My Navi often give me a very roundabout route to the destination and it is also just downright wrong some of the time. We live in Boston, which may explain why the Navi freaks out, but I'm wondering if this is common. Any thoughts?

 

I think the Navi prefers verified roads over unverified roads, so it tends to route you along the most efficient route that doesn't use unverified roads, until such time as there's no choice.

There's also an option, I believe that will force the navi not to use unverified roads at all (again, unless there's no choice), so you may want to check to see how you've got that set. I think it's called something like "route using unverified roads". Turning this option on won't eliminate this problem, but it does help.

 

i dont have navi, but does it have settings for things like "no freeways" or "shortest distance" or "shortest mileage" ??? maybe you're on the wrong setting ??

 

It will always opt for verified over nonverified. The option for fiddling with this is on screen 4 of the Navi setup menu.

As for minimizing or maximizing freeways, or using direct routes versus easy routes, the easiest way to change that is to let it pick a route, THEN pull up the menu and change it. On Saturday I was heading to a restaurant in Sterling and it wanted me to make a U-turn that I knew wasn't needed. I told it "Menu" and changed it to "Minimize Freeways" and it gave me the more direct routing.

 

The NAVI is practically useless in Boston as it doesn't have all the latest highway and road changes for the big dig.

 

i also don't like how the dvd data is like 4 years old.

i only use it if i don't know where i'm going...most times just trust yourself cus you prolly know the best way

 

I had a bad experience in the middle of the night last week when i was going home and it said i had 40 miles of gas left and my house was 27 miles away. the navi then guided me to the middle of nowhere (from the middle of nowhere), and tried to get me to drive across the potomac river where there was no bridge. I slammed on the brakes next to some kids drinking in a parked car, who gave me that "why the hell did you come here, and almost drive into the river," look. It's a unique look, I can't describe it. Apparently theres a ferry there that maybe can take your car across during the day.. but it treated it like a regular road.. good times. i had to hunt my way to the nearest backwoods gas station, barely made it.
Ive also found that it can be totally unreliable around DC, like roads that are hov only during certain hours it may not want to get on at all ever, etc. it tries to put me on the dulles greenway (two dollar toll!) even when i have the avoid toll roads set. I still like it in general though. It seems excellent as a map of where you are, even if figuring out how to get there is sometimes an adventure for it. sometimes it takes me on really cool roads i never would have tried otherwise. For all the navi's faults, I don't know what i would do without it. It's a great thing. (and the rest of the car too.)