BMW Navigation .... sucks?

I did not have navigation in my previous car (an E46 M3). In my household, my wife's honda accord was the only vehicle with navigation. In her car, we have not once in 6 years of ownership had an issue with the navigation routing us to the wrong place. I've had the 535 for about 3 weeks now, and it has mis-guided me at least a handful of times. It has pointed me in the wrong direction many times, including wrong corners, wrong streets, wrong TOWNS. This morning I made sure the building number, street, city, state, were all input correctly, and notwithstanding that, I was routed to the wrong town.

Did I miss a memo on BMW navigation or is it really this terrible?

It is this bad and I can only hope you got it for free.

Search the forum if you like as there are several threads on how bad.

You may have an issue with the system.

I have never been routed to the wrong town with any BMW nav.

Wrong town? I wouldn't be surprised if it took you to the wrong planet! It does suck, big time. You cannot compare this Navigator to a Honda Navigator, it's not fair - it's like comparing a Yugo to a Mercedes

Originally Posted by 1HOT BMR

Wrong town? I wouldn't be surprised if it took you to the wrong planet! It does suck, big time. You cannot compare this Navigator to a Honda Navigator, it's not fair - it's like comparing a Yugo to a Mercedes

My experience is vastly different. Is the Nav perfect? No. Not all POI's show up and I don't always find what I am looking for searching. But every time I have entered an address I got there.

I usually send addresses from google maps, or my contacts and it works like a charm.

I am not sure how people can have such a different experience with the same system.

"If possible make an illegal U-turn on the next intersection..."

Originally Posted by chuck92116

My experience is vastly different. Is the Nav perfect? No. Not all POI's show up and I don't always find what I am looking for searching. But every time I have entered an address I got there.

I usually send addresses from google maps, or my contacts and it works like a charm.

I am not sure how people can have such a different experience with the same system.

+1....i use it w/ Google Maps all the time and find it fairly accurate, definately have not had the same experience as the OP and i'm in the same state...

Aceman

Originally Posted by 1HOT BMR

Wrong town? I wouldn't be surprised if it took you to the wrong planet! It does suck, big time. You cannot compare this Navigator to a Honda Navigator, it's not fair - it's like comparing a Yugo to a Mercedes

Hell -- no kidding. I have been spoiled by my wife's honda. It does exactly what it's supposed to do all the time. Down to finding the location on the correct corner and the correct side of the street. My BMW navigation experience has been horrible finding even the simplest of locations. I had to pull out my iphone this morning in the car to get to the right location. Crap, this sucks.

Well, my experience with the nav has been so-so. Not a fan of it when it took me down a one way street downtown Miami... and I was driving in the wrong direction. I was thankful that it was rather late at night and traffic was sparse.

I seriously only got the Navigation in order to make my car look luxurious and to please my mom. Otherwise, I don't even bother as it gives me some crazy instructions every time.

It gets confused frequently, and has given me conflicting instructions on several occasions. Thankfully I have Google Navigation on my Android device, or I would be out of luck in some cases.

This is common kind of problem it has. Near me is a highway that splits in to three different directions. Two left lanes are one, the right lane goes straight, and from the right lane you can make a right. If you are going on the roadway that is straight, it will tell you to take right, then take a left immediately. It really should be saying bear right. The nav in my E70 never had this problem at this or other such intersections.

Originally Posted by aceman67

+1....i use it w/ Google Maps all the time and find it fairly accurate, definately have not had the same experience as the OP and i'm in the same state...

Aceman

Same here. I've found the F10 Nav system to be comparable to other built-in systems I've used (i.e., pretty good but not 100% reliable). Has anyone conducted a simultaneous, side by side comparison with other built-in systems?

Another semi-positive voice here... Even though I hate the way many street do not contain labels until zoomed in too closely (when they disappear from the screen altogether), direction-wise it has never led me wrong. Maybe it doesn't always find my preferred route and I have to override it by ignoring a suggested turn (which would be hard in the city I don't know as well), it has yet to act in any strange way as to mislead me or take me to a wrong place.

I've recently used a new TL's navi and it looked even worse than ours (in fact I started appreciating our look after that). It was tool colourful, like a toy, simply childish. Our day-time choice of colours is very mature and fits the class and interior well. TLs navi also did not show many street names at a zoom level I would have liked to see them at....

Unless Google gets into this car-navi system full time and offers some great bargains to the auto-makers to use g-maps, we are not going to see a perfect solution, probably...

Also, nothing beats that awesome view when not in use....

Originally Posted by TexEnMan

Same here. I've found the F10 Nav system to be comparable to other built-in systems I've used (i.e., pretty good but not 100% reliable). Has anyone conducted a simultaneous, side by side comparison with other built-in systems?

Yes, with two previous systems in my 01 E38 and 08 E60 which both had the NavTeq supplied maps.

The current TeleAtlas maps BMW switched to in MY 2009 (at least in my wife's E90) are quite a step backwards in terms of map accuracy and routing algorithms.

I do like the elegant integration into the car and the Google maps "send address" feature is way cool.

Too many instances when I use the new map it leads me in the wrong direction or gives bogus turn directions.

The graphics and display are very good, but the directions generally are not..and they have gotten worse. My '08 X5 knew my street...my '12 X5 M did not recognize it as a street, nor does my '12 550i. When giving directions, it frequently tells me to "bear right" or "bear left" when what I really need to do is either go straight or turn. I'd say in half of the times I have used it, it has taken me either the wrong way or mislead me on where and how to turn.

The nav on my GTR is much better in that it gives street view looks showing exactly how you are going to turn and also shows simulated street signs. Overall the directions seem more accurate, and the voice is better. It also always shows you what street you are on and what the speed limit is where you are. And it's a touch screen, too.

Originally Posted by TexEnMan

Same here. I've found the F10 Nav system to be comparable to other built-in systems I've used (i.e., pretty good but not 100% reliable). Has anyone conducted a simultaneous, side by side comparison with other built-in systems?

I've done side by side with Honda and Honda wins easily. Also carry a Tom Tom portable for when I really want to find the shortest route to my destination.

In a related story: water is still wet.

I generally find that if I can get the destination inputted properly the nav will get me theree. Sometimes the routing is not the most logical (Google navigation on my android phone is infinitely better) but it'll get me there.

But yes, the nav system on this car is a disgrace in a $55k+ vehicle.

Consider it the equivalent of crank windows or a four speed automatic transmission and you'll have a better frame of reference.

It is true that it is a disgrace, when you consider the cost of the car... I've just relied on it to get me places and it did (which were for timely business and it never failed really which would have been baaad). But often on our freeways it will tell me to bear right (onto slower collector lanes) when I should really bear left to stay in express.

Google send to map is a Godly option. I cannot see myself using that nav address entry at all had it not been for that (this or any other w/o keyboard and live lookup)

Oh, the nav also does not read out street names (just says: Turn left, but not ... onto Main street). This would be 100% unacceptable in portable units or smartphone apps (I have Navigon on Iphone which reads names since 2 yrs ago).

But it will get me places... which kind of matters the most. Funny, this is the Nth thread on the topic. Some guys are probably like... WTF....

In my experience, I find it sometimes takes me on fairly inconvenient detours. It often avoids a certain bridge that I often take into the city for some reason. (Victoria Bridde in Montreal) It will only correct the route once I'm actually on the bridge, shaving a fair bit of time off the route. Weird.
This makes me wonder when I'm in cities that I'm not familiar with, does it take me on longer routes than necessary?

Same here, my experience is quite different. My NAV is just about as good as the NAV in my 5 year old Honda Odyssey (the same NAV in the Acura). It has been pretty much spot on every time I have used it. I suspect this may have more to do with location/City that it is being used in.

Recently went from Houston to west Texas. The NAV said to go to Dallas and turn left. It didn't realize that I-10 went to Midland until we got past San Antonio. Locally though it has been no problem

I recently set a trip leaving Central New Jersey to Intercourse, PA. 2 1/2 hours later I ended up in Blue Balls, PA. Although my NAV led me through Intercourse and straight to Blue Balls, it was an enjoyable ride.

Yogi, regarding address entry, have you tried voice entry? It works like a charm every time. Easiest address entry of any system I've used.
I've noticed as well that the system frequently goes off the rails just as you are approaching the end of a trip. With the destination literally in sight, the system will instruct you to make a left turn instead of a right...

As for the dreaded "If possible, make a legal U turn...", who the hell knows.

Originally Posted by Slaymaster

I recently set a trip leaving Central New Jersey to Intercourse, PA. 2 1/2 hours later I ended up in Blue Balls, PA. Although my NAV led me through Intercourse and straight to Blue Balls, it was an enjoyable ride.

Lol