New Update For Amundsen Nov 2014

[HenPen]

I've tried three times now (on two different Windows computers) to use the VIN site and each time the Downloader doesn't put all the files on the SD card and I only get error messages fro mthe car. (Have Skoda updated the SD card's capacity? Mine is "V2" and has 7.45Gb formatted capacity.) Are you still supposed to format the card before installing the files?

 

I've reverted to the June 2014 files (thank goodness I backed them up), but I don't really want a dealer to charge me £35.00 an hour for a six-hour file transfer.

[Minimoke]

I've tried three times now (on two different Windows computers) to use the VIN site and each time the Downloader doesn't put all the files on the SD card and I only get error messages fro mthe car. (Have Skoda updated the SD card's capacity? Mine is "V2" and has 7.45Gb formatted capacity.) Are you still supposed to format the card before installing the files?

I've reverted to the June 2014 files (thank goodness I backed them up), but I don't really want a dealer to charge me £35.00 an hour for a six-hour file transfer.

Have you tried downloading to the desktop/laptop hdd rather than directly to the SD card? It maybe that you are experiencing download interruption/corruption rather than sizing issues.

As far as I am aware there has been no change to the SD card size.

A QuickFormat of the card before file transfer from the PC is also desirable.

[themanwithnoaim]

why not simply delete the countries you dont need when you have unzipped the new maps on to the sd card.

 

That is what I did

How much quicker does the Sat Nav work then ? 

[carrock]

How much quicker does the Sat Nav work then ? 

difficult to quantify. seems like the difference it makes when a hard drive is defragmented. not a massive difference but noticable

[andyvee]

I've tried three times now (on two different Windows computers) to use the VIN site and each time the Downloader doesn't put all the files on the SD card and I only get error messages fro mthe car. (Have Skoda updated the SD card's capacity? Mine is "V2" and has 7.45Gb formatted capacity.) Are you still supposed to format the card before installing the files?

 

I've reverted to the June 2014 files (thank goodness I backed them up), but I don't really want a dealer to charge me £35.00 an hour for a six-hour file transfer.

Pretty certain that if the card isn't blank it can't extract the files to it.

 

Make a backup of the card then delete everything off of it and try again?

[k9matt]

I've downloaded the November update and it appeared to have worked however on loading up the amundsen the maps are there but no road names, motorway & A road numbers etc…any thoughts?

[andyvee]

Yep - others have had this issue and it normally means a file is missing from the SD card.

[k9matt]

Thanks for the quick reply Andy! I'll re-format the card and try again 

[andyvee]

Did you use the Skoda downloader or the direct link?

 

Try using the direct link, use WinRAR to unpack then copy across to the SD Card

 

http://infotainment-cdn.skoda-auto.com/base/maps/P45_N60S3MIBS2_EU_NT_Q1.14.zip

[k9matt]

I used the direct link that you'd kindly posted earlier in the thread. I'm using a mac though….!!  

[andyvee]

That might explain it then - you get loads of hidden Mac folders on the SD card that mess it up

[k9matt]

Yes so i've read! Although when I updated before it worked without a hitch 

[kallekilponen]

You'll be able to remove the hidden files using an app like this:

 

http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/52076/him

[k9matt]

Gents…all sorted courtesy of my good neighbour and his windows laptop (also done all my VCDS changes in the past). 

 

Andy thanks for the quick replies last night

[andyvee]

Gents…all sorted courtesy of my good neighbour and his windows laptop (also done all my VCDS changes in the past). 

 

Andy thanks for the quick replies last night

No probs - glad you got it sorted

[Guest dasycneme]

Mapping all updated after much sweat and tears, yes you do need the original card, yes there are too many countries, yes it takes ages!

Now i have lost the voice control for destinations, Now the lovely GPS enjoys trying to take me off a known route to admire a little village or narrow lane for no reason, yes i am very disapointed with this satnav it is like going back ten years to when i had a PDA with Navteq.

Music system and phone are good

Where can one send ones grumbles to Skoda?

[Minimoke]

Mapping all updated after much sweat and tears, yes you do need the original card, yes there are too many countries, yes it takes ages!

Now i have lost the voice control for destinations, Now the lovely GPS enjoys trying to take me off a known route to admire a little village or narrow lane for no reason, yes i am very disapointed with this satnav it is like going back ten years to when i had a PDA with Navteq.

Music system and phone are good

Where can one send ones grumbles to Skoda?

 

The voice control possibly does not work because the old vde subfolder does not seem to be included in this latest update - this has been covered in another thread. You can try and copy the vde subfolder ONLY (assuming you took a backup before updating) to the sd card and see if voice control then works. But its not guaranteed.  

 

Unfortunately in my experience complaining to Skoda about their awful system and update process is useless. UK Customer Services (and their dealers) unfortunately do not seem to understand anything about this. I had an update fry my OEM SD card - Skoda deny this can happen and tried to sell me a new card for £263. This was only a few months after I had bought a new car. I told them to take a hike and , after some research, managed to track down a £50 genuine card from ebay.  

 

The Amundsen Sat Nav is terrible for any number of reasons. I reverted back to my old TomTom XL.

 

But do complain. The more the merrier.

[Yogi-Bear]

The Amundsen Sat Nav is terrible for any number of reasons.

 

All SD card-based nav systems should be avoided - they're just not worth the hassle.  Not only is it always going to be really slow due to the storage technology, but then there are all the things that can go wrong with the card itself... and as most of them seem to require OEM cards, they've got you over a barrel as it gets classed as a consumable.  At least with HDD/SSD-based nav systems, if the storage goes tits-up then it's going to be covered under the warranty, as well as being so much quicker.  And for what it's worth, the update mechanism for the Columbus seems to be pretty darn robust - the last update worked despite it being interrupted several times due to both short journeys and pulling out the USB stick containing the update at one point.

[Minimoke]

All SD card-based nav systems should be avoided - they're just not worth the hassle. Not only is it always going to be really slow due to the storage technology, but then there are all the things that can go wrong with the card itself... and as most of them seem to require OEM cards, they've got you over a barrel as it gets classed as a consumable. At least with HDD/SSD-based nav systems, if the storage goes tits-up then it's going to be covered under the warranty, as well as being so much quicker. And for what it's worth, the update mechanism for the Columbus seems to be pretty darn robust - the last update worked despite it being interrupted several times due to both short journeys and pulling out the USB stick containing the update at one point.

You make a number of fair points about the Columbus v the Aumndsen. But when I bought my Octy the upgrade cost to the Columbus sat nav was £800. To my mind (and I know the Columbus fans on here wont agree) it is just is not worth it. I will stick to my old TomTom thanks.

This was bought home to me this weekend. My wife and I were going to visit the NT property in Ightham Mote in Kent. As this was a relatively local trip for us I used the Amundsen instead of the TomTom. But getting close to the destination the Amundsen persistently tried to get me to drive down an interesting variety of farm tracks. I just reverted to using good old fashioned road signs. This not the first time I've had incidents like this with the Amundsen. (My maps are 100% up to date).

Now I cannot blame the Amundsen over the map quality but I suspect the Columbus uses the same maps so I would get the same bad directions but at a premium price.

My point is that I think all in-built sat navs are questionable value for money.

[Yogi-Bear]

the Amundsen persistently tried to get me to drive down an interesting variety of farm tracks.

 

I've had that with TomTom units in the past.  It's all down to the quality of the maps and the routing algorithms used.  Having had previous experience of TomToms, I'll agree that they are probably the best at both of these (although you could argue Google have the best maps these days).  The distinct advantage of a built-in unit is not having to remember to take it with you / put it in the glovebox, or have a mount on the dash or windscreen... it's just there when you need it.

 

Yes, built-in sat nav is expensive, but it is a convenience thing.  Just like my power tailgate, and my heated seats, and all other mod-cons in a car... they're not really needed if you just want to get from A to B, and there are almost certainly cheaper alternatives (opening the tailgate by hand, sitting on some heat-packs!) if you can be bothered.

 

Oh, and the Columbus is so worth it over the Amundsen - the screen is such better resolution and BIGGER IS ALWAYS BETTER   (and it doesn't use an SD card... by the time you've had to source a few replacements over the lifetime of the car, you may as well have paid for the upgrade in the first place!).

Edited 14 January, 2015 by WiggosSideburns

[Minimoke]

(and it doesn't use an SD card... by the time you've had to source a few replacements over the lifetime of the car, you may as well have paid for the upgrade in the first place!).

....and that's why I snapped up a couple of genuine OEM SD cards from ebay cheap before the rush starts!

[Guest dasycneme]

So all agreed, Amundsen is rubbish, I think the original maps can go back onto the card and any serious navigation will be on Tom Tom, shame

[Genoa1893]

Not completely, at least for me. I keep liking:

 

- the indication of direction on the MFD in the central display

- the absence of boxes attached to dashboard or windscreen

 

Perhaps these are independent from the Amundsen unit, in itself, but are anyway available at more reasonable cost (IMHO) than Columbus.

Edited 14 January, 2015 by Genoa1893

[ajw1100]

So all agreed, Amundsen is rubbish, I think the original maps can go back onto the card and any serious navigation will be on Tom Tom, shame

My TT730 runs off the SD card so on the face of it should not be any better than on the Amundsen also running off the SD card. I have not got my car yet so have to try it's satnav :wonder: .

 

I really do like the option to use the PGPSWorld camera database, and their POI files etc. I may end up with both systems and use according to needs, local area Amundsen and unknown places TomTom, just have to wait and see.

[Guest dasycneme]

The voice control possibly does not work because the old vde subfolder does not seem to be included in this latest update - this has been covered in another thread. You can try and copy the vde subfolder ONLY (assuming you took a backup before updating) to the sd card and see if voice control then works. But its not guaranteed.  

But do complain. The more the merrier.

 

:clap: Well done, just copied the vde file and can now use voice for destinations again, many thanks