Update of navigation maps

[RobL50]

I have read material here, elsewhere and in the manual and I am confused.

 

There are instructions on how to download the maps, unzip them onto a USB stick and then upload them to the Columbus infotainment system.  However the Skoda instructions show pictures of the old Columbus head unit (with the physical buttons on the sides) and comments on this forum show that people appear to have difficulty doing this.

 

The manual (and my dealer) state that updates must be done over the air with a subscription.  The manual also states that the download will be for the current vehicle position or route destination.  I would like a full UK (or England and Wales) update.  If some maps have been downloaded how does this change the reported navigation database version?

 

I have bought a used 2021 PHEV and the current map version is 20.7.  My update options are to download the database or to take a 1 month trial subscription and download the maps, but this is likely to take a significant time.

 

My questions are:

1 – Having unzipped the map files onto a USB drive how do I get the infotainment system to update?

2 – How much map data is downloaded and how long does it take?

 

Many thanks for any assistance.

 

Before anyone asks I will be using my phone for navigation but I would like the maps on the car to be up to date.

[Markeknows]

19 hours ago, RobL50 said:

Having unzipped the map files onto a USB drive how do I get the infotainment system to update?

The instructions online won’t win a crystal clear clarity award. But simply put in your vin https://updateportal.skoda-auto.com/en-GB and download. Unzip and stick usb-c into one of the 2 front ports. And leave. It does it in the background whilst driving after a day or so. You won’t see any notification or status bar until the map ID changes to 23.12 or something like that to show it’s from month 12 of 2023

[RobL50]

2 hours ago, Markeknows said:

The instructions online won’t win a crystal clear clarity award. But simply put in your vin https://updateportal.skoda-auto.com/en-GB and download. Unzip and stick usb-c into one of the 2 front ports. And leave. It does it in the background whilst driving after a day or so. You won’t see any notification or status bar until the map ID changes to 23.12 or something like that to show it’s from month 12 of 2023

 

Thanks, I will try this and see what happens.

[DaveFromSydney]

The instructions say "7 INSTALLATION Insert the USB Flash Disc into the proper connector in the front part of the car. The vehicle uses the data on the USB disc while driving to update the required map regions. For proper updating, we recommend to leave the USB Flash Disc plugged into the vehicle connector each time you drive.".

 

If you took that literally the USB could never be removed.

I take it that you think this really means "leave it in until the update has completed".

 

Also it insists on using a 64GB USB stick yet the download files for most countries are much smaller.

For Australia, after unzipping, they are less than 2GB.

 

Edited 17 March by DaveFromSydney

[RobL50]

18 hours ago, RobL50 said:

 

Thanks, I will try this and see what happens.

@Markeknows

This worked perfectly.

The unpacked data just fitted on a 32GB stick which I had available, I inserted it in a front USB C socket and left it for an hour with the car switched on, but not running.  The status now shows that the map version is 23.6

Edited 18 March by RobL50
Insertion of missing word.

[spcdust]

2 hours ago, RobL50 said:

@Markeknows

This worked perfectly.

The unpacked data just fitted on a 32GB stick which I had available, I inserted it in a front USB C socket and left it for an hour with the car switched on, but not running.  The status now shows that the map version is 23.6

 

 

Is that the latest maps database available for manual download as my maps version is 23.12?  Likely my map database got an OTA update in January 2024 before my subscription expired.

Edited 18 March by spcdust

[RobL50]

17 minutes ago, spcdust said:

 

 

Is that the latest maps database available for manual download as my maps version is 23.12?  Likely my map database got an OTA update in January 2024 before my subscription expired.

 

That is the version I was given when I input my VIN.  I thought there was a later one as it is supposed to have 6 monthly updates.  It is still a more up to date version than the one I had.

[spcdust]

When I input my VIN it offers:

 

ECE 2024

 

CW 45/2023

 

45/2023 is week 45 year 2023 which is week commencing 6th November 2023.  I wonder if OTA updates are more regular than what they put on the web portal?

Edited 18 March by spcdust

[RobL50]

13 minutes ago, spcdust said:

When I input my VIN it offers:

 

ECE 2024

 

CW 45/2023

 

45/2023 is week 45 year 2023 which is week commencing 6th November 2023.  I wonder if OTA updates are more regular than what they put on the web portal?

 

The downloaded file name is OI_P107_EU_202345_Offline_Update.zip which I unpacked.  This looks like  week 45 2023 but it appears as version 23.6 after loading it.  It may be that the maps dated June were only packaged for downloading in November.

[spcdust]

Just now, RobL50 said:

 

The downloaded file name is OI_P107_EU_202345_Offline_Update.zip which I unpacked.  This looks like  week 45 2023 but it appears as version 23.6 after loading it.  It may be that the maps dated June were only packaged for downloading in November.

That sounds like a plausible explanation, I was considering whether my maps needed updating but sounds like I should hold off.  Like yourself, I use mapping app via CarPlay but good to maintain the inbuilt Sat Nav maps database.

[Markeknows]

1 hour ago, RobL50 said:

.  It may be that the maps dated June were only packaged for downloading in November.

Correct. Confusing but that’s how the Skoda nerds do it

[Markeknows]

1 hour ago, spcdust said:

Like yourself, I use mapping app via CarPlay but good to maintain the inbuilt Sat Nav maps database.

Maybe, just maybe, by keeping the inbuilt maps up to date they might get the speed limit right in places where the car throws on the brakes when using travel assist. The other side is that the new 20mph limits in Wales are a nightmare with the car wanting to break the law at 30 when my traffic sign recognition misses a new 20 mph sign and the maps think it’s still 30. Sigh

[RobL50]

6 minutes ago, Markeknows said:

Maybe, just maybe, by keeping the inbuilt maps up to date they might get the speed limit right in places where the car throws on the brakes when using travel assist. The other side is that the new 20mph limits in Wales are a nightmare with the car wanting to break the law at 30 when my traffic sign recognition misses a new 20 mph sign and the maps think it’s still 30. Sigh

 

One of my reasons for keeping the internal maps up to date is to understand when the car will slow down when it thinks I am approaching a roundabout or speed limit in Ecoassist..

[darkmatterink]

@RobL50 Glad you got it to work. I purchased my car in 2023. It came with 2021 maps. The dealership is not helpful. In my region, we don't have eSIM and internet connectivity, so no OTA updates. When I did a VIN check, it did show an update, but the dealership says there is no update on their system. It's some BS. I would like to try your method. Should the USB be type C, or can I use a dongle? What format did you have your USB in?

[darkmatterink]

On 18/03/2024 at 14:44, RobL50 said:

@Markeknows

This worked perfectly.

The unpacked data just fitted on a 32GB stick which I had available, I inserted it in a front USB C socket and left it for an hour with the car switched on, but not running.  The status now shows that the map version is 23.6

Glad you got it to work. I purchased my car in 2023. It came with 2021 maps. The dealership is not helpful. In my region, we don't have eSIM and internet connectivity, so no OTA updates. When I did a VIN check, it did show an update, but the dealership says there is no update on their system. It's some BS. I would like to try your method. Should the USB be type C, or can I use a dongle? What format did you have your USB in?

[RobL50]

44 minutes ago, darkmatterink said:

Glad you got it to work. I purchased my car in 2023. It came with 2021 maps. The dealership is not helpful. In my region, we don't have eSIM and internet connectivity, so no OTA updates. When I did a VIN check, it did show an update, but the dealership says there is no update on their system. It's some BS. I would like to try your method. Should the USB be type C, or can I use a dongle? What format did you have your USB in?

The socket in the car is USB C and I have a small USB C to USB A converter which I used.  My USB stick (type A) was formatted to FAT32, I copied the files over after unpacking them and then left it plugged in with the ignition on for an hour.  I suggest you use a 64GB U&SB stick if you need to buy a new one.

 

I use the same converter to pug my phone in for Android Auto and another memory stick for music so I knew it worked.

[darkmatterink]

2 minutes ago, RobL50 said:

The socket in the car is USB C and I have a small USB C to USB A converter which I used.  My USB stick (type A) was formatted to FAT32, I copied the files over after unpacking them and then left it plugged in with the ignition on for an hour.  I suggest you use a 64GB U&SB stick if you need to buy a new one.

 

I use the same converter to pug my phone in for Android Auto and another memory stick for music so I knew it worked.

Awesome. thank you. I will try it tonight and report back. 

[DaveFromSydney]

II did it today. The files for Australia were only 2GB and I used FAT32 format although the docs say 64GB and exFAT.

It seems to only load while the car is running so it seems best to just leave it plugged in and go about your daily driving. It does not matter that you stop and lock the car before the process is finished. At some stage you will run the Settings>System Info and it will show an increased version number. You can then remove your USB stick.

Doing this today my version it took no more than an hour and went from 21.2  to 22.12.

 

[darkmatterink]

On 17/03/2024 at 18:02, Markeknows said:

The instructions online won’t win a crystal clear clarity award. But simply put in your vin https://updateportal.skoda-auto.com/en-GB and download. Unzip and stick usb-c into one of the 2 front ports. And leave. It does it in the background whilst driving after a day or so. You won’t see any notification or status bar until the map ID changes to 23.12 or something like that to show it’s from month 12 of 2023

Hi @Markeknows, I followed your instructions and sought some help from @RobL50 to update my maps. However, it simply did not work. I plugged the USB in for an hour, but there was no activity. I bought my car in 2023, and the map version currently installed is 21.11. Unfortunately, the dealer in my region is not very helpful when it comes to software support; they claim their system does not show any map updates available. Another thing I found very strange is that when I went to look for FEC codes, there were none! Both supported codes and installed codes were blank. I don't know if this has something to do with not being able to update the maps. I went searching for the codes because I read somewhere that maps need to match the unit's region and FEC/SWaP code... So now I am confused. 

[Markeknows]

3 hours ago, darkmatterink said:

. I bought my car in 2023, and the map version currently installed is 21.11

If you’re in the UAE then the UK map update portal probably isn’t relevant is it?  Is there a Middle East Skoda portal? Perhaps your roads haven’t been updated since 2021 as dealer says. They’re gonna be region specific 

[BobFrapples]

I’ve updated my sat nav this way as well, and also my radio station icons.  However, it’s an incomplete list of icons, quite a few stations still without an icon for some reason or other.

[darkmatterink]

3 hours ago, Markeknows said:

If you’re in the UAE then the UK map update portal probably isn’t relevant is it?  Is there a Middle East Skoda portal? Perhaps your roads haven’t been updated since 2021 as dealer says. They’re gonna be region specific 

I checked if there’s a UAE specific portal. There isn’t any. It’s just tied to vin. I guess you’re right. Maybe they haven’t updated it here. There are only a handful of Škoda cars here 🥲