Nuvi 260 Wrong Directions????

Not sure about the turning thing.

But as far as the address is concerned, being off by as much as a block or so isn't uncommon. The mapping service tends to know the street and the block numbers (e.g. 200 block of Main Street, 300 block of Main street, etc.) and often the location of the number is a calculation rather than a specific spot. In other words, if you are on the 200 block of Main street and their are 20 addresses on the block (ten per side) then the addressed tend to be spaced evenly down the block one tenth distance on each side.

The amount of error can be large or small depending on how long the street is before the next block or major cross street.

If you go to maps.google.com and type in the same address you typed in your GPS, you will likely find that it too will show the same error in location as you saw on the Garmin. Garmin and Google Maps use the same mapping company.

PT

Sometimes there are artifacts in the maps that can cause unusual routing. Just something you have to deal with and not a sign that there is something wrong with the unit.

Remember to think of the GPS unit as a co-pilot and not an autopilot. And don't forget to use that thing between your ears. : )

Thanks for the answers. I forgot to tell you that I am in Hollywood, Florida. Strip Mall Capital of the world. If you have been here, you know what I am talking about. Thanks Paul

Ya strip malls would make sense having that error especially if the strip mall takes up most of the block, the stores are different sizes so the first one is 3 times as wide as the next, so the even spacing doesn't work, and maybe the mall is biased towards one end of the block to make room on the other side for more parking.

Or something you have four stores, two on top of the other two but all four have front doors on the main level (two just go up stairs) crammed together, so technically their locations are the same, but the GPS will likely spread them down the street evenly.

So you can imagine how the actual store front would not likely line up in the calculated address location.

PT

If the store is part of a strip mall, all the stores can have the same street address and that address might be associated on the maps with a spot quite a ways from the actual unit/store you want. One address I know of is off by two or three blocks in both GoogleMaps and my unit -- somebody screwed up.

Also, on divided roadways, the maps aren't programmed with accessibility via parking lots. In my case, my unit wanted to take me well past the entrance to the parking lot for my stop because the actual address is 100 yds further than the entrance and it didn't know I could maneuver through the lot. It wanted to take me well up the road and do a U-turn to bring me precisely to the address, on the correct side of the divided roadway. Any chance your unit was going to suggest a U-turn?

I have learned so much on what a GPS can do or not do in a very short time. My first question about turn , recalculate on my home street I will trace the same way tomorrow and see if it happens again.

At a minimum, the first sentence should be prominent in all GPS instruction sheets and probably on the outside of the box too.