Mk 4 ND RF Sat Nav, How do I continue updating the Sat Nav after the initial FOC 3years, I ask this question as we have taken delivery of a November 2017 RF 1.5
You have to buy a new subscription from Mazda. Not cheap though. Believe you can renew via the app where you can download updates.
I will be in the same position come November, however I use Apple Maps or Google Maps via Car Play as I prefer their mapping options. Also I can plan a route indoors beforehand.
You can see adverts on auction sites for an SD card replacement, often £££ cheaper but the provenance of the cards may be questionable.
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Tbh the Mazda nav in all 4 CX5’s (the same as in the MX5) we’ve had is pretty dire, uses some really odd routes and even the updates aren’t very up to date.
You could consider carplay/android auto, (if your car is suitable) which may not be any more expensive than a few years worth of updating the Mazda system, as the nav apps on phones are far better and you have live traffic/re routes that actually work’s sensibly.
By the way, if updating the Mazda system, be careful, as our dealer managed to ‘brick’ the controlling ECU during an update on our last (2017) CX. Thankfully Mazda covered the cost of replacing it.
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I have used the internet like this MAZDA MZD 2020 SAT NAV SD Card NAVIGATION MAPS EUROPE 2 3 6 CX3 CX-3 MX5 | eBay and had no problems. Loads to chose from.
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I’ve used similar for my SEAT nav, £23 or much more for the dealer SD card updates. Works perfectly.
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I updated mine when I bought it last year and it was over 3 years old. You download a programme onto your computer that’s called Naviextras, I have one for Mazda and one for the Pioneer in my Land Rover Defender and you purchase through that. Tell you the truth though I don’t think I’ll bother again as I had Carplay fitted just afterwards and use one of the numerous apps on my phone. The only time this becomes an issue is if I’m in the Lake District and lose a phone signal, which is a lot, so I tend to switch to the car navigation as it doesn’t use a phone signal, but you can download Google maps offline. I hope that helps.
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I didn’t bother renewing the subscription after the initial three years - I kept the money and just accept that it’s slightly out of date. I check the route before I leave home and can normally memorise it. Failing that, my wife is sitting next to me with Google maps running.
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Most of the roads don’t change that much so you can still use it, but the Mazda satnav is dire and counter-intuitive compared with our portable Garmin Nuvi (free lifetime updates and traffic info).
So when it ran out in the Mazda3 we didn’t bother updating it. Update costs more than buying a Garmin or Tomtom or phone.
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Just to be clear, when the subscription runs out the navigation still works, it does not stop working.
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I don’t have an ND, but I do have factory satnav in all 4 of my cars - and I always use Google Maps on my phone for navigation. Not only is it free, but the maps are always up to date, and it is aware of current traffic conditions, so it can choose the best route (and, if necessary re-route) in real time.
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I have a new ND (2 weeks old today!!) which has the Apple Car play. If Car Play is connected - which it usually is as I listen to music on it and I pressed the Nav button - Google Maps on my phone opened first on the screen, which I thought was a surprise. I wanted to see what the Mazda Nav was like and it took me quite a few presses of the controller to change it. However I would probably use Google Maps anyway as it has always been good.
I must say the whole system in the MX5 is not as intuitive as the one in my last Golf Gti - which had a full electronic dashboard too - so you could see the map directly in between the rev counter/speedo. But I am getting used to it - which is the point I suppose…
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We also have a Mazda 3 ( 66 plate ) as well as the Mx5 , and like others when it ran out on the 3 i never purchased the extension as we generally are together and use google maps.
On the Mx5 I will probably only ever use google maps on the Apple car play .
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There’s a shortcut to get from carplay to mzd and vice-versa, just long press the house shaped button on the idrive controller.
And yes, I did find it by accident.
MZD is not the most intuitive…
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Thanks - I have since found that (I was very unmanly and looked in the manual - tsk tsk I know)…
Me too, 2021 maps added via Amazon £20 and works great.
Many thanks to all of the members that came forward with information regarding the CD Card for the Sat Nav…
regards
John
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Interesting that you compare the Golf Gti system more favourably than the MX5…I came from a Focus ST, via a Golf Gti, to a Golf R, and the audio side really disappoints me in the Golfs as I found the audio control of music selection extremely limited, and for that reason I’ve switched to using Android Auto for everything in the R, however the Mazda has the same voice controls as the Focus ST had, just plug in a music loaded USB stick and away you go, you can tell it to play a specific track, album, artist, genre, folder or whatever, so I don’t bother using Android Auto in the MX5, it’s brilliant! That said, I haven’t tried the Mazda satnav yet, but I’ll be inclined to persevere with it because the audio is so easy. I’ve never really got along with the Golf satnav either, yes the large display between the dials is great, but I find it takes me on some very odd routes!!
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I am getting more used to the system in the MX5, but I find it fairly slow to connect. However I can now easily switch from apple car play music to the radio to listen to the news. Still not been anywhere to investigate the sat nav though. The sound in the MX5 is certainly good though. The NA I had was so bad I used earbuds, but the ND is great, even with the roof down it is clear. I listen to all my music through the phone, so it works easily and is good.
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