- My model of MX-5 is: 2018 RF
- I’m based near: Falkirk
- I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: get emails about updating maps on the Sat Nav. Is it worth it? Is it easy to do without going to dealer?
If you have a computer with an SD card slot or an adapter you can download the Mazda toolbox software and do it this way. If you do this having a backup copy of the card is important, I have managed to destroy one before…
At 2018 your car is most likely beyond the free update period so expect to pay.
Some people decide it’s more economic to buy a replacement maps card online than buy the download update.
Better to get Carplay/Android Auto installed and get free maps!
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I updated it once at the end of the free period, but probably won’t bother again as I use Android Auto.
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I got an updated map se card off eBay works perfectly
Isn’t it absurd that a 30 grand car can’t, or won’t update its nav automatically ,but any cheap smartphone will ? They ought to install Waze (etc) and not do a worse job for more money , that can’t even be updated easily . My dealer said in 2018 , when the car was 3 years old , that it would charge me £250 to upgrade the nav - who said music hall is dead ?
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At he last service when the dealer offered something like that to upgrade the abysmal 1* satnav in my 2016 Mazda3 I laughed, and took the Garmin Nuvi out of my jacket pocket.
His face fell.
I rubbed in the salt, “This cost half your upgrade, and has lifetime maps and live traffic info.”
I didn’t mention the infinitely more intuitive interaction including postcodes, or the much more readable display, or that it will work in any car, or even while walking, or that a second Nuvi living in my NC has the reversing camera hooked into it wirelessly.
And best of all the Nuvi doesn’t use a phone either, and therefore will work anywhere it can see some satellites.
Updated Sat nav from MAZDA EUROPE 2023/2024 SAT NAV MAP SD CARD NAVIGATION UPDATE
Dropped it in whilst off, started car and there it is.
2016 updated OS to V 74 thanks to BlueAgave then the map data card from the shop above.
Do these work for ND2?
I know they work on ND1 as I used one on our none Nav ND1 but I was under the impression that Mazda ‘fixed’ this loophole when they put Nav in all models on the arrival of ND2 in 2019.
I would suggest asking them, David there is very knowledgeable.
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Just ordered the SatNav upgrade (as linked). Good experience… arrived promptly and just slotted it in and everything works.
So, I thought I would try and check what version of maps is actually on the card. First-off, I couldn’t find a way of doing this (with the card in its slot) and searching through the Mazda’s system itself. Am I right?
Secondly, I took the card out again, locked it with the little slider and put it in my computer. As far as I can tell the maps date from mid-2021, i.e. not (to my mind) consistent with 2023-2024, as advertised. May be I am mis-interpreting something…
Equally, once I unzipped a copy of the DbVersion/info.ini file it confirms a mid-2021 date, presumably for the database. I wonder if that includes the maps?
I have contacted the supplier and await to hear what is said… Has anybody else dug down into this?
(My Mazda SD card, that was upgraded until it ran-off the three year limit, has map files from May-2019. Consistent with a 2016 purchase for the car)
Interested to hear any thoughts…
John Perry