TMC working well on new satnav discs??

[TheGrocer]

I have a seperate Trafficmaster unit in the car which has saved my skin and time on many occasions. I spend way to much time on the UK M way network and its been well worth the £100 a year for total UK road coverage.

Im about to upgrade the Comand Satnav disc to V6 and the TMC system is included and I have a couple of Qs:
1) How does is it work?
2) Will the map show all delays all the time or only when a pre planned route has been entered?
3) Is there any subscription charge?

Thanks for your feedback

 

[masqueraid]

The TMC messages are picked up on a second tuner circuit on your radio (I believe that are still transmitted encoded into the Classic FM signal)
Your system gets both GPS locations with type of incident and text messaging by road.

You can see the text messages at any time by hitting TMC in MAP and scrolling through the route numbers.

Closed roads show up all the time but traffic queue only appear when a route is selected. Dynamic mapping can route you around obstructions (but if the diversion is long you may find the obstruction has cleared by the time you rejoin your route)

Nominally subscription (more correctly licencing) is effectively "one off" included in the disk price and carries over to any upgrades.

 

[whitenemesis]

I use my COMAND every day on my commute. I don't use route guidance (been doing same route for 9yrs so I know it by now ) but I do use the MAP function. This will display any hold-up, slow traffic, accidents and blockages on any road visible on the screen.

Great facility and has saved me from many a jam!

 

[joembuck]

I would second that - - TMC on my W203 (V8 DVD) works pretty well and seems to be reliable - It has some limitations (as does trafficmaster) - - It only knows about Jams that have happened, so It may be a bit slow in identifying new ones. Its not foolproof, but what is.

Don't buy Version 6 for the E-Class, V7 Is already out in Europe.

 

[DieselE]

Closed roads show up all the time but traffic queue only appear when a route is selected. Dynamic mapping can route you around obstructions (but if the diversion is long you may find the obstruction has cleared by the time you rejoin your route)

The red/yellow cars appear even when you don't have a route selected.

 

[Rory]

I have a seperate Trafficmaster unit in the car which has saved my skin and time on many occasions. I spend way to much time on the UK M way network and its been well worth the £100 a year for total UK road coverage.

Im about to upgrade the Comand Satnav disc to V6 and the TMC system is included and I have a couple of Qs:
1) How does is it work?
2) Will the map show all delays all the time or only when a pre planned route has been entered?
3) Is there any subscription charge?

Thanks for your feedback

I think the source date is different for Trafficmaster - the MB TMC system uses ITIS, which relies on transponders on various vehicles. Strikes me this is a bit hit and miss as those vehicles might not be in the queue!

There's no separate subscription with the MB system (it's built into the cost of the disk). Perhaps you could run the systems togther for a while - your feedback would be very interesting.

 

[TheGrocer]

Got it

Thanks MB Forumers
Got the disc..its in the car and works greeaatt
Now..The Trafficmaster will be running alongside it for the next couple of weeks and we will see how it compares. I have to say to start with its diffucult to see which side of the road the problem is on using the TMC red and yellow car system, perhaps this will be easier to undertsand with as I get used to it.
A big thanks to you all for your detailed feedback and whilst I was in with my main dealer franchise friends (irony) I purchased 3 years of warranty and service on the Assist Plus for £85 per month! What a great price for peace of mind and all warranty and service costs excluding tyres.

 

[TheGrocer]

TMC Cars on the wrong side of the roaqd?

Thanks MB Forumers
Got the disc..its in the car and works greeaatt
Now..The Trafficmaster will be running alongside it for the next couple of weeks and we will see how it compares. I have to say to start with its diffucult to see which side of the road the problem is on using the TMC red and yellow car system, perhaps this will be easier to undertsand with as I get used to it.
A big thanks to you all for your detailed feedback and whilst I was in with my main dealer franchise friends (irony) I purchased 3 years of warranty and service on the Assist Plus for £85 per month! What a great price for peace of mind and all warranty and service costs excluding tyres.

Just when I thought it was going too well... Following my first outing in the car round the M25 and with Trafficmaster on line it appears the cars are incorrectly displayed on the wrong side of the road.
Now I have checked on other threads and I know this is a firmware/software issue as Steve points out below

"The last but one update (51/05 RELEASED JAN 06) fixes the icons on the wrong side of the road but also removes the hidden menus. Disk is part number W211 589 10 22 00 (Also increases the phone book size if you have the phone option)

The latest software (30/06 RELEASED JAN 07) also fixes the above and has the front screen ETA Part No W211 589 13 22 00.

The ability to enter destinations on the move or not has always been a switchable option. You can change in in the "hidden menus" assuming you have access and if not the dealer can do via STAR."

Question
I had asked the dealer to check this and they said they had upgraded all appropriate soft and hard ware. The car TMC problem and lack of ETA suggests not. How can I check or should I just go back with Steves info and say LOOK DO THIS!!

 

[DieselE]

Question
I had asked the dealer to check this and they said they had upgraded all appropriate soft and hard ware. The car TMC problem and lack of ETA suggests not. How can I check or should I just go back with Steves info and say LOOK DO THIS!!

Good luck with askking the dealer to check. My local dealership had not heard of the firmware upgrade disk until I went in to order it.