Satnavi - are they genuine?

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aingarth

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This is my first post on this site.

I seem to have made a real mistake in trying to upgrade my Sat Nav maps. Having been put off by the standard upgrade from Navtec which is cynically priced at the cost of a reasonable ew on-screen device, I searched the internet and found satnavi.com - at £39.99 not cheap but worth trying. However, the DVD received seemed to fail to upgrade the system and stopped the whole system and some of the radio functions working all together. Several repeat attempts to load failed.

I have now finally managed to get the system working again using the original discs and learn that the DVD from satnavi.com is attempting to upgrade the firmware to a level which is incompatible with the hardware installed in a 2007 Freelander II. After a very perfunctory e-mail from the company, they have now vanished and are not responding to my request to a refund - as "guaranteed" on their web site. There seems to be no way of finding an address or name of the people who own the company and attempts via Google (whom manage the payment) have also failed.

Has anyone else had dealings with this company which now appears to be a complete scam?
 
Hi, I've not had dealings with Satnavi but in my opinion upgrading a fixed in car sat-nav is a waste of time.

I didn't want one in my car but it came as standard. With hindsight I should have taken it out and sold it immediately.

It was very good for three months then it was out of date. They all go out of date too quick - you can't stop road improvements.

I now have a Garmin with lifetime updates which is updated via my PC or laptop, 4 times a year, for ever.

The whole thing including the lifetime upgrades cost me less than the price of the discs needed for one upgrade of an in-car system - plus I can take it out and walk / explore the streets of any city in Europe.

I can put it in any vehicle I wish in minutes - a much more convenient system.

Cut your losses and get a portable one.

The maps all seem to come through / from Navtec in the Netherlands anyway.
 
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I sort of agree with you. I already have a NavMan on-screen unit which I use in another car. The problem is, you can't really "take out" the built in one - its a key design feature of the dashboard and the software is integrated with the radio. So it will be there, unused, even if you use an on-screen portable one. And the built-in one has some good features - all the sound coming through the car speakers and linked to the radio and also the bluetooth phone system with automatic volume control.

I would be interested if anyone else has had dealings with Satnavi.
 
aingarth said:
This is my first post on this site.

I seem to have made a real mistake in trying to upgrade my Sat Nav maps. Having been put off by the standard upgrade from Navtec which is cynically priced at the cost of a reasonable ew on-screen device, I searched the internet and found satnavi.com - at £39.99 not cheap but worth trying. However, the DVD received seemed to fail to upgrade the system and stopped the whole system and some of the radio functions working all together. Several repeat attempts to load failed.

I have now finally managed to get the system working again using the original discs and learn that the DVD from satnavi.com is attempting to upgrade the firmware to a level which is incompatible with the hardware installed in a 2007 Freelander II. After a very perfunctory e-mail from the company, they have now vanished and are not responding to my request to a refund - as "guaranteed" on their web site. There seems to be no way of finding an address or name of the people who own the company and attempts via Google (whom manage the payment) have also failed.

Has anyone else had dealings with this company which now appears to be a complete scam?
Click to expand...
I have just joined Landrover Zone as I have just bought a upgrade from Satnavi for my 2007 Freelander 2 and have had the same problem. However worse still I have put my original disc back in and that does not work either. Can you let me know how you managed to get the system working again.
 
John Cron said:
I have just joined Landrover Zone as I have just bought a upgrade from Satnavi for my 2007 Freelander 2 and have had the same problem. However worse still I have put my original disc back in and that does not work either. Can you let me know how you managed to get the system working again.
Click to expand...

Hi, and welcome to LandyZone.

I've heard of several people who have done exactly the same and eventually given up.

Everything I said 3 or 4 months ago still holds good. Upgrading from expensive discs is a catastrophe.

I wouldn't bother even getting your existing disc to work - it's 6 years at least out of date.

My portable Garmin has this months update of all the countries in Europe as I have the lifetime update option. Same maps - same supplier - NavTec in Netherlands. Whole kit less than the cost of upgrading the original.

I will never again buy a car with built in Sat Nav as standard.

My daughter's BMW has the same problem. :(

Good luck.

Singvogel.
 
Mikat said:
I have the same problem with a SatNavi Land Rover option 3 upgrade for my Freelander 2
Click to expand...
Well, I have been in contact with someone from Satnavi and explained my problem. They said to leave the disc in the Sat Nav for an hour or more on my next journey and "It will boot up". They have also arranged to send me a replacement disc in case this one is faulty. All positive, so we will wait and see what happens when I receive the new disc.
 
Mikat said:
Well, I have been in contact with someone from Satnavi and explained my problem. They said to leave the disc in the Sat Nav for an hour or more on my next journey and "It will boot up". They have also arranged to send me a replacement disc in case this one is faulty. All positive, so we will wait and see what happens when I receive the new disc.
Click to expand...

Hi wished I had read the forum before I fell into the sat nav trap with my 2007 Freelander 2 Did you ever resolve it with the new disc or did you manage to get the old disc working? If so how did you fix it.
 
The domain name used by the site is registered by this lot https://www.domainsbyproxy.com/Default.aspx they probably wont put you in touch with the business, but an intervention from your local trading standards might help. the site is breaking the distance selling regulations by not having any contact details, never mind the fact that it is selling dodgy software.
The home page of the site says "RECOMMENDED BY HONEST JOHN IN THE DAILY TELEGRAPH FEBUARY 2012" You could get in touch with "Honest John" as well, he might be interested in them.
 
I purchased an update from Sat Navi and it worked fine. Popped it into the DVD Drive, went for a drive while it updated and it has been fine ever since...... OK it has only been four days but it has all the latest roads and the new interface.....

One of the guys who works for me has also used these updates in his dad's Jag and a friends BMW and had no issues.
 
Slightly off the original topic but it's worth knowing that the TomTom Start 60 is an excellent retrofit into the Satnav hole in the FR2 dash. Essentially, remove dash centre piece, remove cubby hole, glue in TomTom using double sided tape. Run a lead from spare fuse F5 to flying cigar lighter socket in glove box and plug satnav lead in. Looks excellent and can be updated via power lead from a laptop. Cost, about £150. Major updates cost extra. It's not loud - you need to put the volume to max and remove the foam under the top panel, but sound is acceptable. Good cheap option.
As regards the LR built-in model, some parts, such as the screen, are apparently interchangeable with Jaguar, which may be cheaper.
Picture at http://www.freel2.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=11640&pos=3
 
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Hi
Can any one tell me how to restore my FL2 sat nav system after cheap update discs stopped my sat nav from working. Run engine for an hour and all what happens nw, is screen swaps from LR logo to home page while interrupting radio. Now my 2008 genuine discs will not work either.
 
:mad:If they work they are fine but when they don't be prepared for big costs.
After my last CD from them the download went normally, the start up screen reinitialised its self twice before locking the system. Eventually after 2 months of useless time wasting suggestions from SATNAVI the unit had to be removed from the car and returned to the manufacturers this cost me £485 and no unit for two weeks, the final response from SATNAVI was "we state on our website that all updates are done at customers own risk" ie we don't care.
Get a genuine CD or buy a tom-tom for the glove compartment with lifetime European maps costing a little over the cost of the CD for those times when really up to date guidance is needed and then just use the built in one as a guide.
 
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