Acura MDX Navigation System Questions
realms_reality
Member Posts: 16
in Acura
Been a proud owner of a 2007 MDX for the last month or so, have a question with regards to the address book feature. I have hunted high and low but cannot for the life of me figure out how to delete a address book entry that has been stored. Any help would be mucho appreciated.
Thanks
Thanks
0
Comments
Personal information --> Address Book -->
Choose an entry --> Delete
:shades:
Never thought of going to it from setup. Will try it out.
Example: Try to find the nearest Starbucks. Menu->Name->type in STARBUCKS Result is like 50 things, few of which are coffee places. Once you choose that it's a restaurant, you have to select the TYPE of restaurant. American, Other, etc... It's the same thing if you search through the restaurant category, and it's awful.
How about let me type in the name, show me the nearest match, and its category.
My $350 Garmin works better than this.
Once you have the address, it's fine, but... c'mon!
I like when I type in Starbucks and tell it to find nearest in vicinity and it finds the nearest one to be 473 miles away.
My navi is dead accurate, but finding things without an address can be a joke at times.
>> 'Categories'
>> 'Restaurants'
>> 'All Types'
>> 'Find by Keyword'
>> 'Sort by Distance'
>> Type 'Starbucks'
>> Wait awhile while it sorts through the DB...
This should give you the closest Starbucks to your location. This is from memory so some of the menu titles may not be exact but you should get the gist of it.
I had the same issues with our Honda Pilot... and I was initially disappointed to see that it hadn't changed in the MDX. But then I figured it out after messing around with the menus.
The frustrating part is that everything is based around the categories... and it varies depending upon how the business listing is categorized. Categories are sometimes useful... but most of the time they just get in the way.
Hope this helps.
Anyway, the problem stems from the nationwide database used by Alpine along with Acura/Honda not fixing it with 'we just report the news, not censor it' policy. They buy a snapshot of POI's each year and they are input by the most error prone, not thinking standard naming convention processors available... humans (and/or extracting from other databases/phonebooks).
Searchiing Starbucks yields different results from searching Starbuck's and Starbucks Coffee, Starbuck's Coffee w/ w/o Shop, you get the idea. Multiply this fat-fingered variable by the number or POI (Places of Imagination versus Points of Interest as you imagine it's the one you want) and you get a mish-mosh starting with the exact match instead of most logical based on current location. Trying to outsmart it by stopping your search short with just Starbuck includes Starbuck Lounge, Crematorium, and Hotel plus the previously mentioned variants. Real intelligent database searching starts with 'what I really meant was' logic. A little company named Google got the hang of this awhile back. Acura/Honda have a lot to learn before catching up. Putting in a real PC with the Horsepower to think more broadly versus confined my way or I'll show you the highway (pardon the pun) processor might help. In the meantime, try to name your city first, then look by category versus exact name matching with 'find closest' tied in. I've learned to live with the hassles of this crippled Navi's functionality. At least the Acura can call via Bluetooth. Reverse lookup is something else Garmin does well, are you listening mother Acura/Honda?
The Starbucks story has been the same for us. It is easier to call OnStar to find one. And try to find a Kmart!! And try to find any restaurant that has not been around for at least 4 years! Meanwhile my Garmin in my older Acura is fantastic. How COULD Acura be so clueless!
And for the final insult, we tried to use the navigator to get us to 81st St. E., NY, NY, driving from Connecticutt. That's not rocket science. But the idiotic database took us to 81st E in Brooklyn. We had to tell it "Manhatten" to get to N.Y. And so it goes, week after week, trip after trip.
And the dealer takes no responsibility for even trying to help -- they can't even tell us whether spending $180 on the 2007 data disc would improve any aspect of this nonsense.
The only help I can offer readers of this venting, is to buy the minimum of built-in electronics, so that you can buy best of breed, even if not integrated, and you can upgrade at will (and spend far less money in total). Electronics will evolve far faster than the trade-in cycle of an expensive car like the MDX!!
I've searched the book to no avail...does anyone know how to delete it?
All I can find is how to delete from your address book or from todays destination...but this address is in the regular "previous addresses" section..
Thanks,
Kristin
-Cj
My wife drives an S4 with a Nuvi GPS unit and while I like the unit it doesn't compare to the built in unit on my MDX.
It sticks out like a soar thumb. It has a cord running to the lighter, which means she isn't able to charge her cell. It's screen is small and we have the largest one. The touch screen is very nice to use but I've come to love the dial interface on the MDX. The nuvi is updatedable but so is the MDX. The data in the Nuvi doesn't seem to be any more accurate that my MDX. We live outside Boston and perhaps the area isn't growing and expanding as fast as the west/southwest but it seems to have most locations in the database.
I much prefer the larger display screen that is integrated into the dash and hardwired into the car. I turn on the car and it is up and running. I turn off the car and it shuts down. The car even uses speed, distance, orientation data to supplement the GPS data which is especially useful in larger cities where building block coverage. We moved from NYC and my wife's Nuvi would constantly lose coverage in lower Manhattan.
I also prefer the knob interface to the touch screen. The touch screen is nice but it is difficult to use while driving because you constantly have to take your eyes off the road to see what you are touching on the screen. With the knob, I can keep my eyes on the road and occasionally glance at the screen to see where I am and how many click left or right that I need to turn the dial.
As for finding things... I think there should be a 'keyword by distance' search on the main screen across all categories. Then I think a lot of people would be happier with it. But you can get to that type of search pretty easily by hitting... 'place', 'restaurants', 'all', 'keyword', 'by distance'... yes that is a few click but it takes 3 seconds with the turn of the knob. Then typing in 'starbucks' will give you all the closest locations. Yes, it is limited by the data and Starbucks is a terrible search because they are popping up faster than even google can keep up with.
Nothing is perfect... but this is hands down the best integrated nav system I have ever used... And I have used the following extensively... BMW, Audi, Lexus, Porsche, MB.
But ultimately it is just a nav system. Nothing to raise your blood pressure about. A good Nuvi unit can set you back close to a grand. You could then have your dealer hardwire it and hide the wires... but ultimately, it is still not integrated into the car. The one bonus I see of the aftermarket GPS units... is that we can take in on trips when we rent a car... but that isn't very often. Oh, and I'm trying to figure out how to make a mount for the handle bars of my road bike... I thought it would be pretty useful to have a nav on my bike for our 50-60 mile workouts where you can cover a lot of ground.
Oh, and the 'Tech Package' on the MDX also includes the radio upgrade which rocks... the rear view camera which is quite useful... and the hands free bluetooth link which is awesome (It even turns down the AC fan automatically when it is activated!!!)... none of which is possible with the aftermarket GPS... except the bluetooth which doesn't turn down the fan.
-m
You can delete the previous addresses from the setup menu...
Setup --> MORE [bump right] -->
Personal information -->
Previous Addresses -->
Choose an entry --> Delete
Hmmm... maybe I should check my wife's nav to see where she's been going!
Hope that helps!
-m
But it's no excuse for them to buy their software and database from Alpine when it is so bad and so old.
My little touch-screen Garmin in my older car is brilliantly designed and SO intuitive. And its database is so much more recent and comprehensive (not limited by the capacity of a DVD).
Yes, the cord is clumsy. And I have to put it away when I leave the car, so no one smashes the window to steal it. But all Acura had to do was strike a deal with Garmin, as a superior vendor to Alpine, and we would have the best of both -- integration and great functionality.
And while I'm venting, their music-link is so dumb and clumsy as to be essentially useless. It's better to use an RF adapter on one's iPod despite the lower sound quality. The direct link is laughable, as it plays whatever it feels like playing, while announcing it in a Robotic voice giving a totally wrong title and singer. It's only virtue is that it cracks us up, as it announces "Bon Jovi" and then plays a Johnny Cash song or a Christmas carol in July!!
It is a horror! At first I dismissed it as cockpit errors on my part. But as I got deeper into it I discovered that it is totally non-intuitive and about as bad as a cheap GPS from a No Name Company a few years back.
Just looking over the comments here tells it all. It can't find Starbucks except one 3000 miles away. Can't find BestBuy except for ones in other states, nor Circuit City.
It routes you over the entire island of Manhattan when you could have gone down the street directly.
IT IS AN EMBARRASMENT AND PASSENGERS GET A JOLLY LAUGH FROM THIS $40K CAR WITH THE WORST USER INTERFACE.
Not to mention the RES (Rear Entertainment System) is not powered up until you install the 7.5 amp fuse into socket 9 and then it doesn't insert completely anyway. What's that all about? The salesreps did not have a clue.
It is like an Acura Car kit! Do it yourself.
Then the dealer pushes the Simoniz program at $495 with the implicit threat that something is going to happen to the paint if you don't. (You will have to pay at lease end if you don't)
Now the brake pedal is about an inch from the floor. Not sure what is going on there.
Lumbar support is like a ballon that partially inflates.
Rear lift gate requires some arbitrary number of pushes on keyfob to open.
Camera for backup is delayed reaction.
Car is fast on highway and above average in acceleration
Roomy except for of course the last seat.
Have to keep that down if you want to put anything in the trunk anyway.
Prior to this I owned a Mercury Van it was top of the line and definitely SUPERIOR to this product in all ways at initial delivery and even after it was destroyed in a broadside crash.
OH AND THE NAVIGATION MAP IS OVER A YEAR OLD!!!
TRYING TO GET A FREE NEW ONE FROM THE DEALER (WHO IS APPARENTLY NOT TAKING MY CALLS, MUST HAVE CHANGED HIS NUMBER)
When I went in on the fuse issue they asked "Having any other problems?" Not really a confidence builder.
NOW, MAYBE ACURA WILL DO THE RIGHT THING AND STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND FIX THESE POOR QUALITY ISSUES. IF NOT, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE SELLING MANY MORE CARS HERE.
I does supply some humor when you say (actually I have not remembered the exact commands in full yet, which might be part but not all of the issue)
For example, Radio AM 1060 is something like Air conditioning off. Air conditioning on is something like Rear Speakers off. Thank God there is no command for the brakes!!
750 miles so far.
Oh, missed two customer appointments due to wrong addresses and missed exits.
HELPME!!!!!!
I have a Nuvi 660 and it runs circles around this Nav system.
The Nuvi 660 is fantastic. TouchScreen which is perhaps the easiest way to handle Nav. Voice Recognition on the MDX holds promise but is quirky. The knob is a pain but last resort.
The categories on the MDX are INSANE. The directions are very limited and wrong and the map coverage is limited.
THE ONLY REASON I EVEN GOT THE NAVI ON THE MDX WAS THE INTEGRATION. BUT NOW I AM FURIOUS WITH THE POOR JOB THEY DID.
THE NUVI 660 IS BY FAR THE BEST ON THE MARKET TODAY.
The software with the MDX is over a year old on a new car!
It can't find businesses next door to the dealer.
I went through about 6 GPS's over the last few years. Ranging in cost from $150 to $600 each. None lasted more than a few months. They were horrible.
This one is right in that pack. The MDX must be fixed.
Apparently it is this Alpine software deal Acura has. They also have pairing complete with only Sony Ericcson which is basically out of the cellphone business.
WHAT IS SO INFURIATING IS THAT IT IS NOT HARD TO MAKE THIS WORK. IT IS SIMPLE! A GOOD ENGINEER COULD FIX IT ALL IN A WEEK!
They are lazy and inept.
I WOULD RETURN THE CAR TOMORROW IF I THOUGHT THEY WOULD TAKE IT.
THIS CAR FOR THE MONEY SHOULD BE PERFECT.
HONDA WENT FROM RUST BUCKETS IN THE 60'S TO BEST CARS IN THE 80S TO HEADED FOR WORST CARS FOR THE 2000'S!
I owned a bunch of them and they were really good.
NOW THEY STINK
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Sounds like absolutely nothing is going to make you happy. Good luck finding a car that satifies you!
But short of that, this nav system is by far the best I've every tried (and I've tried several in the Lexus, Infiniti, and BMW). The voice recognition is fantastic and by far the best. I can easily program a destination without ever taking my hands off the wheel. The screen is big and bright. The graphics are good but it doesn't offer "birds eye view" like many newer systems these days. The menus are logical, AND you can program this while driving unlike most others which force you to be in park. That last one is a huge plus.
I can't speak to the hand helds. No doubt they are better because they can more quickly be updated as technology changes. Integrated systems more or less change when the vehicles FMC occurs.
Personally, I think integrated systems are going the way of the car phone. In another 5 years, ALL our phones will be GPS enabled and powerful enough to run nav systems. It's already available on higher end phones. When that happens all the car manufacturer will need to provide is a plug in port like they offer for Ipods or create a bluetooth interface like they have.
As for not having the latest locations, well, all navi systems have to be updated once a year. Then you should get most everything you need! And, about the slowness. It's really not that slow. Imagine, you're computer takes some time to boot up...and so the navi needs time too. It doesn't take minutes for it to boot up either...i think it takes less than a minute (my 2005 model). on my 2008 MDX, it does it right away..in a few seconds.
So, don't be discouraged by the comments! I think that once you have it, you'll love it too!!
It drove me nuts in the beginning, but I've learned to deal with it.
The worst part is reaching for the stupid button.
I can accept the legal agreement on my Infiniti with one button click on the steering wheel.
I can't do that on our MDX..... I have to burn .0032 extra calories and reach for the stupid button :mad:
Most days, I don't feel like talking much while in the car, and talking to the car itself is certainly not high on my want list anyway.
Now, if she had a sexy British accent, that could change my opinion some. :P
Actually, come to think of it, I'm not sure the voice commands work before agreeing to the legal agreement. :confuse:
I'd have to check to be sure... and the car's just too far away right now.
You may enjoy the Grammar and the Peeves that Pet It discussion too.
Hey, it took me a VERY VERY long time to learn the right way to spell it and I am not about to unlearn it. So there!
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
And we LOVE the MDX overall. So don't let these quirks deter you.
As to the annoyance of the "agreement" welcome screen -- I have a friend who bought a Cadillac Escalade, and says he would not have bought it if he had known how annoying THAT agreement screen is. It apparently only lets you agree when you start up the car. If you don't, you can't start the navigation system later, while driving. With the Acura you can agree at any time, not just on initial start-up. Another example of how the other systems are worse.
I still have to say though, to any Acura execs who may actually read blogs like this, that they should be ashamed of themselves for not doing better, given their bragging about always being at the leading edge of technology. The user interface and database of a $500 Garmin Nuvi unit puts them to shame. But it ain't integrated with the car unfortunately!
Thanks!!!
Is it changing back after you have done this? :confuse:
WHEW...now that lady's voice doesn't scare me everytime I get in the car!!!
I think that worked for me.
Michael
My question is can I delete all the information stored on the GPS unit by the previous owner?
If it can be done and it's not to lenghty to type out it would please me if someone can pass that info. on to me.
Thanls a whole lot.
Lou
Thanks!
When you start your engine and the MID says Welcome instead of Welcome Driver 1 or 2 then your key is unlinked and you need to relink it.
All preset are key specific, whether its Driver 1 or 2.