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North American Map Updates for Discover Media

82K views 223 replies 59 participants last post by  builtospill 
#1 ·
I can't figure this out either.

This is where you get directed to for updates from VW's main site:

http://www.navigation.com/is-bin/IN...t=application/ApplicationFrame_campaign_light

Now if you're in Europe you can simply select the media type and download updates, add them to your card, and you're golden.

As soon as you select North America as your region, you're redirected here:

http://allthingsnav.navigation.com/

And on this website, there is no update after 2014, and the only things available for VW are brand new SD cards costing more than $120

Does anyone know where to go to get map updates for the navigation in the MK7 2016 GTI?
 
#203 ·
Wish I had better news. The saga continues...parts dept said the SD card was the right one for the VIN on my 2016 Golf R. Dealership tried to install it with the 3 codes mentioned in previous thread. After an hour and a half they said "even though the computer says it's the right one for your VIN, it isn't". So they ordered a different one (this one is a V8). After an hour and a half of unsuccessfully trying this new one (with the three codes in the literature) they said they couldn't make it work and I needed to call VW, speculation was that jumping from V1 to V8 might be causing the issue (it's just maps and not the OS so this doesn't sound right to me, but I'll go with it). Now have an open ticket with VW, who have been very nice, but still no resolution on my issue. 4 trips to the dealership and 4 1/2 hours of total waiting time and still have 5 year old maps lol.
 
#207 ·
Yeah I'm glad I have CarPlay - the nav is easier to start and it's updated regularly for FREE. Not sure what year they added CarPlay to the Mark VII (2016?). It's just not worth dealing with the built-in one I've found. Unless you're in a rapidly growing area, how much really changes and is it worth all this effort to get a new map of surrounding Atlanta even though you are in San Bernardino? I mean, I get it. I have been known to obsess on things and getting something to work which is why I'm in IT, but for the love of God, this is such fool's errand. Not worth your remaining sanity just live with the stale data or use CarPlay if you have it. I wasted so much time messing with the music library photos so I could get them to display in the Head Unit from an SD card only to find it would freeze on me on occasion. I digress these tech issues lend themselves to obsessive compulsions LOL.
 
#3 ·
I just went through this debacle. Hopefully someone can learn from my story. Or maybe even help in solving the mystery.

I found the latest version of the SD card (Version 3) at ECS Tuning for about $55. Received the card and popped it into my car, only for it to say "checking map data" for a few seconds. After about 10 seconds, it gave me a "map data is invalid" message. Contacting ECS didn't solve anything, chatting with VWoA didn't yield any results, and even my dealer was unable to figure this out. They suggested that maybe the card had been used in another vehicle (thus locking it to that head unit), so I had ECS exchange the card for a new one.

The new one seemed promising at first. It gave a me a spinning progress indicator and said "checking map data" for a solid 30-40 mins. I eventually grew tired of waiting and safely ejected the card via the menu. My original version 1 card went back in and loaded in no time at all. Figured I would try the V3 card again, and it gave me the "invalid" message once more.

Long story short, I've returned the V3 card for a refund and am back to my original V1 card that came with the car back in June 14. :banghead: Nobody seems to have any info on this...
 
#8 ·
Well in my MK6 I used my iPhone, and TomTom maps (I don't want to use anything that gobbles data). But Car Play doesn't allow 3rd party navigation apps (yet) and it seems silly to have navigation in the car than can't be used.

I'll use the costa contact form the poster above you linked.
 
#7 ·
My Solution was...

1. Pull original Nav card completely.
2. Insert 64GB card of Music to go with the already 64GB of music in slot-2
3. Stick Garmin Nuvi on dash. Keep up-to-date every 3-4 months, at absolutely no cost (if you get any model with Lifetime Maps).

Advantage:
Lots more music, better than Sirius or FM.
Current map data, and
A display I can keep in line-of-site instead of looking down towards the console.

See both Navigation AND what album is playing (always on constant Shuffle), or other screen of your choice
And easier to use, AND more detailed, AND more accurate, AND lets me load a few thousand of my own POIs in categories I choose (important - to me).

Get a brand new Garmin (or other) every 2, 4, 6, years for less than VW's updates. A decent unit is $150-$200 (CDN), so that's what? 15-20 Bucks U.S.:D

Disadvantage:
One butt-ugly cable snaking down across the console to get to the 12V socket in arm-rest

Compass in MFD always points N(orth). Before last s/w upgrade for Info unit (4430), always pointed E(ast)
(there should be a way via VCDS to tell system to not use the Nav, just the GPS sensor (or something).
My '87 Jetta had a compass long before there was ever a Nav option, so this should be doable. Folks in various MkV and VI forums apparently had a solution.

(VCDS Guru, where are you?)
 
#15 ·
1. Pull original Nav card completely.
2. Insert 64GB card of Music to go with the already 64GB of music in slot-2
3. Stick Garmin Nuvi on dash. Keep up-to-date every 3-4 months, at absolutely no cost (if you get any model with Lifetime Maps).

Advantage:
Lots more music, better than Sirius or FM.
Current map data, and
A display I can keep in line-of-site instead of looking down towards the console.

See both Navigation AND what album is playing (always on constant Shuffle), or other screen of your choice
And easier to use, AND more detailed, AND more accurate, AND lets me load a few thousand of my own POIs in categories I choose (important - to me).

Get a brand new Garmin (or other) every 2, 4, 6, years for less than VW's updates. A decent unit is $150-$200 (CDN), so that's what? 15-20 Bucks U.S.:D

Disadvantage:
One butt-ugly cable snaking down across the console to get to the 12V socket in arm-rest

Compass in MFD always points N(orth). Before last s/w upgrade for Info unit (4430), always pointed E(ast)
(there should be a way via VCDS to tell system to not use the Nav, just the GPS sensor (or something).
My '87 Jetta had a compass long before there was ever a Nav option, so this should be doable. Folks in various MkV and VI forums apparently had a solution.

(VCDS Guru, where are you?)
Brother, you and I are soul mates. I already came to ALL those conclusions, exactly. That's why the first thing that went in my new Autobahn was my Garmin, ugly cable and all.

I've used Garmin for...15 years now? Works great. And line of sight with tons of information. Absolutely.

My most recent Garmin (bought refurb) has, to my surprise, voice control. And once you've had Garmin's voice control, you can't use anything else. It. Just. Works. It's flawless, and natural. I never touch the device anymore; I simply talk to it, and it prompts me with choices all along the way--no need to remember every option. "Voice command." "Find address." "Thirty-two-fifty-seven Hanson Place, Somewhere, US."...(finds and displays a list of items it thinks you might want, lists them by number) "One."..."Navigate".

Or, "Recently Found". Then it gives you a scrolling list of the destinations you've used in the past, in chunks of four items numbered 1-4 for each screen. "Down....down.....down....down...three. Navigate."

I defy you to voice operate the VW navigation system with anywhere near that ease.

Honda likes the Garmin stuff so much, the 2018 Odyssey uses it. That alone might make me buy a Honda van.

VW gave me a free trial of the Car-Net service. If I subscribe, I can push the button while I drive and have them look up an address and put it into my navigation for me. I can then use the instrument cluster center screen to guide me, turn by turn. But that's EXPENSIVE, especially when WORST CASE all I have to do is pull over and have Google find me the information. And once I have an address, I talk to my Garmin.

VW's free trial also lets me check in on my car using the cellphone app, and also find and push addresses to the nav system from my phone. Except: such addresses AREN'T stored in the Destinations area. No, they're stored in a SEPARATE menu called ONLINE DESTINATIONS. WTF, VW?

Aside from that 2018 Odyssey, I've yet to see a built-in navigation system that's worth two cents, let alone the two thousand dollars they usually want for it.

And yes, my voice controlled Garmin has lifetime map updates and traffic service, like you point out so well.
 
#9 ·
Just received this response from them:

Hello Adam,

Thank you for inquiring about HERE Maps. Your 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI came equipped with the newest maps currently available. At this time, the release date of the next update has not been officially announced. Generally updates are released every 12-18 months.

To check the availability of new map updates for your vehicle, please visit www.navigation.com periodically.

If you need additional assistance, please send us your feedback by replying to this email.

Kind regards,

HERE Customer Service
P.O. Box 1588
Orem, UT 84059

Here's what I sent back:


I'm a bit confused. My car was built all the way back in March of 2014, and delivered to me in June of 2014. It has already been 18 months, if not longer since then.

Also, like I mentioned, I consulted with my dealer and other owners of the 2015 GTI. The version printed on my SD card is Version 1, whereas there are Version 3 cards in newer cars. Clearly, I do NOT have the latest version available.

In any case, it would be helpful to at least add 2015 and 2016 models to your website. It is rather frustrating to be directed there, only to have no option of selecting the correct year and generation of car.





So, predictably, this got us nowhere. :banghead:



 
#10 ·
Found and Had Installed a Nav Data Update for 2015 GTI (MIB I)

My car came originally with VW part # 5G9 919 866 H, the V2 North America navigation memory card.
As vw.navigation.com has no car selection newer than the 2014 model year, and an email to them got me a response that really contained no info either, that route is a dead end. So I went to my dealer.
They searched their parts data base and sold me a 5G9-919-866 S card. Which had the exact same packaging info ("Discover Media" ...) other than it is V3 for NA.
It did not load and I returned it. Apparently that update is for MIB II, though nothing on the package indicates that.

So the parts people phoned around and got me 5G9-919-866 H. Which comes with an Activation Code, an Activation Number and a PIN. And requires a data link to the VW mothership to be activated, using their ODIS maintenance computer in the shop. There is a one page bulletin "Enabling Discover Media navigation data" that the shop gets. And with it I got to buy a licence. For the H, then, I paid twice as much as for the S ($202 instead of $100).

Well, it works. As far as I can tell, the navigation now boots up faster than V2 did, and seems to run quicker.

After the upgrade my system is: 5G0 035876, HW 014, SW 0655, data 5G9-919-866 H 0022 NAR 2015.

Neither service writer nor mechanic believed initially that it was not a simple as me installing the new SD card. Now they know :)
Compared to Europe, where yearly (or twice-yearly) map data updates are free for five years following the purchase of the car, and can be downloaded from a server, here in NA the map data support seems stuck in the middle ages. As it is apparently in some other countries, too.

What an odd way to run a business. Wake up VW!
And I do like my car.
 
#12 ·
I have a 2016 Mk7 with VW's built-in nav and App-Connect. I rarely use either.

The built-in nav display is occasionally useful, just for showing me where I am on the map. But programming a destination for turn-by-turn directions is a pain in the ass. It can't search for destinations unless they are in my contacts list, or its (very limited) database of gas stations and points of interest. Programming a street address by voice recognition is awkward, and error prone. Typing onto the screen is slow.

I have an iPhone, so I tried attaching it via App-Connect and CarPlay. I can issue voice commands to Siri, and use it to search and produce turn-by-turn directions. This works OK, but the limitation is Apple's maps and destinations database, which is not as good as Google's.

So most of the time, if I need nav assistance, I just use Google Maps on my iPhone, unconnected to the car. I'm not going to buy an Android phone, just so I can run Google Maps on the dashboard display.
 
#13 ·
Yup, VW update for n. america is pretty sucky to say the least... Not only can you not update your own map/system the web site directs you to to a Dealer web site to "Purchase" a 200.00 SD Card??
WTF?!
Why does europe/mexico etc..get updates but N. america does not? Way to piss off your customer base VW
 
#14 ·
Yup, VW update for n. america is pretty sucky to say the least... Not only can you not update your own map/system the web site directs you to to a Dealer web site to "Purchase" a 200.00 SD Card??
WTF?!
dude...what you're buying is not the SD card.

You know that, don't you?

Don't you?
 
#27 ·
Navigation updates for '16 with MIB II

Any one with a '16 Golf SEL or GTI Autobahn managed to find a navigation update? Going through the VW website (vw.navigation.com) just tells me to contact the dealer. Assuming I ever get the car back, I was going to check with the parts department to see if they have anything, and a part number might help...
 
#30 ·
Back before NAVTEQ became HERE, they would list what areas were updated in each new version. They no longer do that.

Only about 1/100th of the map data is updated annually and the general rule of thumb is that your area (whatever "your" area is) will get meaningful map changes ever 5 years.

You can cheat a bit to see if your area has any changes. HERE supplies map data for Bing maps, so check your area in Bing maps and compare it to a missing road in your car nav.
 
#43 ·
Did some digging and if you go to navigation.com but change your location Europe, they state they (HERE maps) do not distribute Volkswagen map updates.

https://here.navigation.com/europe/node/253

Going further down the rabbit hole and clicking on the VW link off the above page, for Discover Media models it looks like you can download updates straight from VW using their software you download to you PC/Mac. Of course that doesn't apply to North America :rolleyes:

http://webspecial.volkswagen.de/maps/int/en/html
 
#44 · (Edited)
I was at the dealer today picking up my car. After I realized there was no way I could pick up a 3400 pound car, I parked it and went in to the parts department to try to order the mythical "update" that vw.navigation.com said I needed to contact the dealer about.

He had no idea what the site was talking about, and the only thing he could find was the card that came with my car, right down to the last digit of the OEM part number. He suggested I see if there was anything in the manual.

The manual says "Up-to-date navigation data and suitable memory cards are available from a Volkswagen dealer." Um, no.

But, it does say "maps by TomTom" on the case the SD card came in.

Here's the version info reported by the nav system:
https://imgur.com/fMEjYRW

EDIT: Wow, my nav card/or system is on the AS platform, and there are only two NA versions - 2015/2016 (which I have), and 2016. Nothing since.

PS: Please don't suggest I just use X maps app on my phone; I wasn't impressed with Carplay enough with my iPhone 7 Plus to consider any kind of permanent mount for my phone - that's partly why I ordered a car with integrated navigation.
 
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