# Software update - Navigation update



## buzzindsm (Sep 2, 2017)

*GPS update*

Not that we need to know now but what are the procedures to update the GPS? Are there any free updates? Cost?


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## JSWTDI09 (Feb 22, 2009)

GPS is a radio receiver in your car that is used to calculate your car's position. GPS will probably never be updated unless there is something wrong with it. I assume that what you really want to know is about map updates for the built-in OEM Navigation system. I do not know about the OEM Nav systems in the Tiguans. What I do know is that map updates for almost all OEM Navigation systems are rare and ridiculously expensive. This is ludicrous because almost every stand-alone Garmin, or TomTom navigation unit comes with lifetime map updates and Google maps are continuously updated for free. I have no idea why OEM NAV map updates are so often expensive and hard to find. Android Auto and Google maps is better than every OEM Navigation system I have ever seen, and it is free.

Have Fun!

Don


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## bateau (Jun 16, 2013)

+1 for using AppConnect to integrate with maps app on hour phone. If you have an Android Phone, Google Maps or Waze are fantastic. For iPhone you have Apple Maps, which would be good enough as long as you do t follow it into a river. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## socialD (Sep 19, 2011)

Not up for our 2018s yet. I know they run off the sd card in the glove box. Potentially something we can download ourselves. For the DVD based ones they charge around $120.
https://www.vwserviceandparts.com/car-care/vw-navigation-map-updates/


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## socialD (Sep 19, 2011)

Example from previous Tig. They physically mail you an SD card for $124.
http://vw.navigation.com/product/Ca...-2016-May-2016/sku/T1000-24776/en_US/VWNA/USD

I'm sure the contents could be found elsewhere for free...just not legally. 

Looks like CarNet has the functionality to update them over the air. But not supported for the United States. Just another missing feature of that overpriced service here. 
http://volkswagen-carnet.com/int/en...tab/open/8cf4960a-b4d0-42d9-9277-f28ee56a6aaf


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## inv4zn (Jan 10, 2018)

The 2016 Civic I traded in had a Garmin based OEM navigation, and you got 5 updates for free, for up to 5 years.

That said, it was impossible to pirate the updates for those because for the update process, you stick a blank USB drive into your car, which writes a key to the USB drive. THEN you download the map-pack, which authenticates itself to the key written by your particular car. If they don't match the headunit will brick itself. 

Also, to note, the Civic's navigation system was vastly superior.


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## buzzindsm (Sep 2, 2017)

JSWTDI09 said:


> GPS is a radio receiver in your car that is used to calculate your car's position. GPS will probably never be updated unless there is something wrong with it. I assume that what you really want to know is about map updates for the built-in OEM Navigation system. I do not know about the OEM Nav systems in the Tiguans. What I do know is that map updates for almost all OEM Navigation systems are rare and ridiculously expensive. This is ludicrous because almost every stand-alone Garmin, or TomTom navigation unit comes with lifetime map updates and Google maps are continuously updated for free. I have no idea why OEM NAV map updates are so often expensive and hard to find. Android Auto and Google maps is better than every OEM Navigation system I have ever seen, and it is free.
> 
> Have Fun!
> 
> Don


Yeah you knew what I meant but it was cute.

As far as Android and Google, I do like using it but I also like the maps that show up on the digital cockpit, which doesn't work when you're using one of those two.


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## MGPVW (Jun 2, 2017)

You actually can get the map to work in the digital cockpit while using waze or google maps. 

You first must program the address into both the OEM navigation system, and into Waze or Google at the same time. Once an address is programmed into both, open the OEM map on the main centre screen and hit the swap button to display it in the cluster. Then hit the Android auto button and open Waze or Google, and they should both appear.

I will double check next time I'm in the car but that's how I recall doing it.


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## NewJettaLease (Jul 13, 2014)

MGPVW said:


> You actually can get the map to work in the digital cockpit while using waze or google maps.
> 
> You first must program the address into both the OEM navigation system, and into Waze or Google at the same time. Once an address is programmed into both, open the OEM map on the main centre screen and hit the swap button to display it in the cluster. Then hit the Android auto button and open Waze or Google, and they should both appear.
> 
> I will double check next time I'm in the car but that's how I recall doing it.


You may be right, but if the OEM has a different path than Google/Waze, you'll be getting two different set of directions.


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## socialD (Sep 19, 2011)

Yeah even without the digital cockpit it's nice to have the the nav instructions in the instrument panel. If I'm heading into downtown Portland to someplace new during a heavy traffic time(most of the day) I will run both and defer to Waze for the best route guidance and let the oem nav recalculate. Though often they are the same since the OEM unit gets the XM traffic updates as well. Unfortunately no Waze in Carplay though, just on phone screen in vent mount.


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## dealpapa (May 3, 2018)

*volkswagen navigation as north america*

what is the latest version?

I have v5


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## dealpapa (May 3, 2018)

*is there any software update for 2018?*

Is there any software update? any map update?


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## gerardrjj (Sep 4, 2014)

I don't know about any update for the core vehicle software; but my car is unlikely to see any dealer service unless there's a real safety recall so I'm not likely to know first hand. I'm ignoring the sunroof lighting one until they have a fix other than disabling it.

For maps/nave data, that's handled by a 3rd party company for VW: vw.navigation.com
The updates are not free and probably not worth doing every year unless you frequently travel to places that are not on the map or where POIs change very often. I RARELY use built-in nav data but instead rely on CarPlay to get me real-time map and traffic data. You can use AndroidAuto or Mirrorlink as well. Honestly I don't know why cars even come with integrated nav data with the ubiquity of smart phones and cellular data, it should all be online with caching to minimize redundancy downloading.


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## Tigolphun (Apr 13, 2018)

What I heard when I bought the car was that nav updates are free for the first 4 (or maybe 5?) years. After that you have to pay for them. I rarely use the built in Nav since Google Maps became available on CarPlay, however, the built in nav works offline which makes it pretty useful in remote places where data connection is absent or unreliable.

I'm very curious to find out whether there are updates available for the firmware. Seems like in Europe it's possible to do the update yourself by downloading the firmware (or just doing OTA) but that's not an option in North America. You have to take it in for service so dealership updates it.


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## Dataready (Nov 1, 2018)

*Maps update*

I picked my 2018 tiguan last day of October, it is 2018 SEL P. It came with North America Ver. 6
I just check with the $$tealer, there is a version 7 out and it is $ 155.00 so there is no 4-5 years
free update plus there is no discount although the car is 3 weeks old.


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## Dataready (Nov 1, 2018)

*New car*

Picked my car last day of October. In the SD socket Version 6.0
Checked at the $tealer, he said version 7 is out and wanted $155
Now you know why he is called the $tealer instead of Dealer.


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## Strotti (Jul 29, 2008)

How is the US Tiguan been updated ? I just bought 2 month ago a new (US) 2018 Tiguan SEL Premium R Line - my father in law has also a Tiguan Highline R Line in Germany - he get OTA updates and can download them with the build in WiFi thru this home network - also his Navi maps are FREE - I found the online downloads for Europe and Malaysia - and it looks like the VW US is ripping us off - 

What is the latest Software Version for the head unit in a SEL - Premium in the US and how do we get it updated ? Could we add also the WiFi Stick to have a HOTSPOT - I saw I can activate it thru OBDELEVEN but not sure if the stick works - the German Tiguan also has a SIM slot next to the 2 SD slots  all those little things .. to get a cheaper price on the US Market  I paid $40K and my father in law in Germany $55k  he also has a head on display and a center speaker.... 

Who has a clue about Software Versions and to get those - Thanks a lot.


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## moveingfaster (Oct 4, 2006)

Hello, 

In the US you have to purchase the new maps and they come loaded onto a SD card. They are expensive. Most people don’t bother to update it due to cost. I bought mine 3 months ago and I have version 6 I believe the current version is 7. As for adding the WiFi to the car I don’t think it can be done on our version of the radio. You need the discover pro, currently the only model sold in the US that has it that I’m aware of is the Atlas. 

Hope I’ve helped, 

Paul 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## gerardrjj (Sep 4, 2014)

Also, this question has been asked like three times in the very recent past. Please please please search before posting a new question.


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## Strotti (Jul 29, 2008)

gerardrjj said:


> Also, this question has been asked like three times in the very recent past. Please please please search before posting a new question.


I did a search and found crap about it. Thanks for helping Mein Freund.


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## Strotti (Jul 29, 2008)

moveingfaster said:


> Hello,
> 
> In the US you have to purchase the new maps and they come loaded onto a SD card. They are expensive. Most people don’t bother to update it due to cost. I bought mine 3 months ago and I have version 6 I believe the current version is 7. As for adding the WiFi to the car I don’t think it can be done on our version of the radio. You need the discover pro, currently the only model sold in the US that has it that I’m aware of is the Atlas.
> 
> ...



Yeah my Tiguan came with V6 and my wife's new Golf R came with V7  so not a big deal - I'm more looking at firmware updates for the head unit. My father in law has the same head unit we have the Discover Media and he can even update it thru WiFi - optional Germany has a USB WiFi Stick in some cars. 
Kind of stupid that we have to pay for the US / Canada / Mexico cards and everyone else can just download them and put them on the SD card. I noticed that on the Atlas as you said I test drove the SEL-Premium - but given there is no SEL-P with R Line and the car been a bit too big for us (no need) I went with the Tiguan SEL-R R Line. 

I will ask my cousin he works as a mechanic in Germany for Audi / VW to bring me the Wireless USB Stick and the Wireless charging pad from VAG. 

Love my Tiguan, but would love to have my wife's HP from her Golf R ;-)


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## JSWTDI09 (Feb 22, 2009)

Strotti said:


> Kind of stupid that we have to pay for the US / Canada / Mexico cards and everyone else can just download them and put them on the SD card.


This is the reason why I have never bought a car with a factory navigation system (and never will). The factory systems are often quirky (and sometimes buggy) plus the updates are rare and expensive. Android Auto (Google maps) or Apple CarPlay are both far superior to ANY factory SatNav system I have ever seen. I also have a 20+ year old Garmin Nuvi with a lifetime map subscription. It is also better than most factory navigation systems. IMHO Factory navigation systems are a huge waste of money.

Have Fun!

Don


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## Smokeybeetleman (Aug 13, 2018)

JSWTDI09 said:


> This is the reason why I have never bought a car with a factory navigation system (and never will). The factory systems are often quirky (and sometimes buggy) plus the updates are rare and expensive. Android Auto (Google maps) or Apple CarPlay are both far superior to ANY factory SatNav system I have ever seen. I also have a 20+ year old Garmin Nuvi with a lifetime map subscription. It is also better than most factory navigation systems. IMHO Factory navigation systems are a huge waste of money.
> 
> Have Fun!
> 
> Don


I agree with this. Although mine came with navigation, I don't use it, I use android auto. The VW navi is cringe worthy. Google maps and waze are far superior and give you way more information. The fact that VW still charges big bucks for map updates is ridiculous when you have other free options available. If they have to be on sd cards at least charge a fair price for them.


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## i_am_sam_i_am (Nov 2, 2017)

Strotti said:


> I did a search and found crap about it. Thanks for helping Mein Freund.


He is trying to help you. 
He's also trying to keep this Forum as well organized as possible so that future users don't have to scour through multiple threads to locate the same information.

A simple search for 'Navigation Update' yielded this result:

https://forums.vwvortex.com/search.php?searchid=171937351

Danke für Ihr Verständnis.


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## EPilot (Jul 27, 1999)

i_am_sam_i_am said:


> He is trying to help you.
> He's also trying to keep this Forum as well organized as possible so that future users don't have to scour through multiple threads to locate the same information.


Yup please use the search and the FAQ at the top of the forum.
Thanks


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## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

Strotti said:


> Yeah my Tiguan came with V6 and my wife's new Golf R came with V7  so not a big deal - I'm more looking at firmware updates for the head unit. My father in law has the same head unit we have the Discover Media and he can even update it thru WiFi - optional Germany has a USB WiFi Stick in some cars.
> Kind of stupid that we have to pay for the US / Canada / Mexico cards and everyone else can just download them and put them on the SD card. I noticed that on the Atlas as you said I test drove the SEL-Premium - but given there is no SEL-P with R Line and the car been a bit too big for us (no need) I went with the Tiguan SEL-R R Line.
> 
> I will ask my cousin he works as a mechanic in Germany for Audi / VW to bring me the Wireless USB Stick and the Wireless charging pad from VAG.
> ...


Did you ever get the Wireless USB stick and wireless charging pad from your cousin? I'm curious about the Wireless USB stick, as will it work with the NA model and does it pull data from a Car-Net subscription? The wireless charging pad sounds nice, but no Wireless CarPlay in my mind defeats the purpose since you'll still need to plug in your iPhone. Unless I'm missing something you know that I'm not aware of for that part.


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## dcsh (Dec 23, 2015)

Strotti said:


> Yeah my Tiguan came with V6 and my wife's new Golf R came with V7  so not a big deal - I'm more looking at firmware updates for the head unit. My father in law has the same head unit we have the Discover Media and he can even update it thru WiFi - optional Germany has a USB WiFi Stick in some cars.
> Kind of stupid that we have to pay for the US / Canada / Mexico cards and everyone else can just download them and put them on the SD card. I noticed that on the Atlas as you said I test drove the SEL-Premium - but given there is no SEL-P with R Line and the car been a bit too big for us (no need) I went with the Tiguan SEL-R R Line.
> 
> I will ask my cousin he works as a mechanic in Germany for Audi / VW to bring me the Wireless USB Stick and the Wireless charging pad from VAG.
> ...


Copy everything on the V7 SD card to your V6 SD card and you'll get the new map. Make a backup first.


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## dealpapa (May 3, 2018)

dcsh said:


> Copy everything on the V7 SD card to your V6 SD card and you'll get the new map. Make a backup first.


will that work?


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## Tigolphun (Apr 13, 2018)

dealpapa said:


> will that work?


I believe it won't. They have some 'pairing' mechanism between the unit/car and the SD card. In North America, someone authorized (dealership) can perform the update. Should be easy to test for anyone who has to VWs. Take the card from one and try it on the other.


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## M Diddy (Sep 25, 2002)

Tigolphun said:


> I believe it won't. They have some 'pairing' mechanism between the unit/car and the SD card. In North America, someone authorized (dealership) can perform the update. Should be easy to test for anyone who has to VWs. Take the card from one and try it on the other.


Bumping this one from the dead. My Arteon came with the V7 map and I was able to pop into my 2018 Tiguan which has the V5, and everything worked fine. So, in theory, you should just be able to copy the data from the V7 card to the V5 card and it should work.

I'm not able to do this, though, since my damn work laptop has Bitlocker running and won't let me copy to plugged in media.


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## MrSmith4 (Aug 2, 2019)

Thanks for confirming!

You could always visit a best buy and plug into their computers there


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

JSWTDI09 said:


> .....Android Auto and Google maps is better than every OEM Navigation system I have ever seen, ....


Not true for the OE system in my 2016 Golf R (Tom-Tom).


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## M Diddy (Sep 25, 2002)

MrSmith4 said:


> Thanks for confirming!
> 
> You could always visit a best buy and plug into their computers there


It works. Forgot about my wife's old laptop. Used that today to copy the v7 data onto her v5 card. Popped it in the Tiguan and it loaded up fine.


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