Several months ago we purchased a Magellan RoadMate GPS because of the large screen, and according to them suited for RV's. It has worked fairly well, but lately is giving me problems, and I want to do a hard reset by throughing it out a window at 70! Two weeks ago I was looking for a pharmacy, clicked on menu and found the CVS I was looking for, it had me go about a half mile north, get on an press way and go 2 miles east, then another xpressway 5 miles south. I was getting concerned it then put me on my original road and go 4 ½ miles north! Turns out the CVS was less than a block south of where I started out! Today, in Maine DW wanted to go shopping at a particular store, the GPS found it, took me south on US 1, turn west to I95 and go north 13 miles to an exit just north of where I started. While driving north, I noticed the south bound lanes on the GPS were green, and sure enough when I got to the exit, it wanted me to go back south! It is set for fastest time, not shortest route.Do I have a defective unit, or is there anything I can do to correct the problem! Thanks for your help.

I've had two Magellans, 3 Garmins and two indash unknowns over the years and all did stupid stuff like that occasionally.Check all the routing options and be sure that you don't have it set to something like "avoid U turns". Just because it tells you to make a U turn doesn't mean that you have to. And often the U turn isn't really necessary anyway.

Several years ago now my wife bought me a Magellan when they were the main one supported by camping world. I already had a Garmin and was quite frankly po'd when she brought it home. I tried it for a while, but even after a couple of years of updates, it was still the absolute worst GPS I had ever owned. So I threw it in the trash.

I have tried to talk with their "customer Service" people, someone in India making $0.50 per day who had no clue what an RV was. I gave up on that because they say you should never try and teach a pig to sing, it only annoyes the pig and makes you crazy!

None of the GPS systems are NOT American made, and therefore few, if any of the people designing them or the software have ever been in the US, much less ever driven here. so, what do you expect. Best advice is to use Google Maps, and figure out your route yourself.

Sam Spade wrote: be sure that you don't have it set to something like "avoid U turns".x2

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Coach-man
Explorer
Jul 10, 2016
I have been told to use Siri to locate "points of interest", then plug in the address given to solve my problem. Anyone done that, and did it help?
jeffcarp
Explorer
Jul 10, 2016
No GPS manufacturer creates the maps or the points of interest locations in the map. They buy that data from a third party. The key to getting a good unit is knowing who they buy the data from and how often they update it. The only thing the GPS module manufacturers create is the features, menus and routing algorithms.

Magellan, Garmin and Rand McNally all use HERE maps. They each supplement with various points of interest databases, for example Garmin uses Foursquare on some units.
Chuck_thehammer
Explorer
Jul 09, 2016
You have a defective unit... Magellan, I have had 5 in 4 years... warranty is good .. products are very difficult to keep running/working. resetting is almost weekly. all 5 for them.

switched to Garmin .. much better.. but NO GPS is great at directions...
my Garmin sometimes like to send me into the rear entrance of shopping malls.. and is not a trucker type GPS.. 2597LMT.
2oldman
Explorer II
Jul 09, 2016
Sam Spade wrote:
be sure that you don't have it set to something like "avoid U turns".
x2
Johno02
Explorer
Jul 09, 2016
None of the GPS systems are NOT American made, and therefore few, if any of the people designing them or the software have ever been in the US, much less ever driven here. so, what do you expect. Best advice is to use Google Maps, and figure out your route yourself.
Coach-man
Explorer
Jul 09, 2016
I have tried to talk with their "customer Service" people, someone in India making $0.50 per day who had no clue what an RV was. I gave up on that because they say you should never try and teach a pig to sing, it only annoyes the pig and makes you crazy!
wildtoad
Explorer II
Jul 09, 2016
Several years ago now my wife bought me a Magellan when they were the main one supported by camping world. I already had a Garmin and was quite frankly po'd when she brought it home. I tried it for a while, but even after a couple of years of updates, it was still the absolute worst GPS I had ever owned. So I threw it in the trash.
Sam_Spade
Explorer
Jul 09, 2016
I've had two Magellans, 3 Garmins and two indash unknowns over the years and all did stupid stuff like that occasionally.

Check all the routing options and be sure that you don't have it set to something like "avoid U turns". Just because it tells you to make a U turn doesn't mean that you have to. And often the U turn isn't really necessary anyway.

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