Car-net: Anyone Actually Find It Useful?

[Dilbert]

I setup my Car-Net account when the van was new but have not really found any great value in it. Mainly because it does not appear to work properly most of the time!

• The Vehicle health report only gets updated randomly even though I request an update and I know the head unit has been online.
• The My points of interest feature stopped working so I manually do POI updates now via SD card (don't like to use the Car-Net online method anymore incase it overrides the manual updates).
• You never receive any Notifications. I presume this is supposed to warn you regarding any recalls, etc. that affect your VIN number? Is this the case?

Anyone out there any wiser on Car-Net and/or find it works for them?

Car-Net

Thanks!

 

[mmi]

Feel pretty much the same. Not tested too much the health reports but my impression is the same – doesn’t update reliably. And, no notifications this far. Actually checked the same at the dealer – nothing there either, so may be just nothing to report

Did my last POI update quite some ago, so can’t really tell if it works any more.

Question: do you need “format” POI files when using SD card? The Car-net seems to accept quite a few formats, including regular .CSV (Excel) files, so it is very easy to create personal POI files.

Noticed that the speed camera files in Forum downloads have quite complicated file structure - so haven’t yet tried if head unit accepts plain .CSV files on SD card. Before the Car-Net there was online conversion website which took .CSV files and returned them reformatted for transfer into head unit.

 

[Dilbert]

Question: do you need “format” POI files

Thanks for your feedback @mmi . I used 'POInspect0r' to put all the POI files I had collected into the correct VW format. Just Google it and you should find it.

I would have to double check, but I think you need to place the POI files into a specific folder on the SD card for them to be recognised by the head unit.

D.

 

[Nigel W]

While on holiday in France we were having huge problems finding campsites and the speed camera download I had installed before leaving home had, without me noticing, deleted all my other POI’s
Our daughter, back here in the U.K. logged into my carnet account and reloaded the POI for all the sites in France back onto the file.
I turned on my satnav in deepest France, opened the POI file and it re-downloaded the files.
OK not something you would do every day but in this instance it was really appreciated

 

[Dilbert]

speed camera download I had installed before leaving home had, without me noticing, deleted all my other POI’s

This is another reason I don't trust it any more. I used to use Car-Net to manage all my POIs but it stopped working. When it it worked again it just over-writes everything - so not much use.

In any case, I seldom use the VW navigation system now as I always use Google maps through Android Auto and App connect to the head unit. All my POIs are now managed within Google Maps so they are on any device that has my account as a backup anyway. VW navigation is now a backup for the backup!

 

[Ads_Essex]

I found out today that my van is “no longer supported”. So I guess it expires at the same time as your warranty period.

 

[Hinsley]

My van was a used van and when I registered it’s given me the expiry date of 3 years from manufacture (as you’ve said) and it mentions subscription details.

However, it doesn’t say how to extend (assume via dealer?) what periods you can extend by or how much it costs.

I made a route for some site visits I needed to do and sent them to the van and it worked a dream. Would I pay for this in the future? Depends on how much.

 

[Lord Mfwic]

I did use Car-Net when I first got my van but I don't find the sat nav very good as it does not offer live traffic updates.
I always use google maps on my phone as they offer live updates with different route suggestions should there be a traffic jam on your route.
I would prefer to pay for apple play over a subscription for Car-net

 

[Hinsley]

I couldn’t get traffic or tmc to update offline or when using a traffic radio station but it does work well if I create a hotspot with my phone and the head unit connects to that.

I’ve tried it side by side with my iPhone running google maps and it was just as accurate showing the same routing and traffic issues.

I checked data usage on my phone and it’s minimal.

I’m still playing with the sat nav settings but it seems ok.

 

[Skyliner33]

I did use Car-Net when I first got my van but I don't find the sat nav very good as it does not offer live traffic updates.
I always use google maps on my phone as they offer live updates with different route suggestions should there be a traffic jam on your route.
I would prefer to pay for apple play over a subscription for Car-net

Strange, my factory sat nav does reroute if there are traffic jams, closed roads etc on my route. I dont have Car-net or apple play.

 

[Hinsley]

Do you have in-car Wi-Fi or a phone setup as a hotspot?

Or do you live near an area with many local radio stations offering tmc?

 

[Skyliner33]

Do you have in-car Wi-Fi or a phone setup as a hotspot?

No to both

Or do you live near an area with many local radio stations offering tmc?

I live near Manchester so possibly.

 

[Hinsley]

I live near Manchester so possibly.

Could be this?

Where I live there are few TA stations that interrupt the radio to give a traffic update (try to use this in the works van but hardly every get any updates unless near Cardiff)

In the T6, nearly always have a line through TMC again, unless near a bigger city or what must be a cluster of radio stations that broadcast TA/TMC

 

[Skyliner33]

Could be this?

Where I live there are few TA stations that interrupt the radio to give a traffic update (try to use this in the works van but hardly every get any updates unless near Cardiff)

In the T6, nearly always have a line through TMC again, unless near a bigger city or what must be a cluster of radio stations that broadcast TA/TMC

Strange, I've never had the radio or music be interrupted with a traffic announcement in the transporter. :/

 

[Nigel W]

Strange, I've never had the radio or music be interrupted with a traffic announcement in the transporter. :/

It’s an option you can turn on or off in the menu screen. I found it to be a pain so have it off

 

[andys]

It’s an option you can turn on or off in the menu screen. I found it to be a pain so have it off

Always the first thing I turn off whenever I get a new vehicle.

 

[Lord Mfwic]

I couldn’t get traffic or tmc to update offline or when using a traffic radio station but it does work well if I create a hotspot with my phone and the head unit connects to that.

I’ve tried it side by side with my iPhone running google maps and it was just as accurate showing the same routing and traffic issues.

I checked data usage on my phone and it’s minimal.

I’m still playing with the sat nav settings but it seems ok.

I'll give that a go and run it alongside google maps. Be very happy if it works for me as I've been thinking about changing the head unit to an Alpine Halo, mainly for the Apple Play, as I begrudge paying VW over £200 for a code. And yes I do realise it would be a lot cheaper but its the principle.

 

[Salty Spuds]

I did use Car-Net when I first got my van but I don't find the sat nav very good as it does not offer live traffic updates.
I always use google maps on my phone as they offer live updates with different route suggestions should there be a traffic jam on your route.
I would prefer to pay for apple play over a subscription for Car-net

You need to tick the “dynamic routes” option in the setup menu. I sometimes switch it off as it constantly changes the route if it’s busy, just to save a couple of minutes. I think there’s an option to set how sensitive it is to traffic delays somewhere, but I forget where it’s buried.