So P has a 2010 update available for PCM 3.0. Similar to what is being posted on the 2.1 thread the update costs $299 but with 3.0 the dealer must do the install as it requires a tool plus code input (copy protection I assume). Is there any way to do a group buy on the discs? I find it a little disconcerting to have to pay $435+ one year after I put the car in service (it is my choice to do the update and I understand that) to get an update for a system that was over a year out of date when I purchased it.

 

Hi jster,

I agree that $435 for a map update is ridiculous. Your idea of "group buy" makes sense but it Porsche has gone to the trouble of having a special code to install it then it's also possible that the code will only work once or possibly twice per disc set (kind of like how Microsoft's product codes only allow you to activate the software on only two machines at a time).

While I'm new to Porsche I'm not new to nav systems. I've had a Garmin StreetPilot C340 since 2004. Although I update the firmware regularly (which is free on Garmin's website) I've never felt the need to purchase a map update. I live in a very densely populated part of the country where the roads almost never change. Sure they build new developments but I don't live in one so I really don't care if my nav system doesn't show those.

If you happen to live in a new development that is not covered by your current maps then I can totally understand why you want an update. If you don't then it shouldn't matter that much, especially for a yearly update. My suggestion would be to wait another year or two before you purchase an update. This way you get your money's worth.

 

Auto_Union-- I agree with everything you say. It would be nice to know what this update has in it as changes to many, many areas don't do much for me. What I note in my area though is that the data for the '09 Nav is either several years out of date or the service just happened to do a poor job for the area I live in since so much of what is here (and has been here for quite a while, years) is missing. I would have thought that with a HD system the info would have been current at spin up given there were no old DVDs sitting in inventory that needed to be cycled.

 

jster,

I totally understand your concerns. Remember however that at the end of the day Porsche is a German brand and that's where they concentrate their efforts mostly when it comes to things like maps. It's probably a European service they contract with that does the mapping and I also speculate that at least some nav technology is shared among German auto makers because my uncle's MB E Class has the exact same "voice" in his nav system as in our PCM 3.0. The enroute guidance icons are the same also such as the arrows that "fill up" in as you get closer to the turn.

If you still want the map update you might also try want to try several other dealers to see if they can offer you a better deal. I know that Suncoast Porsche has been very helpful and has at times offered very competitive pricing on OEM upgrades. I don't have any personal experience with them yet but many members of this forum give them high marks when it comes to service and good advice.

 

$299. is the going price for the maps, it's a set price from Porsche. At that price, we make a $10-15.00 profit. Porsche has kept their margin (and ours) down to make the update as inexpensive as possible. I doubt you will find a better deal, unless your local service department charges less for the installation. It does require dealer activation, all PCM 3.0 software additions/upgrades need to be coded. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions.

 

Unless you know you have areas that are really wrong due to new construction, AND you know that the new maps will address this (which isn't a given), then don't bother with the update so soon. I'd wait at least 5 years before doing an update.

The problem is that the map data the provider gives Porsche depends on the map data the provider gets from the regions/municipalities, etc. I know for a fact that the maps in the Puget Sound area are wrong in several places, because the cities and county do not provide accurate information to the map makers. So all maps are wrong (showing a road where there clearly isn't one nor has there been one there for at least 10 years, if ever).

Given that the system is hard drive based, it 'should' be possible for owners to supplement their maps with new information. In my case, the PCM nav, just like google maps, and yahoo maps, wants to direct my down a road that doesn't exist... its forest in a ravine. My inability to suplement the nav system by touching up that bit of roadway is frustrating. Every time I need to manually exclude the non-existant road segmant with a manual 'avoid'. Since its wrong on all services, I'm pretty sure that King County is putting out crap map information to map makers.

 

I was going to buy the update disc from Suncoast since I have used them before, they are very helpful question wise in general, and they were great about answering some questions for me on this particular issue (Ric). Once I found out from them that the dealer had to get involved I realized the game had changed which was why I was asking about a group buy kind of thing. With such low margins I can now see why a GB may not make any sense for them. I would still recommend SC for service professionalism and pricing on other items as a give them a shot first kind of thing.

 

SunCoast has the upgrade for 2011 for $459. But it also needs Dealer Intervention to complete the upgrade. Anyone seen any other solutions?

-Callahan-

 

There are no other alternatives to the P system, per se.

But...let me think about this for a minute. After 11 months there is a $160 (54%) price increase, before dealer install fees, and we still can't tell what is in the update. And then again I can use my phone with google maps and voice tXt instructions with more current data and its free. OK, I've thought about it. When someone can tell me what is in the update and it has value to me I will buy it. In the meantime I will continue to use my more current, free nav system.

 

Mapping is done by two companies. Car nav is a raquet. If I did not already own it I think I would opt out of the nav for 3k. Ultimately a druid phone and a plug do a better job.. practically for free.

I really see so little value in nav from porsche and find it insulting that it is so expensive. Google nav rocks.

 

What the blazes are you talking about?

What is a druid phone? Does it channel the forces of nature or something?

Google doesn't even make a navigation system.

If you are talking about a variety of navigation solutions on websites that one might be able to display on one's mobile smart-phone.. those screens are too small and unwieldy for integration and use in most urban areas and Google gets roads wrong like everyone else, though I suspect these errors all come back to the bad data provided by municipalities that don't have updated maps themselves.

If any sort of nav system would be useful it would be a nav-wiki system where the community can update the maps themselves.

 

Droid - Moto/Google knock off of iPhone. I have an HTC running Android. No way I'd use that instead of the nice, easy to see PCM Nav - unless I get stuck in some pre-21st century car.

 

I have looked too far into this issue. Apparently XM traffic dictates how much coverage you get in PCM 3.0 traffic info. Example, I am in Hartford, CT and get no flow data. I never get an indication of slow downs or stoppages. So my nav cannot reroute around traffic.... But I do get alerts for accident and construction. The only area in CT that gets flow data is Fairfield along the I-95 corridor. My BMW uses clear channel instead of XM and I get flow data in Hartford.

So, if the update disc either expanded traffic coverage, or unlocked new traffic data, I'd consider it. But I've been told its limited to simply more streets and points of interest. Can anyone confirm this?

DRP

 

FWIW, I recently traded my 2005 Boxster S without PCM.NAV for a 2009 Carrera 4s with PCM 3.0 & NAV. The maps set was the still at the base level as when the vehicle was delivered to the original owner. They are all but useless not so much for the changes to the roadways but more for the dynamics in the POI database.

The Garmin that I used in the Boxster cost around $125 USD and came with "life-time" maps from NAVTEC, traffic information and re-routing capability. That along with my Verizon Droid Bionc has kept me safely on the road as well as fueled, fed and bedded as necessary for many happy miles.

I knew that I would keeping my Garmin as soon as I saw the image of a flat Earth appear on my PCM 3.0 display. $300-400 for an upgrade, not even a remote consideration at this point.

 

In the PCM3, you can change the map display from flat map to curvature/horizon view.

I use the nav for finding addresses and getting around traffic, not for looking for POIs but the few times I've used it for that I was able to find grocery stores and chain restaurants.

I would not call it useless, but it would certainly help if the navtraffic feed or user had a way of updating the POI database, since there is a USB or bluetooth option to download trip data.