Map Update 6.10.0H now available

[Catlover]

£200..............Wow!   

Someone on eBay I sent an inquiry to has offered a HDD replacement for £130 - loaded with latest Toyota maps. Trouble is - I dont fancy striping all the trim around the info centre - I am bound to break some of the fixing points trying to get the unit out so I can change the HD.

[PeteB]

That's right.  It's a hard disc system, and the dealer has to connect a device to the car to download the update.

The good news is that you can get SatNav instructions in the HUD, which was discontinued at the 2012 facelift, when they swapped to a system that used non volatile memory to store them maps and allowed user updates via USB.

In the early days of this system, I believe many (or maybe even all) dealers weren't equipped to do the updates and someone from a regional office had to attend the dealer's site to do the update.  Some horrendous prices were sometimes quoted for this.

The other piece of good news is that you can copy lots of CDs onto the hard disc and have a large collection of music available all the time.

I agree with the suggestion of getting a good portable SatNav.  On my Gen 3 I bought a self adhesive disc and put behind the steering wheel.  To this I attached a TomTom suction mount, and bought a TomTom device that came with free quarterly map updates and free real time traffic info over the mobile phone network for the life of the unit.  The quality of the maps and traffic are massively better than even the latest built in SatNav on my Gen 4 Prius, and it's not inconvenient to use.  The TomTom sits nicely above the steering wheel and below the HUD, in my line of sight.

Since my Gen 4 has a softer material on the dash, I bought a TomTom beanbag which is excellent, and doesn't move even under very heavy braking.  The suction mount is permanently connected to the 12V socket.  If the unit is on the mount, it turns on when I turn the car on and off when I turn the car off.  Otherwise, it turns on when I drop it onto the magnetic mount, and off when I removed it.

[Catlover]

I have a TomTom which has "map update for life"- but recently they pulled the plug on lifetime updates on older units due to the fact there is so much info on latest systems that on older units the satnav computer cannot take the extra load. My TomTom is about 3 years old, and I heard someone bought a unit brand new at Xmas 2017 only to find that unit cannot be updated as well. He was not happy.

Think I will just use my mobile and keep it charging whilst I driving. 

 

[kithmo]

Yes, unfortunately TomTom "lifetime" means the lifetime of the unit which they state as 5 years IIRC (from when that model was launched), so if you buy one make sure it's the latest model.

[Heidfirst]

5 hours ago, Catlover said:

I  I heard someone bought a unit brand new at Xmas 2017 only to find that unit cannot be updated as well. He was not happy.

I think that you will find that there were 2 different generations of product with the same name & TomTom didn't make it clear that it only affected the earlier generation  (at least at the moment, in another few years ... )

[PeteB]

IIRC the Christmas model was actually a fairly old model, still being sold by some dealers.  I can still understand the frustration of the owner of course.

This is what the TomTom site says:

• Only a LIMITED NUMBER of devices manufactured pre-2013 will no longer receive map updates.
• Newer devices and devices with LIFETIME MAPS ARE NOT AFFECTED

Some of the models affected only had 1 or 2 GB of storage, and if they had SD card slots, only 2 GB cards were supported.

Most models sold in the last 3-4 years have 16 GB and much higher capacity CD card slots, so it should be a while before they stop being supported.

My 6000 model is 3 years old, so I don't expect it to be de-supported any time soon.

[Heidfirst]

9 hours ago, PeteB said:

IIRC the Christmas model was actually a fairly old model, still being sold by some dealers. 

It would have to be a model from 2013 or before - so at least 4 years old which is an age in modern electronics.

[Catlover]

I thought I was one of those whose TomTom was too old to update, just found out I was wrong.  I plugged TomTom into computer and opened MyConnect and there was a large download (375mb).  I set a route to go over from Runcorn to Widnes (new toll bridge). It show the new bridge but it planned the journey over the old bridge which is closed for refurb then will open as a toll bridge as well as the new one.  At least I got an update, pleased about that.

[kithmo]

3 hours ago, Catlover said:

I thought I was one of those whose TomTom was too old to update, just found out I was wrong.  I plugged TomTom into computer and opened MyConnect and there was a large download (375mb).  I set a route to go over from Runcorn to Widnes (new toll bridge). It show the new bridge but it planned the journey over the old bridge which is closed for refurb then will open as a toll bridge as well as the new one.  At least I got an update, pleased about that.

Being 3 years old, it should be good for another 2 years of updates at least.