocks, not before it.

[henaleena]

BMW Customer service should sent out a quesionnaire and conduct an opinion poll to get a full assessment among owners especially those who have cars equipped with Tele Atlas Navigation system-map if they were expriencing problems with their navigation system; taking or directing to wrong addresses or locations. BMW had swiched from the most trusty and reliable NAV TEK navigation to Tele Atlas Europe which I belive was the root cause for all the problems the owners were experiencing with newer BMWs. Also, the present owners should send out complaints to State and Federal regulatory that deals with consumers complains on automobiles.

[joejensen]

I'm close to giving up. BMW of Freehold (NJ) is absolutely no help nor was BMW USA. I will never purchase another vehicle from them for the poor and unprofessional manner in which they addressed the issue of Navigation system.

I too have had issues with the new nav maps. Having said that, what specifically were you expecting your dealer and BMW NA to do? A few people reporting map issues isn't going to get BMW to spend millions sending new Navtech maps to all owners.

[dfochil]

Nothing short of a class action suit is going to motivate BMW to address this defect in their product.

[texgeekboy]

Another mess up today. I plugged in an address, and to get there I had to take about a 5 mile stretch of freeway. The main screen had the line correct, and the Nav lady told me the proper stuff. But, when I got on the freeway, the arrow in the instrument cluster went completely bonkers. It should have pointed straight ahead for that entire 5 mile stretch. I looked at it and it was pointing straight back ??? It then pointed to the right, and then slowly rotated to point back. It did that about 3-4 times on the 5 mile stretch.

It's sad, really, the poor software in the nav system on a supposed luxury car.

[Evan Engber]

The Navigator on my 2010 X535d sucks. The GPS part is fine but the map is really poor. If I'm crossing a river the GPS knows exactly where I am (for example) but it may not know the name of the town or it doesn't list street addresses that have been there for years. My cheapest oldest hand held garmin navs are much better about knowing correctly where streets and addresses are. The one in the X5 often takes me blocks away. The other big annoyance is that when going down a highway, highway 101 usually, the voice tells me to go straight and not turn off at random intervals when passing a side road while still many miles from my destination. The X535d is a fantastic machine but the Nav pukes. I have heard from a number of BMW owners about how bad the nav is. It seems we really need to find a way to get the maps fixed. These are such excellent machines and the nav is an embarrassment. Every Navigator that I own except for my X5 uses Navtec mapping. Whatever BMW uses is way bad. How do we beat these guy on this, the dealers just stonewall. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[tbt]

The Navigation System in my 2011 335xi, which I've been driving for a month or so, is absolute garbage. I previously drove a 2008 335xi for three years and that navigation system was very good. So something was done to the nav system in the last 3 years that has massively screwed it up.

I live in Northern New Jersey just outside Manhattan. In the past two days, I've encountered the following navigation errors, which are typical of the ones I've been dealing with in the last month. Fortunately in all instances I knew where I was going anyway and ignored the nav system's advice.

1. While driving to Philadelphia on three occasions it told us to get off the highway, which was wrong. My wife was driving the car and I had Google maps up. Google maps told us to stay on the highway, which was correct. We had taken the same route before using the old nav system in our old BMW and it always got the route correct.

2. Last night I drove into Manhattan, going to Park Ave. S. and 28th. Upon getting out of the Lincolon Tunnel (which is located around 38th Street), the nav system told me to turn left, directing me toward 42nd Street. It should have told me to turn right, directing me toward 34th Street. Again, this is a route I took in the past with the old nav system and it always got it right (as it should, telling you to go south rather than north when your destination is southeast from where you are located isn't exactly rocket science).

3. After I got on 34th Street, the nav system kept trying to get me to turn left, again trying to direct me north when my destination was south of where I was located.

4. Heading home from 28th and Park, the nav system told me to turn left (south), when my destination, the Lincoln Tunnel, was 10 blocks north of where I was located. Again, this is a route I took in the past with the old nav system and it always got it right.

5. Upon exiting the Lincoln Tunnel, the nav system told me to follow 495 rather than what was correct, which was to get out at the Hoboken exit. Once again, this is something the old nav system always got right.

Over the past month, there have been dozens of other instances where the nav system gave me wrong directions, including one where if I had followed its advice I would have been misdirected into the Lincoln Tunnel. The current system is completely unacceptable. And it's even more frustrating for me since I've gone from driving a BMW with an excellent nav system to a newer version of the same car which has an atrocious nav system.

[LovinM6]

Today I was driving in San Francisco and my Navigation unit had absolutely no idea what it was been doing. It too was garbage. First time this has happened. It was a good thing I kinda knew where I was. It was useless today.

[huanjf]

Today I was driving in San Francisco and my Navigation unit had absolutely no idea what it was been doing. It too was garbage. First time this has happened. It was a good thing I kinda knew where I was. It was useless today.

You are lucky you know the area. It could end up wasting hrs to find the right place. Nowaday nobody is carrying map anymore. Did you turn of your car completely and restart? I figure it might act like a computer, sometimes weired things happen, just need a restart to clear the issue.

[texgeekboy]

Today I was driving in San Francisco and my Navigation unit had absolutely no idea what it was been doing...

While I think the Nav system is crap, I believe that sometimes the antenna can't get sufficient GPS signal. I notice it when I drive along a freeway with a large overpass. The car indicator has me driving in the middle of nowhere, not on the road. After I pass the overpass, the car indicator quickly gets put on the road. This happens at that location pretty regularly.

Another weirdy, when I'm on a new road that is not on the map, the car indicator stays at the end of the known road, not out in the middle of nowhere where it thinks I am. It then jumps to the closest road point as I drive along the non-road. When the road connects up, I'm back on it. I noticed this after I got the 2010 map upgrade. I'm pretty sure that in the 2009 version, the car indicator would show me in the middle of nowhere. A step back, IMHO.

[purebimmer]

My NAV started to mis-direct me to streets in Northern California that did not exist back in 1/24/2011. Since then the NAV never left Northern CA even though we are in southern CA. We brought our car back to the dealer on Wed, 2/9/2011, and after a week of removing most the components in the dash and consulting with BMW N.A., they determined this morning that it was a defective Nav antenna. I've mentioned this to the service advisor last week that I've read of the antenna issue in the BMW forums. Instead, they took another car with the same NAV system and started to swap components to determine the fault. I asked her how many components were swapped, and she indicated four or five and all were in the dash. I can just picture our car has the entire dash removed and maybe including the front seats. Moreover, the service advisor indicated that the Nav antenna is a "national back order" until next month so we need to bring our car back in on Saturday March 5, 2011. We now fear the tightness of a new BMW may be compromised as interior parts were removed and reinstalled. This is amazing that BMW's with MSRP from $80k to $100k+ have a NAV that does not work and my Garmin Nuvi that costs $100 which works great :mad: