Building a Route using the Chevrolet GPS

[Canuck_Travelle]

Hello, I have a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado with an in-house GPS.
I would like to build a route in it from South Central Florida to the Canadian Maritimes a distance of 2000 Miles with about 25 Waypoints.

These waypoints include 11 Fuel Points, four Overnights and several highway changes.

I have a Garmin GPS and always build my routes using my Computer and download it into my Garmin, this works nicely. Think I should use the In-House GPS since I paid for it as an option when buying the vehicle.

Is there any easy way to do this using a USB Stick and put in the Lats and Longs and download it and somehow create the route? Has anyone on here ever did this on the GM GPS?
Any help is greatly appreciated.....Thanks!
.....Ernie

[Canuck_Travelle]

"have you tried using the my chevrolet or onstar phone app to load routes? you can load a destination with turn by turn directions or to the nav system from the app. haven't tried looking at what the routing does."

No I have not, will look into that, thanks.
What I am trying to do is build a route to Florida from the Canadian Maritimes a distance of about 2000 miles, stopping over at four overnight locations, routing us into these locations and into several fuel stops about 14 total along the way, using vias to do this and also rerouting us away from Boston, New York and Washington by taking I95, I495, I90, I84, Pa 109 (Delaware water gap) to I 78 to I81 to I66 to Va 17 to I95 to I295 around Richmond to I 95 and straight to Florida so you can imagine all the vias that we use on designing the route on the Garmin and downloading it to the Garmin DEZL.

What we do to make it more managable is make five routes, day one to Lewiston, Me, day two to Cabelas, Pa, day three to Flying J at Kenely, NC, day four to Flying J at St. Augustine, Fl and day five to Sebring all with several fuel stops.

As you can see a lot of vias and many stops but the Garmin handles it well. But in paying about $700 Cad for this GM GPS I think it should be more than an expensive monitor, it should be as good as the Garmin or better but so far am very disappointed but am still trying to get something good from it.
Thanks everyone for your replies.

[ktmrfs]

have you tried using the my chevrolet or onstar phone app to load routes? you can load a destination with turn by turn directions or to the nav system from the app. haven't tried looking at what the routing does.

[LScamper]

Canuck Travellers

Sent you a private message.

[joebedford]

My Silverado is a 2011. I hope your newer 'nav' is better than mine. I call it the worst piece of consumer electronics I've ever owned. I use the Garmin Zumo from my motorcycle to navigate but I leave the built in 'nav' on for giggles.

[ktmrfs]

Canuck Travellers wrote:
If I was GM and surely they must get input on their GPS System failings, I would attempt to buy out Garmin, Magellan or Tom Tom i.e. a Company that knows GPS Technology very well and get them to fix and enhance the GPS System, for them it should be just pocket change and would not be a monetary concern in my humble opinion.

I still think there must be someone out there that has fooled with GM's GPS System and has developed an easy way to develop a more complicated long route like the 2000 mile one I do with Garmin and downloaded it to the in-vehicle GPS.

For a real bright young feller in computer technology this should be a small challenge....its beyond an old lad like me for now but I might give it another try. The GM manual talks about setting up waypoints using longitute and latitudes, putting it into a type of form and downloading it via a USB stick, tried that but it does not seem to work.

I'll agree uploading routes to the GM system is a downside. It's to bad because the routing directions on the GM system blows away my Garmins, of which I have many including the RV760 and Google maps. In dense traffic situations it give way better voice directions including which lanes to be in better than the garmin and landmarks to look for before a turn.

[Canuck_Travelle]

If I was GM and surely they must get input on their GPS System failings, I would attempt to buy out Garmin, Magellan or Tom Tom i.e. a Company that knows GPS Technology very well and get them to fix and enhance the GPS System, for them it should be just pocket change and would not be a monetary concern in my humble opinion.

I still think there must be someone out there that has fooled with GM's GPS System and has developed an easy way to develop a more complicated long route like the 2000 mile one I do with Garmin and downloaded it to the in-vehicle GPS.

For a real bright young feller in computer technology this should be a small challenge....its beyond an old lad like me for now but I might give it another try. The GM manual talks about setting up waypoints using longitute and latitudes, putting it into a type of form and downloading it via a USB stick, tried that but it does not seem to work.

[Canuck_Travelle]

2oldman wrote:

lap527 wrote:
.. we just selected a small town on the route we wanted, etc

x2. Breaking the trip up as you go is so much easier.

The OP was very patient with all the answers of "don't bother." Some posters get rather upset and chastise everyone for not answering the question.

I would never do that, I really appreciate everyone taking the time to answer and help out others, this way I also try to help if I can.
Thanks again to everyone for the answers & help.

[2oldman]

lap527 wrote:
.. we just selected a small town on the route we wanted, etc

x2. Breaking the trip up as you go is so much easier.

The OP was very patient with all the answers of "don't bother." Some posters get rather upset and chastise everyone for not answering the question.

[ktmrfs]

Bill.Satellite wrote:
The WAZE app would likely have given you the exact same information in real time (likely where On-Star gets their information) about the traffic. You would have needed to look at a map to ensure the re-route plan would be on roads you would be happy with.

very true. The Waze app wasn't around when I ran into the problem on I-90. and google maps will usually give you some traffic info as well. just not the detail that WAZE or onstar can give.

Also XM radio has a traffic app that is pretty decent as well for traffic incidences. At least with XM "all" you need is a clear view of the southern sky. I use "all" in quotes because that isn't as easy as it seems in many places.

The other problem with WAZE or onstar is they only work if you have cell service. Onstar is now ATT so if your out of GSM range, no way to contact onstar.

Our phones are verizon, so between the two, it helps. often one or the other has service in places we often go. but not always.

[Bill_Satellite]

The WAZE app would likely have given you the exact same information in real time (likely where On-Star gets their information) about the traffic. You would have needed to look at a map to ensure the re-route plan would be on roads you would be happy with.

[ktmrfs]

Canuck Travellers wrote:
Thanks ktmrfs, that was my backup plan if I cannot do the info in the manual re Lats/Lngs, as long as the online help will give me the vias as I want them like fuel stops, Overnights & changing the highways as desired.
Your suggestion is a great one and I will see if the call center can do that and I will report back.
Thanks to everyone that answered and I agree with several.

My idea of a great GPS is I want to build the route on my 17" laptop and download it into the on-board GPS but that is not going to happen since GM has had years to do it.

My ideal would be to (a) get MS to revive streets and trips and (b) create the route on streets and trips and (c) upload to the GM nav for the GM route guidance.

BTW we have on 3 occasion run into a HUGE traffic stop due to accidents. in all 3 cases I called onstar and they were able to give me accident status, expected wait times, and then when I told them we were pulling a 35ft trailer they were able to download a reroute around the accident in two case on a route that was trailer friendly. On the 3rd occasion, I knew the road, I90 over lookout pass, accident completely blocking both lanes. we were on the montana side, and from where we were there is basically NO reasonable reroute. traffic was stopped for 25 miles so we were able to get off at an exit just as traffic stopped. But they did give an estimate of when the traffic would be moving, called at that time, they gave me an update that the traffic jam was now ONLY for 10 miles but moving. So we gave it another half hour. much better than being stuck in a 25 mile string of stopped cars.

[Canuck_Travelle]

Thanks ktmrfs, that was my backup plan if I cannot do the info in the manual re Lats/Lngs, as long as the online help will give me the vias as I want them like fuel stops, Overnights & changing the highways as desired.
Your suggestion is a great one and I will see if the call center can do that and I will report back.
Thanks to everyone that answered and I agree with several.

My idea of a great GPS is I want to build the route on my 17" laptop and download it into the on-board GPS but that is not going to happen since GM has had years to do it.

[ktmrfs]

my 2015 manual has information on uploading and using other gps routes to the nav unit.

What I have found extremely useful is to just call onstar and tell them the route you want to take and they will download it to the car. As an example we wanted to follow highway 1 as much as possible or 101 where it joined from san diego to cresent city. took onstar gal about 2 minutes to get it downloaded. And the directions on turns etc. through conjested areas was way better than my garmin or google maps had.

you could probably do the call onstar each day with the route you want including identifying the major roads and they will likely download it for you each day.

I will agree that the POI's may not be as current as garmin, but the map display and turn by turn directions are way better than any of my current garmins are, including the RV760.

[Fizz]

I have the navigator in the Mazda and I consider it a toy, useful while driving a new city for checking cross streets as I drive up to them but that's about all.
I will never give up my Garmin for true navigation.