JL GPS Navigation is a total waste of money!

[ekimgnuj]

I previously posted a question and comments on the lack of dirt/off road trails appearing on the JL navigation. We've spent the past two months in the Tucson, Yuma, Quartzite and Mesa areas. We went off road in the Buenos Aries NWR, Barry Goldwater Range, Kofa NWR as well as various BLM and NFS areas. I would say that close to 90% of the major off road tracks are not on the 2018 JL navigation. Roads that are on a 2010 paper edition of an Arizona state atlas is more reliable. We had to use that outdated atlas as well as a Garmin 450t hiking GPS loaded with Garmin's Four Corners USGS topo maps. Those USGS maps in many instances haven't been updated in decades. Many old roads long closed show on the Garmin, but nearly every major open off road trail does show up. Meanwhile the Jeep JL navigation just shows us going across the screen without roads.

The problem with the JL GPS is just not off road. The other day I was on US 60 between Apache Junction and Superior, Arizona. A long section of the highway was rerouted which didn't show on the JL navigation. I could see the old road bed a half mile to the south. Now, this isn't a new rerouting. It has been finished for over two years.

We previously owned a 2012 JK with the Jeep navigation, and probably 75% or better of the dirt roads in the above mentioned areas were on the navigation. Just can't figure out how Jeep could put such a piece of crap GPS in a vehicle touted for its off road prowess. I know that any GPS is only as good as the map software loaded on it. There is no excuse for Jeep to sell a navigation system that isn't as good as a 2010 atlas or decades old USGS topo maps.

So, don't waste your money on the JL navigation option unless you only cruise the local mall, but it better not be a new mall. Be prepared to purchase a real off road GPS navigation if you plan to do any real off road driving where there is no cell signal.

Hah, what makes you think the GPS navigation is any good getting to the local mall, at least in my area (Cary NC) it doesn't show roads that have been around for 6 years!

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[wanderer]

I have been using gps sinc 1995 i had a sony unit it was pretty cool . The first time i had it on a camping trip for indian guides in anza borrega dese. Some friends found our a location on a dirt trail in Blair valley. Keep inmind this was 1995 long before google earth . I think sony was using air photos to create base maps.. as there wer many other trails alo on there. Since then i have had pioneer lowrance garmin magellan and several factory .

The best were the lowrance the baja series pre loaded topo and using their 11 inch chart plotter i had it hard mounted into the dash it was an really nice set up basically i t had all the maps that the baja did. but lowrnace quit making those and foucuses on Chartplotters and fish finders.

When it comes down to it for me. A dedicated gps does what I want.

1 it must have topo for the entire usa
2. it must not need to spend hours and hours of down loading time only to find that some of it didn't down load correctly when you plans change form moab to colorado on the spur of the moment it mus be durable and able to with stand a ahock.

I haven't had much sucess with a tablet. I don't want to pay a subscription. so that hasn't worked out for me
I have bemoaned and cried ( yes I am a 65 year baby going on 5 as my wife says) the failures of downloading gps to tablets. The ontly thing about tablets that i reall like is the large screen size. Thye keep luring me back to try and get the maps i want on to a single high gig sd card. Battery life sucks. Durablility is questionable.

so I bought a magellan trx, at 299 its not bad consideringthe old lowrance was $550.

In my jeep I carry
1.paper maps scale compass for CA NeV, AZ Or wA Utah and colorado.
2 the magellan trx
3 the factory GPs in my view so far is pretty good. but you do have to check the dirt trail box in set up.
4 garmin in reach for emergencies

 

[photowiz]

That’s odd, most of the offroad trails I’ve been on show up fine. And a lot of these trails are way out in the boonies.

One thing I did notice (not sure if this is your case), the smaller trails don’t show automatically. I have to manually zoom in a little bit. That may be worth trying, but it’s not a guarantee.

That's true. See if zooming in helps. Great point. Also JK had Garmin map overlays. The JLs are not Garmin. IMHO, Garmin has some of the best map overlays in the business.

 

[Shots]

....The JLs are not Garmin. IMHO, Garmin has some of the best map overlays in the business.

Then you'll be glad to see this. ↓↓↓

Yep, Fiat Chrysler Navigation by Garmin.
https://auto-update.garmin.com/auto-update/site

 

[bilcol81]

Our 2016 JKU Freedom had the factory GPS. I was able to install custom waypoints obtained from the POI Factory website. This included Colorado passes which was very useful. Unfortunately the JL won't let me do this.

 

[sheram]

@sheram ... quick question. Are you using Garmin's City Navigator North America as your active map or are you using a third party map? GPSFile Depot has some great maps for Garmin products. The Arizona Topo map is active on all of my handhelds and contains most of the back roads.

Thanks for prodding me ... had not thought about trying to get Arizona Topo installed on Locus Map or Gaia Pro.

Typically I use the Garmin City Navigator NA, I have used the Garmin topo although it will not route

 

[Jimbo344]

Can I use the middle finger on here? What a bunch of low lifes!
The navigation in this thing is useless! Not sure about the off-road Pages the regular navigation? Garbage

 

[Jimbo344]

Well guess my rant is irrelevant

 

[Goheels050917]

Yup, the NAV unit on all Chrysler products is useless. I wish a company like Garmin would make the GUI because I'd rather just use my phone.

I felt bad that I didn't get the 8.4. But since I've had my 7 inch screen and its capability to use Waze/Google maps, I'm very happy to have not upgraded (That and the simple fact that I've heard the 8.4 had weird issues with weather updating stuff 50 miles away)

 

[Shots]

Hmmm, no issues with mine. I do get weather alerts, which you can select to show on the map or click "ok" to acknowledge/ignore them. They've always been for severe weather that's heading this way but can still be fairly far off yet. Maybe that's the "weird issue" with weather update from 50 miles away? Maybe not, I'm just guessing since I haven't had any issues.

 

[TIDALWAVE]

Most American OEM GPS systems are made by Garmin/Here/Nokia (same company). My Mustang GT GPS system did not map any lakes in Minnesota/Northern Wisconsin! Even western Lake Superior was missing, just large blank areas. When I complained to Ford, I was told: "Wait for the next annual map update/pay your $150 fee".

My JLUR 8.4 maps are better but not many off-road trails actually mapped.

I installed another large screen GPS unit which can accept GPX trails. I have been able to download about 10,000 US/Canada trails so far. What is so funny about that, is...both my JLUR and aftermarket units are made by Garmin. The aftermarket unit is the same size as the 8.4 screen, cost less than 1/3 of the OEM, has life-time free updates, can accept downloaded GPX trail data, and can map new GPX data so I can export to friends and the Internet.

 

[wanderer]

Weird logic h ere when i first got my jeep on the drive back from idaho to San Diego iwent for a breif off road excursion up mazourka canyon in the inyo mtns numerous small forest roads were on the gps last week i had to be in anza boorrego a large national park in the desert just east of san Diego and there were very few trails
Its roughly the equivalent of having Pokipsy (sp) on the map but not the nearest major city go figure that out!

 

[HoosierJL]

Most American OEM GPS systems are made by Garmin/Here/Nokia (same company). My Mustang GT GPS system did not map any lakes in Minnesota/Northern Wisconsin! Even western Lake Superior was missing, just large blank areas. When I complained to Ford, I was told: "Wait for the next annual map update/pay your $150 fee".

My JLUR 8.4 maps are better but not many off-road trails actually mapped.

I installed another large screen GPS unit which can accept GPX trails. I have been able to download about 10,000 US/Canada trails so far. What is so funny about that, is...both my JLUR and aftermarket units are made by Garmin. The aftermarket unit is the same size as the 8.4 screen, cost less than 1/3 of the OEM, has life-time free updates, can accept downloaded GPX trail data, and can map new GPX data so I can export to friends and the Internet.

Just a note about something you may already know. In the Nav settings on 8.4 there is a setting to turn on unpaved roads. Perhaps if that is turned off the trails might show up.

I don't know as mine has always had that option turned off.

 

[Bearman95]

8.4 navigation is great In my Rubicon!

 

[smithrd65]

This is silly thread the GPS is for on road. Be real if you thought it was for the trail your just being silly.

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