droidfan

Hello,

One week ago I got a 2017 911 / 991.2 and I am wondering how the Navigation System updates are going.

FYI my car was built in late 2016 but is a MY 2017 of course.

Porsche has confirmed me that the "Nav updates" are downloaded in the background on 991.2 cars and those updates are depending on your subscription on the Porsche Connect Plus online package.

I also found a PCM menu in the Nav Options to check for the updates and I tried but the result was an error saying "cannot access to medium".

Also, it took me only 1 day with the car to find a road not referenced in my Nav. This road has been in service for about 1.5 year already.

My questions are then for all 991.2 owners :

1) have you even seen the Nav System updated since you have your car ? If so, please explain your experience.

2) have you even seen the "cannot access to medium" error ? If so what does it mean and how to fix it ?

3) with your current Nav system, have you ever found any missing road so far ?

Thank you,

JR956678

Yes - shortly after completing the subscription to Porsche Connect Plus I saw a NAV update option available in the menu. As I had a SIM card in the PCM and a data connection for the PCM through that SIM card it opted to download the update through the data connection. Once initiated it downloaded 1.6G of updates (in four parts) in the background until all were done; I actually drove the car around on some errands while it was downloading. Once all 4 files were downloaded I got a message that the updates would be applied once I shut the car off. Once I did that, I got a message the next time I started that the updates had been completed successfully. It was a bit scary during the process - but it worked flawlessly.

I did not see that message but suspect it's what you get if you DON'T have a SIM and data plan to use to download and also don't have any media with the updated files for the PCM to access.

Yes actually. The area where we live is undergoing considerable expansion and they are building new roads to new residential areas almost weekly. Invariably the more mature neighborhoods show all the existing roads but the new ones don't. I can't say that the updates I did materially affected this because I had missing roads before the updates and still had missing roads after - but the update MAY have filled in some of the missing roads.

droidfan

@JR956678 thank you for your feedback.

for #1 and #2 I do have the free SIM Card from ATT installed in the car and the car is correctly registered to the free Porsche Connect Plus trial which includes Maps Updates. I know the Porsche Connect Plus is working in some ways for me as I do get real time traffic infos / weather and all the other stuff.

The Maps Update error screen for me is kinda strange and that is why I was asking for some feedback.

Would you please tell us what the car is saying when to press on "check update" from Map Options (it may be exactly this wording, I am not close to my car right now).

JR956678

I just checked this on my car:

Go to NAV and press the "Opt" button and scroll to "SET NAV" and select that. Then select the option "Navigation Database Update" from that screen and it brings up a list of sources for an update (including SD1 and SD2, CD/DVD and USB as well as Online). Select Online (all the rest are greyed out but that makes sense because there are no database updates in any of those sources - but the Online Update option is "available" / selectable); presumably if you had an update that you could put on one of those sources then that source could be selected. After turning on the PCM it did take a few minutes before "Online Update" was able to be selected.

When I select Online Update it shows me that both a National Database and a Florida database option - with a check mark for each - but in my case it just tells me neither are new - because I already did a database update including both of those options about a month or so ago - and at that time both of those update options WERE new and available.

babyjocko

All I have to say about the Nav is it's routing sucks. I'm just about to the point where I won't use it anymore. It routes skinny roads that are parallel to a faster major road. It has taken me through alleys and backyards. It doesn't matter whether I have traffic enabled or not. It is, by far, the worst nav routing I have ever experienced.

John Mclane

I agree it's bad. PCM 3.1 was even worse.
Added to the Ludicrous attempt from Porsche to profit peanuts giving the contract to att and charging for what they call "google services". Only they can manage a navigation where maps and traffic come from google and the routing from apple maps under CarPlay is more efficient.

TJ911

John, I recently picked up my new Targa and after a 5 hour drive home was just thinking the same thing! How can Porsche manage to mess up Google Maps to the point that I only want to use Apple's (via CarPlay)? And, they want to charge you for the privilege...

budrichard

The Porsche NAV (991.2) compared to Apple Maps and WAZE is much better and in both rendition and features. The Google Earth display works extremely well and difficult situations are highlighted by additional large images of the turn.
I have been using it for a year now and the only thing it doesn't do is have WAZE 'Crowd Sharing' features. AKA Law Enforcement.-Richard
I run WAZE on an iPhone with a T-Design iPhone holder.

droidfan

@JR956678 thank you for the info. I will try it today and report back.

droidfan

@JR956678 here is what I am getting. See photos.

I am getting first, "Error during software download / No access to medium" and then if I am retrying a bit later I am getting "Error during software download / No update files found for this vehicle"

JR956678

OK - here's what I get. After selecting NAV -> Opt -> Navigation Database Update I get this screen:



NOTE: It take a minute or so for the "Online Update" to go from greyed out to available. If I pick On Line update it takes me to this screen:



Then if I select Digital Road Map I get this:



It sounds like you may be getting something different. I would suspect that selecting an update source that doesn't exist would generate the error messages you're getting - but you SHOULD be getting the Online Update option. Is it possible that your vehicle really isn't registered with Porsche Connect Plus?

droidfan

@JR956678 thank you so much for those photos.

As fas as I know, my 911 is registered to the free trial of Porsche Connect. I don't know if it is the Plus or the regular one. I have all the Apps in PCM and real traffic info. How can I know ?

Also the error and strange messages are for the "Online update". As for you, this "Online update" takes a few seconds to be active and then when I click it I got the error message the first time and the second time it is telling me that there is no update.

JR956678

It sort of sounds to me as though not all of the Porsche Connect services are activated. I got my car in December and IIRC the Navigation Update either gave me the same error you are getting, or was greyed out and not available. That changed in March. On March 13 I got an email from Porsche inviting me to activate my "Porsche ID" account and a link to go to to activate it. I did what it had asked me to do. Then on March 14 I got a follow-up email saying that my Porsche Connect services would be activated soon (and had my VIN embedded in the email with all but the last 4 digits redacted). This also had links to the Porsche Connect Store and the Porsche Connect Portal (BTW those two links are hot and actually take you to the correct sites.)

It was only after I did all of this that the Navigation update option started to work and I got the Digital Road Map option (middle photo) and then updates for FL and CA and NV as shown in the last photo. At the time they were not selected but when I selected them, that started the update download and at the end of the download, installed the updates.

ETA: I looked at my window sticker for my car and under Comfort and Convenience it says I have "Porsche Communication Management (PCM) incl. nav., Connect Plus module," etc. I believe it's that Connect Plus module that may be what you want to check and make sure you have.

droidfan

@JR956678 thank you for your infos.

Here are two screenshot of the software versions for my car. Would you mind posting the same so that I can see if there are any differences ?

Thank you.

JR956678

I'll be happy to but it won't be for a couple of days - I am in one state and the car is in a different state and I don't get back until Sunday.