6 months with the TomTom 510 - A (bad) review

[antigravityhero]

I had a Garmin iQue 3600 for three years. I left it baking in a hot car for most of those 3 years, and the worst issues I ever had to deal with were having to hard-reset it maybe once every three months, and eventually a dead battery due to the heat.

The maps and POI database on the Garmin were getting really out of date, so rather than shell out $100 for the map update, I figured I'd take that cash and put it towards a TomTom 510. Lots more features, bigger screen, better GPS chipset, and... Bluetooth. I thought I had found the perfect device. Wrong.

The following is a list of the issues I've encountered with my TomTom 510, and the result of dealing with customer service. And yes, my software and maps are completely up to date.

- TomTom constantly annoys me with instructions to "keep left" when traveling on a freeway, even though it is perfectly logical to assume that if TomTom were to keep its mouth shut, I would in fact stay on the freeway instead of veering off of a random exit or interchange. I have these reminders disabled. TomTom still won't shut up. I updated the software, even completely reloaded the maps and voices. Same result. Tech support was clueless about this 6 months ago. They still don't have an answer.

- TomTom will not automatically change from day to night colors when lighting conditions change, even when docked. Tech support was made aware of this right after I bought the TomTom. The problem persists. The Garmin will switch to and from night view when its internal almanac indicates that the sun has set or risen. Sometimes the simple approach is the best.

- Menu layout is completely illogical. Why is "Change Preferences" on the main screen even though preferences are rarely changed once the device is set up according to user preferences? Why is "View Route" on the SECOND screen and not immediately available, and "Clear Route" on the third? It's almost as if the folks at TomTom went out of their way to make the device as cumbersome as possible to use in a vehicle. TomTom support says my suggestions make sense, but does anyone actually care? I don't think so.

- POI Database. Beaten to death already. The damn thing can't even find the Target that's existed in this neighborhood for 5 years, but has no problem sending you to a business that's been closed since 2005.

- Unlike the Garmin, TomTom does not show you the address of your destination as you approach it (unless you go out of your way to view the route) nor does it indicate by voice whether the destination address is on the right or left side of the street. Was that 712 or 721? TomTom won't tell, sorry!

- Red flashing "over speed limit" indicator. TomTom, do you really think it's easy to read flashing red text on a blue background? Just show me my speed, thanks.

- Power button is wayyyy over-sensitive and in a very bad location for accidental presses. Even the slightest touch will turn the unit on (usually in my glovebox), where it will run continuously until the battery is completely drained. Then I get to wait forever for a cold boot and position fix. How about a "press and hold" to power the thing up, TomTom?

- Speaking of power, there's no auto-off feature that I could find. TomTom does not have the brains to figure out that your car hasn't moved for 20 minutes, maybe it ought to power down.

- TomTom asks for city instead of state first, which results in having to type too much to find the city you want, or having to scroll through multiple cities of the same name in multiple states. TomTom does not have the smarts to assume that maybe... just maybe... the city you are looking for is closest to your current position or last known fix. More wasted time, more cumbersome operation.

- "Two miles to nowhere": My TomTom has a habit of telling me to do something in "two miles", but frequently the on-screen indicator says something entirely different (maybe 1 mile, maybe 3.5 miles, sometimes exactly two miles). The inconsistency is annoying, and again Tech Support is clueless.

- TomTom on Acid: Today, my TomTom decided to trip out completely and is now displaying flickering lines across most of the display. The only good thing about this experience was the speed in which Tech Support answered the phone and got the RMA processed. The turnaround time? Two weeks. Advance replacement? Hahahahah, not a chance.

Lesson learned. Stick with what works. I should've bought a Garmin, even if it did cost 50% more.

 

[no clue]

I also had TT510 for 3 months until I moved to Gxxxxx Nxxx 200.

To be fair, TT510 is a great value item that come w/ lots gadgets! But once comes down to the main purpose of GPS, all gadgets just doens't seems so impressive anymore.

TT510 is getting old, and I think it is heavily discounted even at retail store. (CircuitCity priced it at $299 at store last week)

Only complain I have for this unit is its screen, (can't read it on sunny day) and voice prompt ( no LEFT or Right at final designation. This bother me the most because there are many two way traffic w/ 6 lanes across)

Sell it off at Craigslist and get yourself a new unit. BTW, Nxxx 200 series and 600 series comes w/ New 2008 version map. Breath, relax, no point getting pissed at an old machine.
________
Web Shows

 

[lec510]

- TomTom constantly annoys me with instructions to "keep left" when traveling on a freeway, even though it is perfectly logical to assume that if TomTom were to keep its mouth shut, I would in fact stay on the freeway instead of veering off of a random exit or interchange. I have these reminders disabled. TomTom still won't shut up. I updated the software, even completely reloaded the maps and voices. Same result. Tech support was clueless about this 6 months ago. They still don't have an answer.

I read and agreed with many of the comments above.

But obviously you people have a very a 'Garmin mindset', not fit to own a TomTom, and belong to a very wrong forum.
I take just one of the example above to prove that bias can lead to very wrong conclusion and opinion.
Obviously you don't check the 'Disable Keep to traffic lane' box.

As for TomTom's missing Left & Right turn at destination, I don't disagree. But you failed to mention Garmin's stupidier 'Next Turn' without Left & Right which is obviously more important than the first one. The Turn Arrow at the bottom left of TomTom is much more informational and accurate.

No matter what you said, my next GPS would still be TomTom - because it's still the least 'stupid' of the ones on market right now.

 

[Nextourer]

1. I'm surprised your speed limit indicator works! Congrats, you're one of the rare few that have it (or that means your maps aren't up-to-date cause I haven't seen anyone with the new maps talk about the speed limit indicator)

2. You DO press and hold to turn on. I'm not sure what you're talking about

3. I do not want my TomTom to shut off if I'm sitting in traffic (or the border) for 20 mins.

 

[Pedro2NR]

Sorry to hear you're not satisfied with your unit. I may be able to help with some of your issues.

- TomTom constantly annoys me with instructions to "keep left" when traveling on a freeway, even though it is perfectly logical to assume that if TomTom were to keep its mouth shut, I would in fact stay on the freeway instead of veering off of a random exit or interchange. I have these reminders disabled. TomTom still won't shut up. I updated the software, even completely reloaded the maps and voices. Same result. Tech support was clueless about this 6 months ago. They still don't have an answer.

I once questioned this until I figured it out on my own. It says keep left to prevent the driver from exiting on an exit or merging to another freeway. If there was another freeway on the left, it would say keep right. A better feature would be to say keep on the freeway or something like that. With the 910 users, it would have been nice to say "keep on interstate 5 freeway".

- TomTom will not automatically change from day to night colors when lighting conditions change, even when docked. Tech support was made aware of this right after I bought the TomTom. The problem persists. The Garmin will switch to and from night view when its internal almanac indicates that the sun has set or risen. Sometimes the simple approach is the best.

This is easily fixed. I dont know why this happens and TomTom is aware of it. The way this is fixed is by connecting your unit to HOME. Turn on virtual TomTom. Make sure the unit is ALWAYS on day mode in virtual TomTom. If it is not then turn on day mode. Disconnect from home and turn on your unit when it is docked. When and if your unit doesnt change to day or night mode automatically, go to your preferences and disable the change so you can manually switch w/out your unit asking you if you want to change to night mode when dark etc.

- Menu layout is completely illogical. Why is "Change Preferences" on the main screen even though preferences are rarely changed once the device is set up according to user preferences? Why is "View Route" on the SECOND screen and not immediately available, and "Clear Route" on the third? It's almost as if the folks at TomTom went out of their way to make the device as cumbersome as possible to use in a vehicle. TomTom support says my suggestions make sense, but does anyone actually care? I don't think so.

Have you tried the menu builder? This is the best way to customize your own menu! I haven't seen another GPS unit that offers this. Search the forum, there are plenty of information for this.

- POI Database. Beaten to death already. The damn thing can't even find the Target that's existed in this neighborhood for 5 years, but has no problem sending you to a business that's been closed since 2005..

There are plenty pros and cons on POIs databases. Not every gps unit is POI perfect. Don't like the POIs? Make custom ones. There are instructions on the forum how to do one. Dont want to make one? Make an POI request. The custom POIs may include additional information such as address and phone #.

- Unlike the Garmin, TomTom does not show you the address of your destination as you approach it (unless you go out of your way to view the route) nor does it indicate by voice whether the destination address is on the right or left side of the street. Was that 712 or 721? TomTom won't tell, sorry!.

I know this is a bad feature on TomTom's end. Then I realized, why do I need to know the address if my unit is directing me there? It is nice to have so this is why I like the custom POIs.

- Red flashing "over speed limit" indicator. TomTom, do you really think it's easy to read flashing red text on a blue background? Just show me my speed, thanks.

This doesnt work on the new maps for me. I do have both old maps and new on my 910. If you really like this feature, I would suggest tripmaster. It has the option to warn you w/ visual and sound when your driving over a specific speed.

- Power button is wayyyy over-sensitive and in a very bad location for accidental presses. Even the slightest touch will turn the unit on (usually in my glovebox), where it will run continuously until the battery is completely drained. Then I get to wait forever for a cold boot and position fix. How about a "press and hold" to power the thing up, TomTom?

Wow, I would not recommend you to leave your unit in the glovebox. Especially when you have stated your Garmin's battery dieing due to the heat. I haven't had problems with my power button. Has if it has actually turn on for you while in the glovebox?

- Speaking of power, there's no auto-off feature that I could find. TomTom does not have the brains to figure out that your car hasn't moved for 20 minutes, maybe it ought to power down.

Let me help you with this one. scroll down to post 43

 

[jasbus]

I find it funny the bias towards one product or another. I've had two Garmins in the past, both were good, for what they were. I really looked at Garmin again when I bought my 510. Garmin was what I was set out to buy. In the end, half the price, same features, and linux based system which is totally customizable. No brainer.
Sorry you weren't smart enough to figure out some of the "features" j/k, ok, not really
Go back to Garmin if you're not happy, or, read through this forum, and find your answers, every one of the them has an answer. May not be what you want it to be, but no GPS will have absolutely everything you want. Garmin has dumbed down their's so much, you can't even do anything to customize them, not like the better old ones... Have fun...

 

[TT910]

I can add one more limitation of tomtom to the list.

According to TT customer Support, tomtom units needs to be recharged with home charger (not the car charger) for about 4 hours every 3 weeks, even if it is always used with car charger. I am not aware this limitation with Garmin.

TT910

 

[lec510]

I don't have that problem with my 510.
I use a SD card reader for updates (POI) most of the time, so it's rarely on home charger. I noticed also it's charged very fast with the car charger after using it 1hr or so on battery alone, by looking at the battery status bar.

 

[Oscar Dk1]

I want my unit to scratch my back... heck, actually I want the unit to drive my car while I take a nap, so the route appears to be shorter to me! And stop giving me instructions on which lane I have to be, I love taking the wrong one when I'm distracted!!!
Also, I want a unit that stops me from tweaking with it! Who needs all the goodies, such as tripmaster???? Not me!!!! All I want is the unit to be rigid, and to forget about the possibility of getting extras (by the way, I really hate to be able to watch a video in my unit, it's a louzzy possibility!!).
Overspeeding??? Who cares!!! Who needs red alerts kindly letting you know if you're bound to get a ticket or an accident?
Hehehe, POIs? All units should have the POIs I want, I don't care if there are gazillions of them... I want them all!!! Actually, since I love Tattoos, I'm demanding TomTom to give me the POIs to every single tattoo shop there is, I can't believe it doesn't have the Miami ink crew's shop! It's been there forever!!!!

By the way... that was sarcasm. If someone prefers a unit to another, then just sell the one you don't like and stick with the one you do... but it's not logical to trash MAC, because you prefer the Windows interface (I don't know who would like it, but for the sake of the example let's respect the case... lol). Just get Windows!!!! hahahaha

 

[jasbus]

Antigravityhero, I'll give ya $100 for it!

 

[antigravityhero]

I want my unit to scratch my back... heck, actually I want the unit to drive my car while I take a nap, so the route appears to be shorter to me! And stop giving me instructions on which lane I have to be, I love taking the wrong one when I'm distracted!!!

I'll set the first part of your comment aside as it's childish and completely irrelevant to anything I've posted, but I did want to comment on the lane reminder feature - I complained about because even though I've turned it off, it still bugs me. It is not unreasonable for me to complain about this, especially since TomTom support is completely f*cking clueless about why I can't disable the reminders. It's insulting (to my intelligence, at least) that the device insists on reminding me to stay on the same freeway I've been traveling on and will continue to travel on for the next 10, 15, 50 or more miles. I for one am not going to just take a random exit and curse the TomTom for keeping its big mouth shut. This feature is useless to me. The fact that I can't disable it is aggravating and detracts from the utility of the device. The comments that I'm lucky it even works further my assertion that the device is quirky and unreliable.

Also, I want a unit that stops me from tweaking with it! Who needs all the goodies, such as tripmaster???? Not me!!!! All I want is the unit to be rigid, and to forget about the possibility of getting extras (by the way, I really hate to be able to watch a video in my unit, it's a louzzy possibility!!).
Overspeeding??? Who cares!!! Who needs red alerts kindly letting you know if you're bound to get a ticket or an accident?

If you are so out to lunch that you can't look at your speedometer every now and then, or stick with the flow of traffic (even if 99% of vehicles are exceeding the posted speed limit, which is most commonly the case around here), and have to rely on TomTom to remind you that you're going 5 miles an hour over the limit lest you get into a horrific accident, please stay off the road. In my opinion, the blinking indicator is a distraction. The fact that it can't be disabled is irritating and a horrible oversight. If you're using TomTom to watch video, especially while operating the vehicle, you are an unmitigated asshat and a danger to your fellow drivers. It was marketed primarily as a navigation device, not an entertainment platform. My guess is that you're under 25 and have had some form of video device in front of your face for most of your childhood. Grow up and drive the damn car.

Hehehe, POIs? All units should have the POIs I want, I don't care if there are gazillions of them... I want them all!!! Actually, since I love Tattoos, I'm demanding TomTom to give me the POIs to every single tattoo shop there is, I can't believe it doesn't have the Miami ink crew's shop! It's been there forever!!!!

I am not asking for the entire nationwide Yellow Pages database to be present on the TomTom, but I do feel that it's reasonable to assume that the POIs should be as accurate and up-to-date as the maps. The Garmin had no difficulty delivering in this regard, so sarcasm or not, I don't think my expectations are out of touch.

Let me remind you that in the three years I owned my Garmin, I never had to call tech support. Not once. I never had to research forums to find answers to mysterious problems or be forced to install third-party software or edit obscure text files to fix functionality that is obviously broken. If the TomTom worked as it should, much of this forum and the suggestions of its members wouldn't exist in the first place. THIS is my problem with the TomTom.

I want a device that is reliable and operates as advertised with a minimum of bullsh*t, distraction, or wasted time fixing things that shouldn't be broken in the first place. As a self-proclaimed Mac aficionado, I am surprised you can't identify with this.

Now, in the interest of keeping things "fair and balanced", I am in fact going to try some of PedroNR's fantastic advice this weekend and see if I can't squeeze just a little bit of love out of TomTom. I do need to send it in on Monday to get the "lines across the screen" issue fixed, though. I'll update the forum as I try things and when the device comes back.

 

[jasbus]

My offer still stands.... I'll give ya a $100 for it!

 

[46jimbo]

As for the voice barking out directions I don't really want to hear, interrupting my radio listening or my conversation with a passenger, I found a solution.

Using Menubuilder, I created a menu which places 'Sound Off/On' on the first menu page. (I also placed 'Clear Route' there). When I don't wish to hear verbal directions, one touch on the 1st menu page leaves me in blissful silence.

 

[digital-flex]

There is also the option of downloading the silent voice if you don't want to hear voice prompts and just follow the on screen directions.