Anyone else think the Becker Map Pilot is rubbish?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

nickpb

Active Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2007
Messages
244
Location
Wiltshite
Car
A180d Sport Executive
Is it just me, or does anyone else think that the Becker Map Pilot is rubbish?

Mine was a new unit when I got the car 2 years ago (thankfully, I didn't pay extra for it), and from day 1 I have been unimpressed.

In the past I have had Tom Tom sat navs, and I got used to being told when to turn before I got to a junction. With the Becker, it's pot luck. Sometimes it tells you well in advance, other times you are actually driving past the junction when it tells you to turn right. Now normally, it has warned you a few hundreds of yards before the junction, so you are prepared, but driving round Caan last year it could just not cope with all the junctions close together, and we ended up getting lost so many times.

Same thing happens in the UK. Traffic permitting, I've got into the habit of looking at the map to see where I should be turning, but invariably I have turned the corner and driving down the new road when it says 'turn right now'.

The other nice thing about Tom Tom is that if you stray off the planned route, it re-calculates the route for you and continues as if nothing has happened. Sometimes the Becker will do that, but most times it gets upset with you and keeps telling you to do a U-turn.

I've been driving along roads and found a junction has been closed, or roadworks ahead. Becker has tried to plot an alternative route and guess what, no alternative routes are available. Luckily I have known where I am, so just taken the alternative route that Becker said didn't exist!

This one is classic - we were in Essex a couple of weeks ago and our route took us through the village of Little Bently. Becker, in its wisdom, told me to 'Turn right towards LEFTENANT Bently'. Really?

The maps are interesting as well. Although mine are up to date (well, up to last year anyway), I find that the maps shows me as driving over fields, even though I know the road has been there for at least 5 years (mostly in France if I'm honest). And why can't it find other roads that have been there (UK) for well over 30 years? Come on!

Today was the last straw. Tried to connect my unit to my PC and .....nothing. The PC didn't recognise it as an attached device, and the Becker software couldn't find it. I tried 3 different PCs and 3 different cables. No joy. Luckily it still works in the car (at the moment), so I guess I just won't be able to get any updates. Will I notice? I doubt it.

Oh I almost forgot, I purchased the Speed Camera updates when I first got the unit, however my Mercedes garage swapped it for a different one when I complained about it (didn't fix the problems). Of course the new one didn't have the speed cameras on, so I contacted Becker support and explained the problem and asked if I could re-download the speed camera data (that I had already paid for) as it was a warranty exchange. Their response was basically 'tough, you'll have to buy them again'. Luckily I had the old backup, so I managed to 'extract' the data and add it to my new device.

Sorry this post is so long, but it's nice to get it off my chest.

Is it me or does anyone else agree? :wallbash::wallbash::wallbash:
 
Cannot help I am afraid my system works fairly well but yours sounds as if the GPS aerial is not locking onto enough satellites as I had a similar problem when this happened funnily enough on a TomTom.
I am sure someone with more knowledge will help you out.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'm not really looking for help - just getting it off my chest. FWIW, the GPS always shows plenty of satellites (usually more than 10), and I forgot to add that I had the control module for the radio/navigation unit changed as well. Just unlucky maybe? Who knows?
 
Having had a very recent (as in last week) opportunity to compare the latest COMAND (in a 65-reg loaner) to my 5-yr old Garmin, I wouldn't swap even if they pay me!

Interface, directions, advance indication of desired lane, distance to the next exit/turn, voice control, etc, etc - every single point is far superior, in my view.

Add to that a very comprehensive EOBD integration with a dozen of available gauges to display on the screen, when I don't need navigation (Garmin ecoRoute+HD is hard-wired and hidden under the dash cover) - perfect. With a permanent, hard-wired stand, it is as much a part of the dash as the 'iPad" screen in modern Mercedes.

I am considering a newer model, just to add a reversing camera capability, but given the built quality and functionality of my current one (nuvi 3790LMT) it'll probably last at least another five years, without a hint of being outdated...
 
I far prefer the Becker system to the Command one.

Now that the maps have been updated to the 2016 release (only had it a month and the old owner was still on the 2013 maps) it is pretty much spot on with all of the roads.

Directions are clear and well in advance (provided you haven't switched it to the short instructions mode) so no issue there either.

About the only issue I would moan about is the setting of destinations. I find it pretty inaccurate and a pain to set it by the address feature. I now tend to just locate and set it in the map view itself. That way am sure it has the location as accurately as it can be.

So in my case I wouldn't agree it is that poor.

It isn't as good as my previous setup where I had replaced the head unit with a Pioneer AppRadio and could display my phone screen onto the head unit and use Waze, Google Maps or any other navigation software I would have liked. But then neither is pretty much any factory fit option from any manufacturer unless they have Google or Apple phone integration.
 
Mind you, thinking about the reroute, its not the best system for knowing where hold ups are. This is probably its weakest point, but it has always found a reroute for me when it needed to.
 
Tom Tom with Live HD is great

I had issues with BMP too but after investigation the late / early announcements were due to the maps having old/wrong junction layouts. there is a website you can check and ask for corrections but name escapes me

I have comand now which does the same re announcements and also doesnt auto zoom map so not impressed, Traffic announcements and reroutes seem good though (it uses a tom tom feed apparently).
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom