The Mercedes-Benz vehicles are one of America’s best-loved luxury car brands, and come packed full of features and additional extras designed to make your driving experience as pleasurable as possible. One of the more useful items that comes with Mercedes’ vehicles is the in-dashboard GPS navigation system, which is an OEM device fitted out with Navteq digital mapping. The in-dash Mercedes GPS is reliable, accurate, and has a large touch screen designed with usability in mind. However, the GPS navigation system will only ever be as accurate as the maps that are installed on it… and the manufacturer recommends that you update the GPS maps at least once a year. But how easy is it, and how do you do it? Read on to find out with this step-by-step guide.
Buy New Maps from Navteq
The maps on the Mercedes-Benz GPS are supplied by Navteq, and it’s only direct from their website or from an official Mercedes dealer that you can buy map updates. The new maps come on a DVD that is compatible with all classes and systems found in these cars. In order to get the Mercedes 2012 version DVD, you will need to visit the official Navteq online store, select your car’s model and year, and then add it to the cart. Typically, you might be waiting anything up to 7 working days for it to arrive, but once it does, installation is usually relatively easy:
Installing Mercedes-Benz Navigation DVDs
- Locate the disc drive for your navigation system. Most of the time, this will be on the dashboard, but on some older models can be found in the glove box or under the driver’s seat.
- If the existing navigation DVD is already in the drive, then eject it and then insert your new software update disc.
- The Mercedes-Benz navigation system console should then pop up a message stating, “Do you want to update maps?” So, of course, you will need to press the “yes” button.
- You will now need to enter your DVD’s serial number using the console – this serial number is located on the DVD insert which came with the disc.
- The latest 2012 maps and directions will now start installing automatically, so make sure you don’t turn the GPS off during this process, as it can cause the software to become corrupted.
The whole process usually takes no longer than thirty minutes each once complete means you can drive with the confidence of knowing that your Mercedes has the most up-to-date directions and maps on it that are available in the United States and North America.
Why Update Mercedes GPS Maps?
Research conducted by Navteq in Germany in 2009 showed that drivers who use an up-to-date GPS are more inclined to save on fuel and gas costs, and ultimately appear to reduce their carbon footprint over 12 months due to not taking as many wrong turns or detours. In addition to that, the US Department of Transportation regularly updates and builds new roads in the United States, which will not be on your GPS digital maps unless you purchase a new navigation DVD and install updates.
Problems with the Mercedes-Benz Navigation DVD
If you find that you have an error message appears when you insert your new navigation DVD, then it is probably because you have not updated the maps for several years. This problem is quite common as the firmware in the Mercedes-Benz will need updating. This can be done using a service disk, which is purchased from the dealer – although some will happily do the software firmware update for free, so it is worth asking them before you spend any more money than you have to.