Post code entry does not work

mrnemo · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 20, 2010 Posts: 13

Just bought a Garmin Nuvi 1490T from Jessops as they had an offer onlife time maps and it has 'free' traffic information.

I had an old Medion bought from Aldi it which was getting on a bit. The main problem with it was that post code search did not work and you could not update the maps.

I had the guy from Jessops enter my home address and guess what I live on the wrong street. It only uses the first four numbers and letters not the full six of the post code. So it will get you to the general area not the exact location. Are TomToms any better?

Starting to wonder if lifetime maps will be any better or will they stop next year? So far no better than my decade old Medion. Ok, telling me the street I am on sounds sophisticated but the voice says Scabby Road not Scalby Road!

I dont think I have joined the 21st century in Sat Nav equipment just yet. Embarassed

MaFt · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:13 pm Post subject:

the nuvi 1490t should DEFINITELY do the full 7 digit postcode.

was it a new item or refurbished?

MaFt

mrnemo · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 20, 2010 Posts: 13

It is supposed to be a new item. I have tried it a number of times and always the same. I will email Garmin Support and see what they say. Thanks for the reply as my time to take it back is running out.

M8TJT · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:31 pm Post subject:

Do you have to leave a space in the postcode i.e. TN40 6QQ, or maybee no space

MaFt · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:44 pm Post subject:

new (as in less than 4 years old) garmins work with or without the space.

if you go to settings and dig around for map data can you let us know what maps the device has (should have a name like city explorer, city maps nt etc) and also if the box next to it is ticked to say to use them? the postcode data is stored in the map data which is why i'm thinking either the maps aren't activated or it's a refurb model where the maps have been screwed up or, worse still, someone installed different (but incorrect) maps onto it which don't have the full 7digit postcodes and then returned the item.

also, when you start in 'where to' are you asked to enter a country? if so are you selecting a uk country that actually HAS 7 digit postcodes?

MaFt

MaFt · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2011 6:47 pm Post subject:

mrnemo · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 20, 2010 Posts: 13

It was a brand new unit, the shop assistant from Halfords had to undue a lot of packaging – so I doubt its a returnee.

I updated the maps the day I got it and it shows CN Europe NT 2012.20 and it is ticked.

My post code is YO12 6HL - my 1490T will take you to West Park Avenue which is close to the road I actually live on. This makes me think that it is only doing the first four digits of the post code and then going to the first street with this on its list. If you do a Where AM I it still gets the street wrong but it is close but not as good as it should be considering it should know to a few feet not yards.

The other issues I have found so far which may or may not indicate a fault are it took about 6 attempts and over an hour before the Garmin website would recognise it and let me register it and download the most recent map. Yes, my Internet connection was working fine and the map download took how long they said it would.

The shop assistant demonstrated the unit in my car and said it would find satellites much faster in future but it hasn't and is still taking at least a minute, sometimes more. On my only journey with it was slow to do a reroute when I set off and turned it the opposite direction to what it expected and had gone down two streets before it did it. My old Medion was much faster at this and could find satellites as soon as it was turned on but not always and sometimes you had trouble.

M8TJT · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 10:00 am Post subject:

Anita · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 11:39 am Post subject:

sussamb · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 11:43 am Post subject:

I have a 1490 and your postcode shows at the junction of Green Lane and West Park Avenue.

However my experience is that it locks on within 15 sconds or so, provided of course you switch it on where it was last switched off, otherwise as with any satnav it takes a bit longer to establish where it is. Recalculation is also extremely quick, although the longer the route the longer the recalc. However even on a recent holiday in France when I had a route of over 200 miles loaded it was doing it within 15 seconds or so.

It's possible you have a faulty unit, if I were you I'd take it back to Halfords and explain the problem to them.

M8TJT · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 12:13 pm Post subject:

Well, my iGO using Navteq maps gives house number 2 at the above postcode as on Green Lane at its junction with Scalby Road. If I put no house number in and go to the street centre I get a position on Green Lane, about at the junction of it and Graylands Park Drive which is about the centre of Green Lane Very Happy

mrnemo · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jun 20, 2010 Posts: 13

Well the 1490T belonging to sussamb is doing much better than the unit belonging to me. I didn't give a house number so that is a possible location with that postcode. (I do have some security sense). If you give a house number as well as a postcode it takes you to the right house number on the wrong street which is way out.

When I give my postcode and address to people on the phone who use things like the Royal Mail postcode database they always get it right.

I phoned Garmin support and after waiting 8 minutes at 10p a minute I got a human. I told her the postcode and she came up with the right street. I suspect she also looked it up on the Royal Mail database. She tried to tell me that it was a mapping area and would be corrected in due course. I told her it was a bit of a biggy getting your own post code wrong. I had also noticed that it was giving my location as Greenstead which is out by a number of many yards. she said that was due to me being inside but I later tried it even standing on the road and still gives a house in Greenstead as my nearest house location.

She wanted me to do a reset but I struggled with her accent (Not a regional British) and misunderstood that you supposed to press the bottom right side as it comes on. I don’t think that is going to help anyway?

Nice to know that TomTom are no better or is it just an overloyal customer.

sussamb · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 12:50 pm Post subject:

A hard reset is always worth a try ... and is often needed after a software upgrade, in the same way that Windows often asks you to reboot after installing a program.

However I suspect in your case you have a hardware fault if locating satellites and recalcs are slow, Halfords should replace it.

When working (and I've had mine for nearly a year now) the 1490 is an excellent satnav.

Anita · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 2:02 pm Post subject:

Kremmen · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 3:25 pm Post subject:

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