Is VW sat nav worth the extra?

[B J G]

Thanks for everyone's replies. Really appreciated.

Is a benefit to the fitted sat nav that it links with speakers and music in car i.e. If you are on a motor way and coming to a turn off it lowers the music volume and tells you to turn? I presume a Tom Tom would not do this? Is factory sat nav also a bigger screen so presumably easier to follow than a Tom tom?

The app connect sounds useful but I would only use sat nav in mainland Europe so not too sure how expensive that would be as I presume phone data would need to be on?

Tomtom comes in up to 6 inch screen size with built in SIM for real time traffic updates. No running costs.

 

[Meoncoast]

I have learnt to like the built in system.

Same for us but I have learn to use it rather than like it.

 

[WelshGas]

Thanks for everyone's replies. Really appreciated.

Is a benefit to the fitted sat nav that it links with speakers and music in car i.e. If you are on a motor way and coming to a turn off it lowers the music volume and tells you to turn? I presume a Tom Tom would not do this? Is factory sat nav also a bigger screen so presumably easier to follow than a Tom tom?

Yes, to both points.

 

[BikerGran]

The satnav in my 10 year old Cali needs updating - £200+. My Garmin Zumo cost me £80 and has free updates and does traffic etc, and has sits on the dash so I can see it easily. No brainer, for me.

 

[WelshGas]

The satnav in my 10 year old Cali needs updating - £200+. My Garmin Zumo cost me £80 and has free updates and does traffic etc, and has sits on the dash so I can see it easily. No brainer, for me.

Never paid anything like £200 for my RNS510 Updates from VW. If that’s a price from a Dealer then they are trying it on.

 

[Lloydfred]

Never paid anything like £200 for my RNS510 Updates from VW. If that’s a price from a Dealer then they are trying it on.

I thought you got two years free updates anyway.

 

[WelshGas]

I thought you got two years free updates anyway.

On the T6 , not on the T5. Well not in 2014 when I got mine.

 

[BikerGran]

Never paid anything like £200 for my RNS510 Updates from VW. If that’s a price from a Dealer then they are trying it on.

That's the cost I found online, confirmed by a couple of owners.

 

[BikerGran]

On the T6 , not on the T5. Well not in 2014 when I got mine.

And as I said, mine is 10 years old - I have no idea when it was updated before I owned it.

 

[BikerGran]

That's the cost I found online, confirmed by a couple of owners. It's the cost of buying a new disc which is apparently the only way to update it.

 

[WelshGas]

£30 from 3rd Party or £90 from VW for West/East Europe.

The 3rd Party works well.

 

[Jerseyroberts]

Thanks for all the responses to the question.

After initially deciding not to add it, We have now changed our mind and added it. It has unfortunately pushed my build date back a few weeks but I'm not in a rush.

Reason for adding; I have previously travelled around Europe with Maps and AA route planner print offs. Each time nearly returned divorced due to getting lost. We therefore will benefit from sat nav. My wife is the navigator and she felt more confident with the VW factory sat nav being in the van and she also didn't want hassle of wires in the middle of the dashboard.

The app connect no good for us as we don't get data roaming for free like UK as Channel Islands (where we live) mobile providers are outside of the EU agreement on data roaming.

To answer update question above, yes fairly sure you get 2 (or maybe even 3 years) free updates.

 

[Martin]

Don't forget you can use Sygic navigation with composite media which has offline maps

http://www.sygic.com/car-navigation

 

[briwy]

We got a Garmin about six years ago with supposed free lifetime updates. Three years fine, then refused to update without paying. I queried this with Garmin and they said the lifetime of the unit was up
So don't assume you will always get free updates.
We have RNS510 units in the Cali and Yeti and they perform fine. I like the fact that it can be zoomed in and out using the rotary knob rather than having to play about on the screen. Is the latest VW unit the same?
Updates are also available if you search the net.
We have all the Archies, ACSI etc sites on the RNS together with cameras etc which all work well.
It also reduces the risk of the baddies breaking in the nick the satnav.

 

[tim downes]

Thanks for everyone's replies. Really appreciated.

Is a benefit to the fitted sat nav that it links with speakers and music in car i.e. If you are on a motor way and coming to a turn off it lowers the music volume and tells you to turn? I presume a Tom Tom would not do this? Is factory sat nav also a bigger screen so presumably easier to follow than a Tom tom?

The app connect sounds useful but I would only use sat nav in mainland Europe so not too sure how expensive that would be as I presume phone data would need to be on?

I think you are right - we’ve just got app connect and it drives me mad when you are trying to find your venue at 10 pm and you’ve got no signal !!

 

[Romke]

I think you are right - we’ve just got app connect and it drives me mad when you are trying to find your venue at 10 pm and you’ve got no signal !!

Why not use the off-line maps feature?
https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6291838?co=GENIE.Platform=Android&hl=en

 

[leightonjthomas]

£30 from 3rd Party or £90 from VW for West/East Europe.

The 3rd Party works well.

WG- I have an RNS510 on my May 2015 SE which I have never updated so it's about time I did. What would you recommend?

 

[WelshGas]

WG- I have an RNS510 on my May 2015 SE which I have never updated so it's about time I did. What would you recommend?

Personally I have used the Update DVD from VW.
The last update came out at the end of 2016, V14 I think. ( cannot check at the moment as the Cali is in U.K. and I’m in Sydney ), but a new update is due about now. It wasn’t available in November 2017, so I would check with your Dealers Parts Dept. The cheaper 3rd Party updates are normally a year + behind the genuine VW ones.

 

[G and C]

We have had trouble using the built in satnav, including it insisting our road is in the middle of France, not in the Home Counties, we were only advised by the dealer to not use postcodes!!! It hardly ever finds addresses we search for and is quite a clunky search

 

[WelshGas]

We have had trouble using the built in satnav, including it insisting our road is in the middle of France, not in the Home Counties, we were only advised by the dealer to not use postcodes!!! It hardly ever finds addresses we search for and is quite a clunky search

If it is that far out then it is faulty and should be replaced under warranty. But if you are happy with it then so be it.

 

[Amarillo]

We have had trouble using the built in satnav, including it insisting our road is in the middle of France, not in the Home Counties, we were only advised by the dealer to not use postcodes!!! It hardly ever finds addresses we search for and is quite a clunky search

I've only once had a problem with the sat nav taking me to the wrong address - but that was a fault of the ACSI Camping Card app which had the wrong co-ordinates of a campsite.

I agree that the address search is very slow, it's generally quicker to search by country, then city or postcode, then road, then house number or road junction.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[MattBW]

We have had trouble using the built in satnav, including it insisting our road is in the middle of France, not in the Home Counties, we were only advised by the dealer to not use postcodes!!! It hardly ever finds addresses we search for and is quite a clunky search

Reject it as not fit for purpose... get it replaced that sounds faulty.

 

[GollyOlly]

I bought a 2017 Cali last year that came with an outdated sat nav software so I spent £110 for the UK upgrade. It’s dismal and abominably poor. If I didn’t know better I’d say it was Hitler’s revenge against the Brits!

 

[shudycamps]

I decided to get Campi (2015 T5.1) an infotainment unit in July. My VW dealer in Bury said the Kenwood Unit fits perfectly in the dashboard. Many many £ later, I picked up Campi and drove home. I spent quite a number of hours figuring out how to use Andriod Auto. After many repeated curses, it all came together and with my Samsung smartphone hooked up, I had Google Maps with all my destination. Wait. It gets better. Off we trot from Blighty to sun drenched France/Spain. And due to the dashboard slightly tilting to the windscreen, one simply cannot see the unit anymore. In bright sunlight. Great stuff. £1200.
We're shortly due to drive back home, then with Blighty's weather, I'll be able to see the unit again. I did ring Bury and pass this information on; it's not their fault, I've had excellent service from them since 2015, but it's something they need to be aware of. Insert deep, heavy sigh.

 

[Camperfamily]

@shudycamps I’ve never encountered that problem (although I have an official VW head unit which may be less prone to glare), but here’s a post from another member who has and has sorted a solution. Similar visors seem widely available on eBay

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/sun-glare-on-kenwood-dab-sat-nav.11672/post-116308