GM Navigation

Roach · September 26, 2006

Our navigation will only let us input our destination while we are in park, is there a wirring fix to let the navigation work while driving? If so, where do i find it? I know its not recomended but I would be intrested if there is such a fix out there.

GM-Tech · September 26, 2006

There's a wire that provides a speed signal to the nav unit. If it sees a speed signal it won't allow you to do the destination thing among other items. I don't know offhand which wire it is, but you can probably find it here if you search.

I think it *might* have side effects that you won't like, but I don't have any experience with this mod. Seems like it wouldn't be very safe to be inputting to the nav radio while you're driving.

pm26 · September 26, 2006

Our navigation will only let us input our destination while we are in park, is there a wirring fix to let the navigation work while driving? If so, where do i find it? I know its not recomended but I would be intrested if there is such a fix out there.

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Tthere is a good reason for it: It is called: keep your eyes on the road while driving, instead of playing with the navigation system. Other manufacturers are doing the same thing - deactivating the nav systems while vehicles are moving. If only they could do the same with cell phones, I would be happy.

Finally, more gimmicks do not a quality vehicle make. And navigation system in a car is a gimmick, nothing more.

If you are on a boat in the m iddle of Atlantic - another story.

Wingnut · September 26, 2006

Tthere is a good reason for it: It is called: keep your eyes on the road while driving, instead of playing with the navigation system. Other manufacturers are doing the same thing - deactivating the nav systems while vehicles are moving. If only they could do the same with cell phones, I would be happy.

Finally, more gimmicks do not a quality vehicle make. And navigation system in a car is gimmick, nothing less. if you are on a boat in the m iddle of Artlantic - another story.

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It's a gimmick for you maybe. To others, it's a timesaver and a pretty handy thing to have.

I do fine without it, but it's sure nice when I'm in an unfamiliar city. You can see what the road is going to do, miles away. I'd not base my next purchase decision on it, but I'll probably have it in my next vehicle as well.

As far as keeping you eyes on the road and not playing with the nav system...I'd like to slap some engineers around for some of their decisions on it. You can do some things, but not others...It doesn't tell you what you can and can't do while driving (not like you can break out the manual at 60 either), no constistancy in application, there's no error that pops up,....NADA. This has the exact opposite of the intended purpose...Now, you have a half-ass, hamstrung nav system that only takes about half your inputs while in motion. It needs to do all or nothing when in gear. Otherwise, you have confused drivers that are angry enough to stick a fist through that little screen while screaming down the highway.

And besides, it can sense somebody in that seat for something as simple as the airbag, what's wrong with letting a passenger do the input?

But the whole touch-interface on the stereo is so un-user-friendly, lacking in functionality, and inconsistant throughout ALL it's functions, why would the nav portions be any different?

I'm pretty dissapointed in the system as a whole...And don't get me started on BOSE and where they can stick their sh*tty products.

Probably not the best place for my rant...But I had a REAL good time with the nav system earlier today...And I'm a little raw about it.

GM-Tech · September 26, 2006

what's wrong with letting a passenger do the input?

The problem is, they can but they DON'T! It's just like anything else, like seat belts. They should wear 'em, but they don't. Nearly every week I read of an accident on our highways about someone that died because they didn't have their seatbelt on and get ejected from the vehicle. Worse yet, many times it's a young child.

Just trying to make the vehicles as safe as they can be.

jaycough · September 26, 2006

here go to this website

http://www.coastaletech.com/

Wingnut · September 26, 2006

what's wrong with letting a passenger do the input?

The problem is, they can but they DON'T! It's just like anything else, like seat belts. They should wear 'em, but they don't. Nearly every week I read of an accident on our highways about someone that died because they didn't have their seatbelt on and get ejected from the vehicle. Worse yet, many times it's a young child.

Just trying to make the vehicles as safe as they can be.

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Oh, I know...I was just on a rant

Like I know what it's like to have a passenger anyway.

I understand why they do it, and I agree. But the implementation of the whole thing REALLY sucks.

jessdog · September 26, 2006

It's the VSS wire. I believe it's green and white on a 2006 silverado. It comes from the spedometer cluster to the radio. Mine wasn't there so I didn't install it. What some guys have done and I'm considering it, is hook that wire up to an on/off switch. That way it'll be on and when you really need it, you can switch it off for a bit and switch it back on.

toneman · September 28, 2006

what's wrong with letting a passenger do the input?

The problem is, they can but they DON'T! It's just like anything else, like seat belts. They should wear 'em, but they don't. Nearly every week I read of an accident on our highways about someone that died because they didn't have their seatbelt on and get ejected from the vehicle. Worse yet, many times it's a young child.

Just trying to make the vehicles as safe as they can be.

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Exactly--surely GM isn't so dumb enough that they can't come up with a way to let a passenger do it if one is present, but the whole point of the restriction to begin with is to prevent the driver from doing the input. Creating some mechanism which will allow a passenger to do input does nothing at all to prevent the driver from being able to do so. Not that I'm defending or agreeing w/ GM's decision to lock out nav input, but since the purpose of the lockout is clearly to prevent the driver from doing input, to come up with a mechanism to allow the passenger to do so makes no sense whatsoever.

Roach · September 29, 2006

It's the VSS wire. I believe it's green and white on a 2006 silverado. It comes from the spedometer cluster to the radio. Mine wasn't there so I didn't install it. What some guys have done and I'm considering it, is hook that wire up to an on/off switch. That way it'll be on and when you really need it, you can switch it off for a bit and switch it back on.

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Thanks jessdog , that the info i was looking for....has anybody done this yet?

BTW, I understand the safety concerns of not keeping your eye on the road. But companys like magellian are making portable units that are able to input info while the car moving.

Wingnut · September 29, 2006

Since GM-Tech has given what advice he can, and this is more of a "modification" question/topic...I'm going to move it to the Radio/Sound area.

pmaggan · September 29, 2006

Given that my truck knows when to turn on/off the passenger airbag, GM should be able to tie that into the Nav system so that the passenger (when present) can program the Nav unit.

Wingnut · September 29, 2006

Given that my truck knows when to turn on/off the passenger airbag, GM should be able to tie that into the Nav system so that the passenger (when present) can program the Nav unit.

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That's what I was thinking.

toneman · October 5, 2006

Given that my truck knows when to turn on/off the passenger airbag, GM should be able to tie that into the Nav system so that the passenger (when present) can program the Nav unit.

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The problem is that such an implementation will not prevent the driver from programming the nav while the vehicle is in motion, which is why GM implemented that restriction in the first place. Surely you don't really think GM engineers are so clueless that they couldn't think of a solution just like what you suggested?

Not that I'm defending GM for putting in such a restriction...but if you rationalize as to why GM did so in the first place, you can clearly see why it wouldn't make much sense to implement a workaround like what you suggested that would allow a passenger to program the nav...or do drivers really believe that GM should just take their word that, if passengers are allowed to program the nav, drivers won't try to do it themselves? If GM doesn't trust drivers to know better than not to program the nav while in motion (after all--if GM truly believed that we did know better, then they wouldn't have locked us out of the nav to begin with), why should GM be any more trusting of them just because there is a passenger?

pmaggan · October 6, 2006

Ultimately I don't blame GM for setting up the system the way they did. If our country wasn't so litigious and people would accept responsibility for their actions, we wouldn't have these "safeguards" in place. Given how poorly the general public drives anyway, automakers are well within their right to limit access to these types of driving distractions. Even if you think you can handle adjusting the navigation system while you're driving, do you trust all the other nutcases on the road to do the same? I don't.