GPS

[Toyboy]

I think I better warn all of the Garmin users/future owners, that the lifetime maps is only good to the original owner, which would be the registered user. As long as it's never been registered with Garmin, you can register it, you will become the original owner.

Now saying that, 90% of my friends don't register their unit and never get the updates. Why?? I guess they never read the instructions. They just buy it, plug it in and use it.

They've come to me and asked me to update it for them and once I tell them what happens, some go home and log on themselves and others just don't care. Just update it.

So if you come up with a used one (family, friends, etc.) make sure you can get the update's, otherwise you may be 15 map updates behind, and end up is some lonely cornfield or at a dead end road.

 

[dickfoster]

I think I better warn all of the Garmin users/future owners, that the lifetime maps is only good to the original owner, which would be the registered user. As long as it's never been registered with Garmin, you can register it, you will become the original owner.

Now saying that, 90% of my friends don't register their unit and never get the updates. Why?? I guess they never read the instructions. They just buy it, plug it in and use it.

They've come to me and asked me to update it for them and once I tell them what happens, some go home and log on themselves and others just don't care. Just update it.

So if you come up with a used one (family, friends, etc.) make sure you can get the update's, otherwise you may be 15 map updates behind, and end up is some lonely cornfield or at a dead end road.

Once you have lifetime updates both of mine will come up with a nag screen to login and do the update about once a year.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I only bought one GPS, a Garmin. With smartphones and Waze and Google maps, don't use it any more.

 

[k0ua]

Aaron, thanks again for the info about google maps and the ability to download data of interest. I played with that today, and downloaded a couple of areas of interest. This should come in handy in a few of the areas I go that cell service is spotty.

 

[Code54]

For my work I often have several address I need to find in a day and it is nice to put them all in the GPS then have it set the most efficient route. Ends up saving me a TON of time every week.

 

[k0ua]

For my work I often have several address I need to find in a day and it is nice to put them all in the GPS then have it set the most efficient route. Ends up saving me a TON of time every week.

Probably pays for itself in no time.

 

[Toyboy]

Once you have lifetime updates both of mine will come up with a nag screen to login and do the update about once a year.

It's actually 4 times a year that they download updates. It has been for me anyway.
Log onto Garmin Express and see whats available for your unit.

 

[Code54]

Probably pays for itself in no time.

You are absolutely right - sometime we have several cars hitting address so in one day they can easily pay for themselves in saved man-hours. Plus it sure is handy when I'm in a new city and I can type in my favorite place to eat and it pops up where the nearest one is.

 

[grsthegreat]

I use mine every day for work. Most of the hillbillies i work for are afraid to post their addresses so the black trucks and black planes wont find them. But my garmin does. I do 4 free updates a year. Mind you the updates can take 6 hours to complete.

 

[check]

Garmin has lifetime updates if keeping current with POIs and stuff is important to you. You only pay once and it's not very much. Some units come with lifetime map updates. I have life time updates for my Nuvi 500 which I use in the truck because it has topos for off road and street road and highway support for getting there and back. I have an auto centric 70LMT in my wife's car which has lifetime map updates. I got it for the large screen, backup camera and traffic avoidance. We were using the lifetime traffic avoidance this weekend to get through rush hour traffic in the San Francisco bay area Friday afternoon and navigate all the bad traffic in Sacramento caused by heavy rain yesterday. Traffic avoidance really works well and was invaluable this weekend. It picks the best route based on existing traffic conditions and keeps you up to date with what's going on up ahead.

Traffic avoidance! I wonder if I could get that installed or updated on my 2016 F150 navigation? We can get the traffic display option on our cell phones, but it does not suggest an alternative route. We have to figure that out for ourselves. Have had to do that several times on our way to win from the college, when traffic got backed up.