Where is the Sat Nav receiver?

[Long Ranger]

Can anyone tell me where the Sat Nav GPS receiver is a 2015 Verso?  Mine is faulty, I think, and Toyota are sadly hopeless.

We bought this Verso after our 2010 Verso gave us 5 years of almost faultless service and the only feature we forgot to spec was Sat Nav.   When it was 2 weeks old we bit the expensive bullet and the dealer charged £450 to fit the upgrade.  It had a problem with losing GPS position and saying we were driving through fields etc and so they did a software update but that didn't fix it.  At the 1st service we complained that we had paid £450 for a product that had a fault and they again did the latest software update and again this didn't fix it.  At the 2nd service we took it to a new dealer who kept the car for 2 days and did another update, the user interface on the display is now massively different and much improved but sadly the Sat Nav still keeps going for a womble in the fields and swimming in lakes.

Fast forward to the 3rd service which is due Saturday and we have moved home so dealer number 3 has suggested, you guessed it, a software update.  Well unless every previous version of software was faulty this is pointless and it must be faulty hardware but here is the kicker, because we have been patient beyond words with this piece of crap Toyota say the 12 month warranty on dealer fitted parts has expired so we can basically sod off.  Well our 3rd Verso was due at Christmas and after this experience you can guess what make our new car won't be.  Annoyingly we have already ordered my Mom's Auris and she insist she wants it so that is another Toyota that will be sitting on my drive but it will be the last.

Anyway forgive the rant because it did make me feel better and does anyone know where the GPS receiver is and I will change it myself.  It might not be the receiver but it is worth a go and at least I am prepared to try which is more than Toyota and its people are..,.

[Parts-King]

The receivers are bullet proof and rarely go wrong, most likely a faulty GPS antenna/connection, rather than the unit. The unit is connected at the back of the head unit, just follow the cable coming out the back. 

[Long Ranger]

Thanks for that I will pull the head unit at the weekend.  The GPS receiver should be easy enough to find then as it is behind the head unit but where do I find the antenna to check it is plugged in OK?   Thanks again.

[Parts-King]

The antenna also plugs into the head unit

 

[Long Ranger]

Well Toyota's Facebook team must have gone threw a different training program and they have tried very hard to help me.  They sent me the install manual and part numbers so that I could try and sort it out myself.  I am an Electronics Engineer and I knew as soon as I read the manual what the problem was, the lazy git at the dealer had botched the install.

The manual instructs the installer to strip of all the plastic including the cluster surround and then to stick the GPS antenna to the top of the center air vent, this is to ensure a very sensitive device gets a good signal from the satellites.  It only takes 2 or 3 minutes, I know because I just did it, and what did I find?  No GPS antenna.  What the lazy git at my local dealer did was decide that it was to much trouble to take of the plastics and place the antenna where it was designed to go and instead just tossed it down the back of the head unit with all the other cables and devices.  No wonder the things has a poor signal all the time.

£450 gets you 3 years of next to useless Sat Nav and then Toyota try to charge you again to fix the mess their dealer made in the first place.  I am feeling very pissy and need to shout at someone, who do you guys suggest I start with at Toyota? 

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

The dealer who did the fitting.

[Heidfirst]

2 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

The dealer who did the fitting.

Absolutely. Sadly even Toyota have the odd dealer in the network that lets the others down.

Toyota themselves are not at fault especially if the hardware is not faulty.

[Long Ranger]

I feel less pissy after a good nights sleep and I will give Toyota a chance to sort out Solihull before I proceed this wider.  I will not be speaking to Solihull directly because I know what they have done and I have no need of an argument.

We purchased 2 new Verso's from Solihull, paid for the upgrade and all the servicing and this is what we get.  The 3rd is due in a few months and I was looking forward to the Prius + but I am afraid after this the Verso will be my last Toyota.  What annoys/hurts the most is that from both the new dealer and Toyota "Customer Care" we got essentially the same message 'sorry you are unhappy but pay again for new hardware or sod off mate'.   Granted the language was far more pleasant but that was definitely the message that I received.  I will be taking the 2nd option when I pick the Verso's replacement.

I will let you know if Toyota do hold their dealer accountable for disgraceful service and what if anything they actually do more than just say sorry.  😣

[Long Ranger]

Well we got the service done on Saturday and Harlech were great.  The GPS antenna was not just thrown down the back, the installer had actually taken the time to tape it directly underneath the head units metal casing.   Clearly the installer not only didn't read the manual but has no idea of how antennas work.  You wouldn't install the radio antenna underneath a metal shield because that wouldn't work but apparently and GPS antenna which receives much weaker signals will be just fine....   

It boggles the mind how these guys get jobs and why they aren't trained to do their jobs or even to read the manual.

As soon as I get the photos of the install from Harlech I will bang in a complaint to Solihull and post them up here so you can see what minimum wage workmanship looks like when you pay main dealer prices.