NAV Map update cost

Do you still have an 05 Prius, as indicated by your user info?

 

these updates are no more frequent than once a year. since the first PiPs were delivered in the first week of March, I don't see why anyone would bother trying to update those maps.

 

I'm still on the original map DVD that came w/my 06 Prius, bought in January 06. I'd imagine the work was completed on the DVD sometime in 05 or earlier.

I'm not sure when (or even if) I'll bother updating. (Legitimate) Update DVDs are very pricey.

 

"legitimate"

 

This is why I did not get another built in nav system. Did it once - that was enough. Now my Garmin has lifetime updates.
And lets face it, I already know where 99% of my destinations are. I only plug in the nav system when I need it.

BTW, I'm not trying to sound smug, like I said, I fell for the manufacturer's scam once...

 

fwiw, the service manager at my dealership said the updates are free.

 

That's true for the HDD-based system in the Advanced trim while you have an active Entune subscription. However, the Base model has a DVD-based system for which updates are supposed to cost money.
To OP: like I said, I doubt there's anything to update at this point. I'd wait until Feb-March of next year.

 

Theres a DVD? I thought the nav was on flash memory.

 

FYI, the base model's nav is flash/NAND based

 

Just got an email offer...update the crappy map for $169, more than the cost of a great Garmin system with lifetime updates...they have to be kidding.

 

i assumed it wasn't because the Premium nav is billed as "Premium HDD navigation" which implies that the Display Audio system isn't HD-based.

 

Are you thinking of ssd, solid state drive? HDD is high def display.

 

probably Hard Disk Drive was the thought

 

Although not an official statement directly from Toyota, here's some info that someone else got from Toyota.

Navigation System Maps - Getting and Updating - Page 2 - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

I did read (I'm sure here) that someone said the same thing (although I dont recall if it was some kind of official statement or not).. either way, I'm sure this is the case.

8GB of flash memory costs the manufacturer a few bucks (probably around $3-4 at current spot market pricing.. not including the volume discount they would get from from a manufacturer like Samsung, Hynix or Toshiba).

Although a single DVD (physical media) would cost less, the DVD drive to include in a head unit would increase the costs (materials and support issues).. the update DVDs would have issues all on their own too (inventory, cost to manufacturer, etc).

Besides, being flash-based, its also much faster. The map comes up on my car a lot faster than on our 2011 Sienna DVD-based system.

 

Cool, thanks! And yes, HDD = hard disk drive in my mind

 

My 2010 has the DVD system, and it is outragious to charge $170 for a DVD update when you can buy a complete Garman system with lifetime map updates and lifetime real time traffic for $149. I think a better approach would be to sell 7 times as many updates for $25 each. As far as I am concerned, the $1200 premium I paid for the Toyota system has rapidly become obsolete due to the cost of updates. So, may need to go illegitimate.

 

Call Toyota (Toyota Help) to formally log a complaint about the price. I did. I even gave them an example of a price of a brand new Garmin PND and the price of their lifetime updates.

And yeah, lifetime updates can be had for cheap at places like http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-n%C3%BCMaps-Lifetime-America-Updates/dp/B001PKTFM8.

I think the problem is that car nav systems were set at the price when PNDs weren't very portable (huge, like the original Garmin Streetpilot). Back then, the first StreetPilot (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/store/assets/pdfs/specs/streetpilot_spec.pdf) was black and white, huge, expensive and they didn't even give you the whole US with it. It came out in 1998.

There was the StreetPilot III Garmin: Media Gallery which came out in 01 and had an MSRP of $1272. From the review at StreetPilot Product Review, it looks like some kits also didn't give include the entire US for free.

So, back then, paying $1K to $2K+ for an integrated nav system and $200 for the entire US didn't seem so bad. Actually some earlier car nav systems were hard drive based and some were CD based (you only got a region on a CD). Anyway, problem is, prices of PNDs and updates have come WAY down and it seems like car OEMs haven't bothered to lower the prices to match... And, some people are still willing to pay.

 

cwerdna nailed it. One more point I'd add to his well thought out argument is that everybody uses the same map information. AFAIK all the manufacturers use NAVTEQ maps. So the vast price differences in updates really make no sense.