Garmin SatNav annoyances

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jdpjamesp

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Posting on the off chance someone knows how to solve this.

I've got a Garmin Nuvi 2545 and on the whole it's pretty decent - does what I want. The one thing that frustrates me though is its inability to select a logical route to places.
For example, I had to drive over to Bradford from Lancaster on Tuesday and it tried to take me over the scenic route - so Skipton, etc rather than the motorway route of M6/M62 etc. It doesn't matter what setting I use it seems to do this sort of things.
Last year we were going from Lancaster up to Hexham and it took us off the M6 at Penrith and cross country because it's so much shorter than going up to Carlisle and across on the main A roads.
I've tried setting up eco mode and setting urban to a really low MPG and motorway to a really high MPG but no joy unfortunately.
Any ideas?
 
I'm afraid you can't, best as I know. You have to use a map as well and ignore some of the suggestions unfortunately. The only way possibly around it is to throw in a via point or set the journey up so, for example, you do Lancaster - Carlisle, Carlisle - Hexham. I live in Morpeth, Northumberland and often go down to Cheshire, basically the same route you do but longer at each end. In the early days of having a satnav I would set the destination and see the route it wanted me to take. It was obsessed with the A66 for crossing the country, even trying to get me to get on the A68 when part way across the A69. I would like it to learn a journey but I don't think they can do that yet, not your or my Garmin anyway.

On long journeys I work out the main route I will take, preload the end destination, and then turn on the satnav when I am either in unknown territory or about 30 minutes away from where I am going.

I'm happy to be wrong on this and discover a way around it.
 
It is only 4 miles difference between the 2 routes from Lancaster to Bradford, so depending on the exact locations, it may have been quicker going via Skipton.

Also, does your Satnav take traffic conditions into account, that might have a bearing on the route.
 
Agree with via points if you know your preferred route.


Love Garmin sat navs. Best layout, simple and clear to follow.

Some of the others available are blooming rubbish in that department.
 
Just dont do what i did, used my tomtom after the mrs had last used it and had it set to avoid motorways. I was in a hire car from Amsterdam to The Hague (im tight and use my own nav!) what should have been a 45 minute journey took almost 2 hours down some mud covered roads at some points!
 
louise_a said:
It is only 4 miles difference between the 2 routes from Lancaster to Bradford, so depending on the exact locations, it may have been quicker going via Skipton.

Also, does your Satnav take traffic conditions into account, that might have a bearing on the route.
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It does do traffic, but that usually loads after it's selected a route and then it asks your permission to change. To be honest the traffic is rubbish. It's always out of date and only seems to cover motorways. So it reroutes you onto A roads that are even busier than the motorway. I just use the traffic to decide whether to stop now or later!
 
I have a garmin which I use for work. As long as it's not set to avoid motorways, silly question but have you checked in settings?
Another way is to ignore if it wants to take you off motorway, and it will then re-route once your time of destination is longer than original. Even if its only a minute shorter journey time it will keep wanting to take you back to original route until its past that time.
Hope I've explained that ok! :confused:
 
Golfmmad said:
I have a garmin which I use for work. As long as it's not set to avoid motorways, silly question but have you checked in settings?
Another way is to ignore if it wants to take you off motorway, and it will then re-route once your time of destination is longer than original. Even if its only a minute shorter journey time it will keep wanting to take you back to original route until its past that time.
Hope I've explained that ok! :confused:
Click to expand...
Thanks mate. Definitely not set to avoid motorways. It's just to do with the fact that going over the tops is 20 miles shorter than doing the motorway route. In fact there's an even better route it misses completely.
I'm off that way again tomorrow so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and see if it's actually quicker... Famous last words!
 
Sounds as bad as my flippin tom tom 720. I tried updating it without success. I have driven from Catania to Syracuse today. At times it feels like i have driven in a submarine, tractor and helicopter whilst on the autostrada. When the sat nav tells you to turn left in 80 yds and you are halfway down a 2 1/2 km tunnel you know its crap.
 
What I could not stand about Gramin, was the fact you could not switch of the annoying bleeping when it thought you were going above the speed limit. This may have changed in the new models but the one I had drove me mad and that was the one and only reason I changed to Tomtom.
 
JollyRedDevil said:
What I could not stand about Gramin, was the fact you could not switch of the annoying bleeping when it thought you were going above the speed limit. This may have changed in the new models but the one I had drove me mad and that was the one and only reason I changed to Tomtom.
Click to expand...

Has indeed changed in the newer ones :thup:
 
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