Did you know Rand McNally lifetime maps are good for only 36 months??

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JudyJB

JudyJB

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FYI - I purchased a Rand McNally 7725 GPS in Sept 2013, and it came with "lifetime" maps. I just tried to update those maps and had problems, so I called Rand McNally's support desk. Turns out that they define "lifetime" as only 36 months, after which they can decide to no longer support a device, which includes providing new maps!! I have not tried to update it for over a year, and tried to do so because it has been telling me to turn onto roads that no longer exist and giving me panicky messages when I drive on a freeway that it does not recognize. (Apparently, it thinks I am taking jaunts across people's yards or through the woods and desert.)

Anyway, glad my personal lifetime is not defined by Rand McNally!!!! Thought some of you would want to know!
 
I had a Magellan hiker's GPS that I used a lot but it didn't have onboard maps as it was earlier than that. Since I have had Garmin products and kept the first one for almost 6 years and another for 5 years and both had upgrades for the maps the entire time. I know have 2 Garmin units, one is about a year old and the other nearing 5 years old and the other is only 1 but both use the same maps and I can connect to either with Garmin Express and Basecamp. Garmin is a leading manufacturer of aircraft navigation equipment so should be pretty current.

Back when Rand first introduced their RV GPS I was part of the beta testing program and had such a bad experience that I have shunned their products ever since.
 
Had a Rand McNally with lifetime maps that I was no longer able to update. Contacted the company and was advised that my unit was no longer serviced. Asked about the lifetime maps and was told that "lifetime" only applied to the life of the unit.
 
Note that even Garmin & TomTom don't promise to provide updates for all products with the same frequency. As new GPS gain features that require new mapping data, the old ones become obsolete and the frequency of map updates for them may decline. However, both Garmin & TomTom have done a good job isolating the actual map data from the extras, so they can usually send the same map changes to all models. Magellan & Rand McNally, not so much. My coach came with a Magellan that was declared "obsolete" in the first year I owned the coach. No more updates, maps or software. Magellan said the map & software updates were only "for the life of the product". I never bought another Magellan anything!
 
I think Garmin would have a problem if they stopped the lifetime maps on their "LM" models, such as my Garmin 395LMs. The "LM/Lifetime Maps" is part of the model number.

-Don- Auburn, CA
 
Google maps is always up to date.
Click to expand...

I dislike the way Google maps will route me through an industrial zone on the edge of a city just to save me 3 minutes. It's just not smart enough yet to realize that the fastest route isn't the greatest. After driving through the country side for hours I want a pee, a coffee, some gas and maybe a nice place like a park or visitor center to stop and let the dog out and have lunch. We often need a Walmart, a liquor store or a grocery store. The industrial estates I've been sent through by google never have any of this.

On more than one occasion I've come out the other end of the city without passing a gas station and then I need to double back to get gas.

I also worry that google doesn't know my height and will one day send me towards an underpass or bridge that's OK for a car but too low for the trailer.

I'm sure it will get better but it's not yet ready for prime time.
 
JudyJB said:
FYI - I purchased a Rand McNally 7725 GPS in Sept 2013, and it came with "lifetime" maps. I just tried to update those maps and had problems, so I called Rand McNally's support desk. Turns out that they define "lifetime" as only 36 months,
Click to expand...

There are a number of companies that devine "lifetime" as "Anticipated life of product"

I think there is an opportunity for class-actions-are-us law firms here. but I use google maps and brain... What someone else said about google maps. not always the best route. that's why I go over the route in advance and do overrides where needed.

I also use paper maps
 
DonTom said:
I think Garmin would have a problem if they stopped the lifetime maps on their "LM" models, such as my Garmin 395LMs. The "LM/Lifetime Maps" is part of the model number.

-Don- Auburn, CA
Click to expand...

I have two Garmin motorcycle GPS's. a Zumo 660 and 665. Both are over 10 years old. i use them in my truck when pulling my TT. Both have lifetime map updates. The only problem have run into is the newer mapsets are too large for the internal storage.
You can add an SD card and it works fine. I have just deleted any unused help files, voices and languages.
They both have a settting for "truck", which takes me on roads suitable for tractor trailers.
 
gwinger said:
I have two Garmin motorcycle GPS's. a Zumo 660 and 665. Both are over 10 years old. i use them in my truck when pulling my TT. Both have lifetime map updates. The only problem have run into is the newer mapsets are too large for the internal storage.
You can add an SD card and it works fine. I have just deleted any unused help files, voices and languages.
They both have a settting for "truck", which takes me on roads suitable for tractor trailers.
Click to expand...
I have a Garmin 660 on my 2013 Triumph Trophy SE. The TTSE has it's own TPMS and MP3 player and such so that is all the GPS it needs.

I have the SD cards in mine.

In the newer GPS units, IIRC, it has to be on "motorcycle" or else you cannot use the TPMS, which is only for two wheels.

I recently updated all of my Garmins, but . . .

I have an issue with one of my Garmins. Garmin Express cannot see it, so I cannot update it. Ever run into that? Is there a fix or is it a hardware issue?

Be sure to post your bikes here.

-Don- Ashland, OR
 
Just a question pertinent to this thread. What price range do these RV Navigators fall into? And are they preloaded with campsites?
 
Yes, they are pre-loaded with campgrounds and gives you a selection of federal, state, commercial and such. The newer Rand-McNally for RVs costs $229 at Camping World and on Amazon, but they are not available at either place right now. (I think I paid $350 for mine 8 years ago.)

My old Rand-McNally would keep me away from low bridges, narrow roads, and load limits. It also showed tiny icons for all sorts of travel services I might need, such as gas and truck repair. If I chose, i could set the mode to RV or a car. I could also easily find campgrounds and click on one to navigate there. I really liked it, but now since it is outdated in terms of maps, it sometimes sends me on no longer existing roads and does not recognize newly constructed roads.

It also has a function for tracking gas mileage and some other stuff, but that takes too much time.

Also, I learned my lesson about ignoring my GPS once or twice when the "scenic" route I had picked out on a paper map sent me to low bridges where I had to turn around.
 
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