Garmin City Navigator® North America NT 2009 Map Update

Download: City Navigator® North America NT 2009 Map Update free from Garmin site. I think the cutoff date is March 1st. Updates valid till Jul 31, 2008. This is what mine says

Download: City Navigator® North America NT 2009 Map Update
PC Download
Product Key: XXXXXXXX
Download Expiration Date: Jul 31, 2008

People w/ ethics/morals need not read any further. This only work one time however since once registered, you won't be able to use this method next year.

Garmin has absolutely no way of knowing when you bought your system if you have haven't registered your GPS unit. So if you want the update, go to Garmin's website and register it and put any date after March 1st and then it'll let you download the update for free. Now, obviously if you have a GPS w/ any maps older than 2008, they'll probably know you're lying but if you have 2008 maps, you're good to go. Flame away people.

It means it is only good for those people who never register their unit. Am I right?

raider73 said:

So if you want the update, go to Garmin's website and register it and put any date after March 1st and then it'll let you download the update for free.

sam19777 said: It means it is only good for those people who never register their unit. Am I right?


raider73 said:

So if you want the update, go to Garmin's website and register it and put any date after March 1st and then it'll let you download the update for free.

Yup, I bought mine in Dec. and register 2 wks ago and put March 15 as my buying date and I'm downloading the 2.04GB file as I type.

downloading now.

Try going here and enter the serial number to your Garmin GPS. It should tell you if your up to date or not.

One question I have is whether this will tip Garmin off to people that haven't registered yet (like me) because we have been waiting for the new maps to come out.

mahyar1 said: When I log in they try to charge me $69 too

If you just registered today, I would wait a couple of days and then try it again else wait a couple of weeks. I registered mine 2 wks ago and there was no update available but when I logged in today, the update was there. Maybe they need time to update your account.

For those who need the 2009 Map for free, just go online and search "Garmin 2009 map" (about 2.2Gb) and "GarminUnlocker" (about 40Kb)

$69 can buy a new 2009 unit. They are trying to rip us off. DAMN GAR-MEAN !!!!

PullMyFinger said: I already got a Garmin account but it's requiring me to install some stupid communicator program. Is this necessary? Could i update without installing the communicator?

Yes, you need the communicator program.

raider73 said: mahyar1 said: When I log in they try to charge me $69 too

If you just registered today, I would wait a couple of days and then try it again else wait a couple of weeks. I registered mine 2 wks ago and there was no update available but when I logged in today, the update was there. Maybe they need time to update your account.

They just released the update to everyone on May 1st. After you register, then you can check using your unit's s/n, to see if you qualify for a free update. It will tell you immediately now.

FYI, some of the Garmin GPS units will not qualify for the free upgrade, because they are at their end-of-life. Even though there are stores that are still selling these models, there is not a free map upgrade path for these models. One report I have seen indicates that GPS units within the 300 and 600 series are affected. One guy reported he ordered a model 660 on April 11th from Amazon.com and he does not qualify for the free map upgrade. Others are reporting similar issues with model 350's.

PullMyFinger said: OK, I don't understand this. I just registered my Nuvi 200, however, the way the communicator "registered" my product is basically connect the GPS to my computer and then it just automatically registered. It didn't even ask for my purchase date. And then, when I finally got to the link for downloading the map, it's trying to charge me for $69. What the heck??

By the way I registered the device on my existing account that I had a previous purchase.

The way I understand it, is that Garmin looks at the 'date' your GPS was first turned on and used, even before you registered. There is a small file within the GPS unit that stores this information, and so when you hook it up to your computer and register, this 'date' file is transmitted up to Garmin.

One story I am hearing is Garmin is allowing free updates for purchases on and after March 1st. Another story is free updates within 30 days of first use. Some people are calling Garmin support and complaining, threatening to return the unit, and then getting the free update. Others have not been as successful when calling.

PullMyFinger said:
I see what you are saying but looking at my registration info, do you think somehow garmin thinks that my GPS was first turned on in March of 1999?? Should I complain about this?

I would call them tomorrow.

By the way, some of the ones who are not getting the free upgrades, are offered a 50% discount of the price for the upgrade. $30 or there-about.

Can you install the new map to an SD card?
GeorgiaBulldawg said: I updated my Nuvi tonight with the new map load, and there were some roads that had changed, but others are still wrong as before. Not much of a difference for me.

And because the new map update was so large, it had to delete some of my extras, like my extra voices I could choose from in the audio portion. It told me about this deletion after the update was completed. It also told me I could go to Garmin and download these extras again if I still wanted them.

Jes1 said:
And, I am pi$$ed off!!
I got a Nuvi 660 on Feb 14, 2008 and a C500 on April 1, 2008. I just went to the Garmin site and they want $69.99 for the download.

Jes

Why? That's been their policy for as long as i can remember. You're only elligible for a free upgrade if you "buy" an old rev unit after the new software has been released. Sometimes they fudge a few days grace period, but otherwise this is nothing new.

GeorgiaBulldawg said: PullMyFinger said: OK, I don't understand this. I just registered my Nuvi 200, however, the way the communicator "registered" my product is basically connect the GPS to my computer and then it just automatically registered. It didn't even ask for my purchase date. And then, when I finally got to the link for downloading the map, it's trying to charge me for $69. What the heck??

By the way I registered the device on my existing account that I had a previous purchase.

The way I understand it, is that Garmin looks at the 'date' your GPS was first turned on and used, even before you registered. There is a small file within the GPS unit that stores this information, and so when you hook it up to your computer and register, this 'date' file is transmitted up to Garmin.

One story I am hearing is Garmin is allowing free updates for purchases on and after March 1st. Another story is free updates within 30 days of first use. Some people are calling Garmin support and complaining, threatening to return the unit, and then getting the free update. Others have not been as successful when calling.

Is this new? I thought from other posts, as long as you havn't registered you'd get the free update once you registered. I'm wondering if I should register my 250 to try and get the update.

inurface said: The way I understand it, is that Garmin looks at the 'date' your GPS was first turned on and used, even before you registered. There is a small file within the GPS unit that stores this information, and so when you hook it up to your computer and register, this 'date' file is transmitted up to Garmin.

Is this new? I thought from other posts, as long as you havn't registered you'd get the free update once you registered. I'm wondering if I should register my 250 to try and get the update.

Yes, that is why you HAVE to put the "communicator" program on your computer before it will determine if you qualify for the free maps or not. In the past, if you simply did not register until the new maps were out you could get them for free - every time. With this new "technology" they will know when you started using your GPS and not allow a free upgrade unless you actually should get it. I don't know when they started building this into their GPS units or which units have this "feature" but I would assume all the current models do.

Dennis

sam19777 said: For those who need the 2009 Map for free, just go online and search "Garmin 2009 map" (about 2.2Gb) and "GarminUnlocker" (about 40Kb)

Just downloaded the unlocker from bittorent. Will try it this weekend.

i bought a nuvi 660 on 4/11/08 and was reassured by garmin on two occasions that if i purchased after march 1 it would qualify for the free update.
I checked at work through my garmin account and the free update was available for 60 days.
I obviously couldn't download this @ work so when i returned home i logged in and it stated that my only option was to purchase for $69.99.
I phoned Garmin and spoke with 2 supervisors that mention they would cut me a break and offer it for $30. They hinted that the policy
was new within last 24 hrs not to offer free update to nuvi 6XX users.

My Nuvi 660 will be returned. Never will i deal with garmin again.

GeorgiaBulldawg said: I updated my Nuvi tonight with the new map load, and there were some roads that had changed, but others are still wrong as before. Not much of a difference for me.

Anyplace you find an error you should goto navtech.com and report it. This is the only way they know about the problem.

Any way to tell the maps were updated for your area? I find these so-called release dates to have new streets omitted for years... The 2008 version does not have streets made in 2005 in my area, for instance. Hate to spend money and get the same old crud as last year.