Advice on Which Tom Tom to buy

[smedge]

Hi

I am looking to buy a new Tom Tom. My car has a heated windscreen and I am wondering whether this is likely to cause a problem picking up a signal?

Also do any of the models include maps of the Channel Islands?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[dhn]

Welcome to TTF.

Two of our supermods are from the UK and can probably advise you BUT help them out by listing some of your needs, wants, etc. in a device. Such as do you need LIVE services, your driving habits, that kind of information.

 

[Andy_P]

All current models of TomTom should cope with a heated windscreen fine.

without some more clues about the features you want, I can't really suggest a specific model

Any model with Europe mapping will cover the Channel Islands.
At first glance, the road coverage looks identical to what you see if you look at the Channel islands on Google maps.

 

[smedge]

Hi

Thanks both for replying so quickly.

I am currently using a Tom Tom mobile which I have had for about 6 years.

I have always been worried about moving to a proper Tom Tom as each car I have had has had a heated windscreen and the bluetooth receiver I use has had to be placed away from the windscreen, so I was not sure how a proper car model would work.

As the screen on my mobile is small I have had to rely on the voice navigation while driving, unless i had a passenger with me, but would prefer to see the maps, I like the idea of the models which show you which lane you should be in.

I don't need a top of the range model as I do not do a lot of driving, but would be willing to pay more for a model that included maps of the Channel Islands. I do not live in the Channel Islands but do visit there.

It loos like from what you have said as long as I select a model with Europe maps it will be fine, so what I need to do is compare the features on each model to see what I would like it to include.

Thanks again.

 

[Andy_P]

AFAIK, the only tricky windscreens are the "athermic" heat-reflecting ones, rather than the heated ones. And recent model TomToms cope with those OK too according to reports on the forums.

what I need to do is compare the features on each model to see what I would like it to include.

This might help, if your PC can read Excel spreadsheets

Tomtom Model/Feature Reference (updated 11/2/2011)

 

[smedge]

Hi

Thanks for posting the link to the comparision excel spreadsheet.

I have downloaded it and hope to chose this week.

 

[smedge]

Thought I would post my experience of the Tom Tom now that I have had it for three months.

I went for the Tom Tom Start 25 and am really disappointed with my experience of it.

Firstly the suction mount does not work, after driving over a couple of bumps it will fall down, which of course can be quite dangerous when you are driving, especially when there is no one else in the car to catch it.

Secondly I am lucky to get an hour out of the battery.

Thirdly the display is nothing like that which you see on all the adverts for that particular model, or on the actual box.

I would not recommend this Tom Tom to anyone.

 

[LEVIFITE]

ive had the XL for a while now model 4ET03 and its done me complete justice, except sometimes you have to refresh the routes cause it gets caught up and makes you do neverending U turns ..... took me a minute to realize that... lol

 

[Andy_P]

Hi LEVIFITE, actually, that's not a model number, and it doesn't seem to be the beginning of your serial number either (TT tend to put their own internal part number on the label!).

But if you put the first two characters of your XL's serial number (next to the barcode) into the box here, then it will tell you the full model name and details.

(and you can add it to your profile!)

EDIT: Oops, I see moderator dhn has already mentioned that in your "Welcome" topic... Sorry to nag! :lol:

 

[smedge]

Further to my previous update. I have found that by making the suction mount for the Tom Tom damp and pushing down firmly the Tom Tom will stay in place.

I am still very disappointed with the battery life as I have to leave on charge all the time. It also does not hold a charge between uses.

As stated previously the display is nothing like advertised and strangely enough I have just checked the reviews on Amazon and the item has been removed from sale as a buyer has reported the item is not as described.

Also it takes a long time to pick up a GPS signal - another thing mentioned frequently on Amazon.

 

[- et -]

Further to my previous update. I have found that by making the suction mount for the Tom Tom damp and pushing down firmly the Tom Tom will stay in place.

I am still very disappointed with the battery life as I have to leave on charge all the time. It also does not hold a charge between uses.

As stated previously the display is nothing like advertised and strangely enough I have just checked the reviews on Amazon and the item has been removed from sale as a buyer has reported the item is not as described.

Also it takes a long time to pick up a GPS signal - another thing mentioned frequently on Amazon.

Taking your comments in reverse order - If you are experiencing a long delay with GPS signal acquisition, you should make sure that you have updated your firmware to the latest version. There was a known problem with signal acquisition that I have heard has been addressed with the latest firmware.

I can confirm that it made a dramatic difference with my 1535, which I believe has the same basic Navcore firmware as your Start 25. My acquisition time is quite acceptable - although my LIVE Traffic indication does suffer a bit while the 1535 is in the process of downloading the address book from my phone at initial startup.

What is the firmware version in your unit? This information can be found by going to the Settings menu and then calling up the "About my TomTom" screen.

I have only the XXL540 and the GO LIVE 1535, so I do not have any experience with the display of the Start 25. What does your display look like when compared with the TomTom advertising? Specifically, in what regard does it fall short of your expectations?

All rechargeable batteries eventually lose their ability to hold a charge, but very short battery life should definitely not be happening with a unit as new as you have. I remember reading that TomTom got a bunch of bad batteries from a supplier, but I was under the impression that this occurred well before your GPS was made, and that later batteries did not have this problem.

Personally, I would contact Customer Support about this and request either a replacement battery or a replacement unit. (I don't think that TomTom likes for customers to replace batteries themselves, so you may be offered a replacement unit.)

I'm glad to hear that you have been able to make your suction cup mount work to your satisfaction. Personally, I have never had any confidence in a suction cup mount for any product from any company, but that's just my own viewpoint.

With best wishes,
- Tom -

 

[smedge]

Hi Tom

Thanks for your reply to my post.

I have been receiving messages on my computer to say that there is an update for Tom Tom, but I was worried about installing it as others on Amazon have said when they update the maps it wipes the software. From what you have said it sounds like a program update rather than a map update so I will give it a go.

The menu options seems to be different on the start 25. I have tried a google search to see how to tell what version I am on and it looks like it is 11.07.

I will try contacting Customer Services as you have suggested to see what they say about the battery life.

The screen on Amazon and on the Tom Tom box displays pictures looking like actual roads and shows which lane you should be in, I assumed that the Tom Tom had been modernised but the actual Tom Tom is still the same as Tom Tom's were years ago which is a map display with a red line for the route.

Thanks for all your advice.

 

[smedge]

An update to my previous message - the version I am on is 3.2.0.700 and I am now receiving a message to say my Tom Tom is up to date.

 

[Andy_P]

The screen on Amazon and on the Tom Tom box displays pictures looking like actual roads and shows which lane you should be in, I assumed that the Tom Tom had been modernised but the actual Tom Tom is still the same as Tom Tom's were years ago which is a map display with a red line for the route.

Those pictures are of "Reality view". That's a full screen lane guidance picture which only appears at SOME junctions.
Most motorway junctions should be covered.

 

[- et -]

Those pictures are of "Reality view". That's a full screen lane guidance picture which only appears at SOME junctions.
Most motorway junctions should be covered.

As Andy_P says, that picture appears when you are at a junction on a major road, to assist in choosing the correct lane when the road is splitting or there is an off-ramp. There are actually several types of images that are displayed at various times, depending upon the type of road on which you are driving and the action that you will need to take next. When I am driving on city streets, I do not normally see the "Reality View" type of image, but I regularly see it when driving on the Freeway (Interstate Highway) system in the Los Angeles area.

I do not have the same GPS as you do, but both of the TomTom units that I have do use the "Reality View" display when appropriate, including my older (XXL540) model. Accordingly, I would expect your unit to have it also.

- Tom -