Garmin sometimes picks strange routes

You can see the whole route on the 200, as well.

I don't have mine with me, but I seem to recall that after a route is calculated, you can touch the bar at the top of the screen, and there's an option to view the entire route.

I'll grab my 200 at lunch at give exact details, unless some chimes in before then.

Thats weird, I have noticed that my 250w really likes the highway. It will take the highway for one exit when there is a perfectly good road that always ends up being quicker. You might want to check and make sure that you don't have Highways checked in the avoidances section.

Mine also does things that seem strange to me. The route from my home to the expressway it plots is wacky it takes me down a side street that has a stop sign to cross a major road instead of a light. I find that if I know the area I do what I want and let it constantly recalculate.

I don't believe there's any information in the map database that indicates whether a crossroad has a stop sign, a light, or anything at all.

And if it did, the size of the map would grow exponentially.

And changes from nothing, to stop sign, to yellow flashing, to full control would never be kept up with.

The map database does contain road type and some speed info, but these, too, can change and not be updated. We have to always remember that GPS's provide us information to consider, not instructions that must be followed

Until the 2008 map update my unit always tried to get me to use the freeway onramp at 5th avenue. The thing is, there has never been a ramp there. They finally figured it out and fixed it in the 2008 update which made me happy.

For some reason sometimes the way home is different than the way to a destination. Very strange!

Taking my mom to another city for chemo treatments has resulted in some interesting routes. My C340, Emily, will often suggest very different routes between the same two points. Why? I dunno. I don't have the traffic addon, so I'm lost as to why I get such different tours.

I tried using Jack to direct me while using my Garmin 780 and his sense of direction was not to good. I switched to Jill and she was not any better. Believe in only half of what it tells you and use common sense on the other half.
The other day I was waiting at a traffic light and I could see my destination about 200 yards straight ahead. Jill told me to make a right turn and go to the light about quarter of a mile down the road and then make a U turn on this divided road and then come back and make a right on the street I was waiting at the light on. Needless to say I ignored the GPS and just continued straight.
Neither one of them can say library either. They have a speech defect and it comes out libra.

Go to Settings > Navigation > Restore. That should clear out any weird settings the Nuvi has. The try the router again. This has worked for me several times.

I used my 760 for the first time today on my way to work. I was familiar with the route it took. I didn't think it was the fastest, but I went with it. When the route was calculated, it estimated my arrive time to be 7:58. It constantly re-estimated, right up until my arrival at 8:09. The reason I don't like taking the way it routed me is because of all the traffic signals - something the Nuvi evidently didn't take into account.

I think this goes right along with your "liking highways vs. not liking highways." I think the reason it routed me the way it did was because of traffic on the highways, which on some days would have been the right way to go, but generally, the traffice on the highway is preferable to all the traffic signals.

What is your experience with time estimation?

"The reason I don't like taking the way it routed me is because of all the traffic signals - something the Nuvi evidently didn't take into account."

Unfortunately, the mapping database does not contain traffic control information such as stop signs or traffic lights, so the Nuvi sees these as "through" streets.

Avoidances for Traffic and for Toll roads can play havoc with Routes. If the Nuvi thinks there is a traffic problem at a certain part o the day it will avoid that road...even if there is no problem. Garmin will take you 300 miles out of your way if you hit avoid toll roads. This is a bad Idea with gas prices as high as they are..

I have a site in my favorites which is on the other side of a divided street. Fortunately, there is a break in the concrete for turning just at the location where I need to go. Unfortunately, my GPSr does not appear to be aware of the break and will take me the long way around to circle the block and come back at it from the other direction.

I found my 650 worthless in DC. Within a block of my destination, it rerouted me miles out of my way. Unfortunately, I had no idea where I was going and had no city map. Fortunately, we used our cell phone and were told to look across the park where we could see our destination.

I'm going to try the "Go to Settings > Navigation > Restore" trick before I take this route again and see if it makes a difference.

Maybe the Selective Availability Turned Off as of May 2, 2000 is still on in DC to keep the bums in power safe...hehehe

I have noticed the problem in areas where the HWY has been changed. Old HWY 78 and New HWY 78. It sometimes tells me to take the old one which is a 2 lane beat up road instead of the new divided hwy. It may be the same for HWY 1 in Florida since I think that road has an old HWY 1 that runs along part of the way.

This is pretty common. The maps don't always seem to know when there are breaks in the median for left turns into parking lots or for business access, so it tries to route you there in the only way that it sees.

I have noticed that every time it routes me off of the interstate, it is doing so for the fastest route. Have you had this problem since?

I find that when I don't wait for the nuvi 750 to locate it's position then the calculations are off and it tries to send me on another route or beside the road I'm on. The U turn is another item that you can't trust 100%. But all in all these units are for general reference and not to be used as absolute. They are excellent for people like me who get lost within a block without trying and when you are in strange surroundings, who cares if you take a longer rout as long as you get where you want to go.

You hit the nail in the head, many owners and members of this forum fail to acknowledge that the GPSr is to take you places you have no clue how to get there.

As far as estrange routing, that normally happens on places you are familiar with and may know of a better route (not always the case).

Heck before GPS I took estrange routes depending on the amount of alcohol in my system.

Well I would if I hadn't stoped 25 yrs ago couldn't keep up with the state liquior stores. the Gps is only as smart as it is programed to be and the info it is fed. Still fun to have and play with.

Hey going the same route all the time is boring!!!
I'm glad that the gpsr routes me different ways. I've found more restaurants and interesting locales this way. Where's your sense of adventure??