Garmin NuMaps Lifetime update

[Bruce H]

Has anyone bought this upgrade or investigated it? It is a one time purchase $119.99 and you get up to 4 map upgrades a year. It sounded to me like Garmin is now using NAVTEQ. I am not sure if they used this software in the past, I thought it was MapSource, maybe the same thing, I don't know. They offer a single year map upgrade for $69.99. If it is the real deal, $120.00 would be the way to go. Any input will be appreciated. Bruce

[BigSkyBob]

Funny you should ask. On June 6 I purchased the Garmin nuMaps Lifetime as I figured it was a good deal. Free map updates four times a year for life provided you have the same device. If you have an account/registration with Garmin as I did you will receive an error that the device/unit is registered to someone else. This happens because the nuMaps Lifetime opens a new account when you pay and attempt to download the nuMaps. I called Garmin phone support and after waiting 45 minutes the lady said she would delete my old account and when I went to download my maps it would create a new account and re-register my Garmin device. As of today, June 13, and after four phone sessions and numerous emails, Garmin IT still hasn't figured out why I can't get my nuMaps downloaded. I pray you have better luck.

[Bruce H]

I must tell you Bob after more investigating i.e Amazon the reviews are all over the board 5's 4's 3's 2's 1's. I would certainly not want to get something that is inferior to what I have now. I am going to call Garmin Monday and see I they can shed a little light on my concerns. I will keep you posted. Good luck with your download scenario. Do keep us posted. It is a good deal if all the bugs are worked out.

[RonBoyd]

I purchased the "life-time" option for two Garmin units -- Nuvi 680 and Nuvi 785. The 680 has been updated twice since and the 785 once. (The 785 was updated once under the "free" update period.) I have had no problems with the "service," neither in the Set-up nor the installation. FWIW, I am satisfied with the program and would have no qualms about purchasing it again. We travel quite a bit (about 60,00 miles a year) and the quarterly updates are quite welcome after years of out-of-date maps.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I see some problems getting my money's worth here:
(1) The lifetime account is good for only one device - if you change or get a second one, you have to buy another nuMaps subscription
(2) It is not good for MY lifetime or even the full life of the gps. It is good "until your product’s useful life expires or Garmin no longer receives map Data from NAVTEQ, whichever is shorter." Garmin regularly discontinues models and yours may be considered to have ended its useful life long before YOU are done with it.
(3) You don't get updates every three months because Garmin almost never produces that many. You get "up to 4 updates" per year when and IF available. My GVN 53 get an update about every 16 months. My nuvi 250W is a discontinued model but I got a 2009 map update in November 2008. There is no guarantee the 2010 update will work with my 250W - Garmin says I have to wait and see becasue they do not promise to provide updates for discontnued models.

On the other hand, if you get just two updates you will break even.

[Bruce H]

Roamer, I appreciate your insight and it is well worth considering. I will not really need an update until 2010 it might be worth waiting until then to pursue the lifetime option. I might have a better idea if my 7200 will be on the hit list. I would think if Garmin is still selling the 7200 it would be supported for a time, but who knows.

[EngineerMike]

I wouldn't be much worried about multiple updates each year; I'm not sure how completely up to the minute the offramp data is and that's what changes the most.
However, buying a subscription they can obsolete on a whim seems silly.

[BigSkyBob]

In my back and forth emails with Garmin tech Support I was told Friday afternoon if the issue with my account hadn't been resolved by Monday they would delete every entry associated with me from the database and issue me a "coded card" that would allow me to re-register my device then I could download my nuMaps Lifetime maps. There were some good points raised here which I appreciate, but in my evaluation I figured if I got two downloads I would be ahead of the game. But I do feel, after speaking with tech support, my 7200 will be current for the foreseeable future. Not 100% sure of what that means but time will tell. I do have a certain amount of confidence in the company so I hope they follow through. I will post results when available.

[JCM]

It was the best update for my 7200 yet. It has renamed (no mames with NAVTEQ mapping) and updated the rural roads around my area in B.C. It has even put water back into Williams Lake (town's namesake) and the Fraser river. NAVTEQ maps were a real step backwards for Garmin. Even Microsoft used them in their Flight Simulator X and the same features were missing.

[BigSkyBob]

My email contact at Garmin sent me notice that my old account had been deleted so I could create a new account, plus he gave me the 2010 North American maps free for my trouble. The registration went off without a hitch. He sent a coded card in the mail that gives me access to my nuMap Lifetime so I'll post further results as they unfold. To date I'm pleased with Garmin's response but not their procedure for acquiring the nuMap Lifetime subscription.

[Lukeaa]

Be aware if you buy the Lifetime Upgrades as a retail product in a box, the correct web address for the update is on the back of the card in a TINY font. You can not find this address on their website. Get out your reading glasses and follow the TINY directions. Really poor planning on the product manager's part.

[robbstein]

Since we are are satellite service, and they don't recommend using that to download the updates, I ended up ordering the hardcopy update. We'll see how that works. They don't recommend the satellite update because of the file size, and I fully understand that since we are generally limited to the amount we can download in a 24 hour period without getting fapped (restricted downloads) for a period of time - fap is their fair access policy which tries to balance amounts downloaded across the users. I suppose that if I wanted to download at 2:00 in the a.m. it wouldn't be a problem since there is a free access period each night, but I really prefer my rest period.

[Wicked Whippets]

I have an old Garmin 660 with the lifetime maps and traffic. It failed about a week ago. I called tech support and for $110 they will send me a new 660 and allow me to transfer the subscriptions to the replacement unit. This is excellent customer service.

[edsalzer]

I I have a Colorado 300, purchased the lifetime upgrade used it, got 1 free upgrade, the unit fail, got it replaced FREE even though it was out of warranty, had the upgrade subscription changed to the new unit, downloaded the maps for the new unit and it worked just as advertised.

Good experience, great customer service and support, from my perspective this is a great product. Go for it.

Ed