GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: Phil 117 on 07 November 2013, 21:37
-
All,
I have been going backwards and forwards in my head for ages about adding a Sat Nav onto the options for my car (currently base GTD DSG, in red, with dynaudio, winter pack and a reversing camera).
The £700 I am struggling to justify. I will use it for 2 weeks a year on a trip somewhere to Europe, and I will only use it occasionally throughout the rest of the year.
I am quiet anal, and have estimated I will probably only use the nav for around 70 times over 3 years. That works out at £10 ago. When I put it like that, it strikes me as a complete rip off when I can just use my phone. But that means 70 times I'm going to have to put a sucky thing on the windscreen, and have wires sticking out.
But in the back of my mind, I'm thinking I'm spending £28k of car, I want it to be nice. And the worst thing of all is when I go to pick my car up from London, I'm then going to have to stick my phone on the windscreen of a brand new car to get me home. Feel it will spoil the moment. :grin:
So, has anyone else pondered over this, and then added it on. Also, I am right in thinking the normal nav also shows you the speed limit signs in the corner of the car?
And probably one of the biggest concerns, if I make a change now, will I then have to pay the 1% extra? I was accepted on PCP on the old price of the car, so if they do a new quote, will this then put the price up, or am I protected?
Thanks.
-
get a cheap vent holder for your phone if worried about rings on your windows. Got mine from amazon ages ago for about a fiver. Comes out the 2-3 times a year I need sat nav.
-
I didn't bother with Nav as I didn't feel it was worth the price as I hardly use Nav, I spent the £700 on other options instead.
I have TomTom on my iPhone and the cradle, works a treat when I need it.
-
I basically paid £1700 for the pro as I liked the way it completed the look of the dash. I'll probably hardly ever use the sat nav but the screen size and the graphics are awesome. £700 is a lot of money but if your going to have the car for three or more years then you should go for it. It may be expensive but the regret you will have at not having added it will eat away at you.
-
Nav is one of those things that you get a s much use out of as you want.
I put every journey in, that way you get traffic announcements even on your regular journeys.
It's not a one trick pony twice a year.
-
I agree - I have it on all the time - it looks good in the dash and I like to see the maps and zoom out now and then!
The real issue with the GTI/GTD is that when VW UK put togther their import spec they omitted sat nav (present in the GT) in order (I suspect) to keep the price of the car artificially lower than it should be - it forces customers in to the options list to obtain a feature that really should be standard on a car costing almost £30k (and more in the case of some with leather and other options)!
-
Phil,
I have it in my car and it is a really useful tool, I use it on regular journeys to alert me of traffic problems and then it re routes me.
I was like you and thinking, I have tom tom on my phone, why bother?
Well, couple of good reasons.
Firstly tom tom drains the battery quicker than a trophy wife on an old guys wallet.
Secondly, I personally find the nav very easy to use, and it is always there.
Finally, don't forget to factor in any roaming costs, unless you have a work phone it can be expensive
Do it, you will use more than you realize.
D
-
As a few others have mentioned, I also sprang for the full Nav Pro package. Whilst over priced, like Craig Said, the super large 8" Touch screen really finishes off the dash (IMO).
Whilst I can't argue that a £100 Tom Tom does the job just as well (and is massively lower in price), there are a couple of things that the built in Nav just does slightly better.
1. It's always there and available. No pulling it out of the glovebox or boot, putting a mount on the windscreen with the horrible suction marks that leaves. No trailing wires into the accessory port.
2. POI's are a breeze to use and genuinely really helpful (specially things like car parks in cities you are not familiar with).
3. Integrates fully with the dash so the next turn instruction not only comes up on the touch screen, but also in the colour MFD in the dash.
4. Nav Pro has the ability to enter Speed Cameras (as I have done), just like a Tom Tom (albeit just a visual not audible warning).
5. In the Nav Pro's case, has a massive 8" Screen that's really easy to see (rather than a small 3" or 4" screen typical of a portable Nav), and recalculates really quick. Also has 3D representations of Major city buildings to ease identification.
6. Has TMC Pro built in to automatically warn you of traffic issues and route around them if required (although to be fair some iphone and android Nav packages also now do this as well - albeit usually as a subscription).
7. Comes with 3 years worth of Map updates FOC (not all portable units offer this - but some do).
8. Enables you to select a phone contact, and if they have an address as part of their contact info, enables you to navigates straight to them from the Nav screen.
9. Also, don't forget Nav pro also gives you as well:
64gb SSD hard Drive with Maps stored on it and approx 22gb Free for Music Storage.
Gracenotes CD Database for managing track names and cover art for Music CD's popped in the CD Slot.
DVD Slot for playing DVD Movies (whilst stationary of course).
2 usable SD Card Slots (you don't need to have one in with maps on it for the Pro, as they are stored on the HDD).
Picture viewer and plays videos / music videos from your Ipod.
Having said all the above, £1700 is an awful lot of money (even £700 for the standard Nav), so only you can make that choice but I'm glad I did.
-
I have the standard nav, and I have to say it is excellent - usually built in sat navs are pretty pants, but I've found it just as good if not better than a TomTom.
-
Don't get me wrong, the standard and the pro nav both look good bits of kit and have lots of plus points, but I just can't get past the price of them both.
That said, you could say the same about any option (IE, the leather on mine when it arrives) but it's all down to where your priorities lie.
Also it's worth wondering how hard it is to retrofit the nav later if you want it - probably cheaper than retrimming the seats in leather lol!
-
I went for it on my GTI for the reason that I had in my Passat CC and I actually ended up using it a lot more than I thought I would. Even if not using it for directions it's really useful to have an ETA.
I've just plumped for the standard £700 Discover Nav as I can't justify an extra £1k on the PRO (although it does look superb with the huge screen!).
Same as you, I hate seeing nice cars with phones/nav suckered to the screen and then leaving a horrible mark there when it's removed. For that reason alone I'd say if you have the budget, it's well worth it.
-
I'm not so sure how easy a retro fit will be even in a years time. As I understand it, it's not only the touch screen that needs to be changed (as the hardware buttons are different), but also the Control unit for information electronics - CUIE (the bit in the glovebox). This unit is responsible for more than just media, as the bluetooth is built into it, and it also is responsible for a number of convenience functions (if you have the opportunity - have a look at the data blocks in VCDS for these units !). As well the optical cabling between the units also changes so it's quite a big rip out of hardware.
Couple to that, is as I understand it, the CUIE is coded to the car chassis number. This is probably why the few people over on the German Forums that have had the recent firmware update performed on their units (to sort out some bugs on the early models), had to take their units into the dealers and it takes between 2-4 hours to perform, as a number of other modules need to be re-coded back and their settings changed again.
Don't think I would want to attempt this myself !
-
Built in Nav for me is definitely worth it.
There is nothing better than jumping in the car and just going rather than messing about with wires and mounts.
Also using your phone as a Sat Nav on a mount "could" be construed as using your phone while driving if you have an awkward cop seeing you do it!
-
probably cheaper than retrimming the seats in leather lol!
Re-trimming the seats in leather would cost around half the price of the factory option.... leather seats are something I would never order anyway - and particularly from VW as theirs are the most expensive of any comparative manufacturer....
-
All,
I have been going backwards and forwards in my head for ages about adding a Sat Nav onto the options for my car (currently base GTD DSG, in red, with dynaudio, winter pack and a reversing camera).
The £700 I am struggling to justify. I will use it for 2 weeks a year on a trip somewhere to Europe, and I will only use it occasionally throughout the rest of the year.
I am quiet anal, and have estimated I will probably only use the nav for around 70 times over 3 years. That works out at £10 ago. When I put it like that, it strikes me as a complete rip off when I can just use my phone. But that means 70 times I'm going to have to put a sucky thing on the windscreen, and have wires sticking out.
But in the back of my mind, I'm thinking I'm spending £28k of car, I want it to be nice. And the worst thing of all is when I go to pick my car up from London, I'm then going to have to stick my phone on the windscreen of a brand new car to get me home. Feel it will spoil the moment. :grin:
So, has anyone else pondered over this, and then added it on. Also, I am right in thinking the normal nav also shows you the speed limit signs in the corner of the car?
And probably one of the biggest concerns, if I make a change now, will I then have to pay the 1% extra? I was accepted on PCP on the old price of the car, so if they do a new quote, will this then put the price up, or am I protected?
Thanks.
For me the Sat Nav is a must. There are times when it's so handy, plus it's good to see your ETA. I'm not keen on a Tom Tom/mobile stuck to dash/window, esp on this damn fine car. Also think of re-selling, it adds value having it.
On the changing your order front: As long as your tracker is still on 'With Factory', you can change with no problem. I recently added PP, and it's just updated the same order number. If it goes into confirmed BW, then I believe making a change would mean raising a new order & going to the back of the queue (and add that 1%).
-
Satnav adds £104 to the GFV for what is a £700 spend. I wouldn’t get it to add value to your car come resale time. If you’re only going to use it 70 times in the time you own the car, I’d be looking at a TomTom or similar – not very often you’d have to put up with the trailing wires and something stuck to your vent.
-
Personally for me its down to expecatation of the specification of a car. I would not expect sat-nav to be in a £10k Polo - I would expect it to be in a £28k GTI (or similarly priced Roc in my current case). I look at it simply as an omission and add the cost of fitting it regardless of what it is and not think about it in terms of the individual option cost.
On the future value - it may not add much but if you are selling privately you can bet your life that potential purchasers are going to be much keener on a used GTI/GTD with standard Discover sat-nav or even Discover Pro than one that has no sat-nav fitted at all.
-
After saying what a fantastic system the nav pro is mine has gone and developed a fault :cry: :cry:. Whilst in the car yesterday morning i was listening to the tunes on my iphone via the media cable. I then turned over to the radio and no sound whatsoever. It wasnt letting me change radio station either. I changed the media source to the SD card and again there was nothing. Then after at least 5 minutes the music on my SD card began playing. However, there were no issues with the sat nav. When i got in the car last night everything was fine again.
On my way to work this morning, half way through the journey listening to the radio and the sound just dissappears. Again, it wont let me change radio station and again the SD card takes an eternity to load up. I get to the work car park and switch the car off. After a few minutes i switch the engine back on and the radio is working again :angry: :angry: :huh:
I recently had the car in to VW for a rattle that was coming from behind the dash and they had to remove the dash for some work. I wonder if there may be a loose connection but its puzzling me that the sound is coming and going.
I'm going to have to take it back in to get it checked. I'm beginning to wonder if i've been landed with a Friday car :grin:
-
For me, as has been mentioned, sat nav is a must in a car in this price bracket. I also think that it makes the screen have a purpose. But maybe that's just me.
Norbeck made some good points about comparing the systems to TomTom. They are massively overpriced but a necessary expense.
-
Practice your orientation skills. Sat navs makes our brain like yoghurt. Would you like to pay your hard-earned money to become...brain-dead? Nope. If you're afraid of getting in a really bad situation, just buy the cheapest gps you can find. As for the "great things" the pro gives (song names etc), come on...cars are for driving them. Watch the road instead, it's safer and its called driving.
Of course that's my opinion, everyone is different and has other principles. Just act as you like.
-
Practice your cycling skills. Cars make our body like jelly. Would you like to pay your hard-earned money to become...overweight? Nope. If you're afraid of getting in a really bad situation, just buy the cheapest car you can find. As for the "great things" the GTI gives (spirited driving etc), come on...bodies are for exercising them. Watch your waistline instead, it's safer and its called living.
On a more serious level, sat navs are a valid and enjoyable part of the ownership experience. Yes it's not driving but that is multi faceted and it is easy to reduce these different facets if you wanted to.
-
Practice your cycling skills. Cars make our body like jelly. Would you like to pay your hard-earned money to become...overweight? Nope. If you're afraid of getting in a really bad situation, just buy the cheapest car you can find. As for the "great things" the GTI gives (spirited driving etc), come on...bodies are for exercising them. Watch your waistline instead, it's safer and its called living.
On a more serious level, sat navs are a valid and enjoyable part of the ownership experience. Yes it's not driving but that is multi faceted and it is easy to reduce these different facets if you wanted to.
And it's your opinion too. As I've mentioned, everyone to its own. But orientational skills are a basic to allow someone to drive. If you can't understand where you're going, don't go at all. It's safer for the rest of the drivers in case you matter not only for yourself.
Of course we are not going to exchange bad words because VW chose to have so many extras. They make BIG money out of it and I don't think we should "fight" over them. Cheers
-
I do find it amusing when people rely on Sat Nav to get them places so much. I know a few people who use it to get to places they have been many times before. I guess it comes down to the type of person you are. I like the big screen but will rarely use the nav itself so I'm happy with the £30 TomTom app for my Android phone when I'm stuck or going to a new place.
Also while we're on the subject you can get a free SatNav app called Waze. Recently acquired by Google so expect big things...
-
4. Nav Pro has the ability to enter Speed Cameras (as I have done), just like a Tom Tom (albeit just a visual not audible warning).
Does the Discover Nav give you speed camera warnings or is it just the Nav Pro?
I am talking about the default settings, not the ability to enter new ones; I would be quite disappointed if the Discover Nav I ordered didn't warn me about cameras, that would almost be a deal breaker when buying a car which by definition I am going to be driving fast.
-
On the changing your order front: As long as your tracker is still on 'With Factory', you can change with no problem. I recently added PP, and it's just updated the same order number.
Gina - Do you mean by 'updated' that the Tracker shows options ordered on your car?
-
On the changing your order front: As long as your tracker is still on 'With Factory', you can change with no problem. I recently added PP, and it's just updated the same order number.
Gina - Do you mean by 'updated' that the Tracker shows options ordered on your car?
The tracker will show "GTI Performance" as they class it as a different model to the non PP car but it'll never show your options. :)
-
Cheers Jimble :smiley:
-
This thread just made me think - I nearly specced the satnav before realising there are no maps of Cyprus on it, lol!