page 11 Acura MDX 2008 Navigation Manual

Navigation System111
System Limitations
Although your navigation system is one
of the most highly sophisticated pieces
of equipment you will find in a modern
automobile, you may find during its use,
that it has certain limitations.
The system uses signals from the Global
Positioning System (GPS) to aid in
determining its current location. The
GPS is operated by the U.S.
Department of Defense. For security
reasons, there are certain inaccuracies
built into the GPS that the navigation
system must constantly compensate for.
This can cause occasional positioning
errors of up to several hundred feet.
For example, in urban areas where
streets are close together, this could
cause the system to show that you are
traveling on a street that parallels the
street you are actually on. The system
will, under most circumstances, correct
itself while you drive. Also, depending on your current view of
the sky and the position of the satellites,
the elevation may be shown incorrectly.
You may also notice some delay of the
vehicle position icon at intersections;
this is normal.
GPS Reception Issues
The signals received from the GPS
satellites are extremely weak (less than
a millionth of the strength of a local FM
station), and require an unobstructed
view of sky. The signal can easily be
interrupted or interfered with by the
following:
 After-market metallic window tint
above or to the sides of the GPS
antenna (located under the dash)
 Cell phones, PDAs, or other electronic devices docked in a cradle
or laying loose on the dash
 Radar detectors mounted on the dash
 Remote starters, or “hidden” vehicle location systems mounted near the
navigation unit  Other after-market audio electronic
devices mounted near the navigation
unit
 Trees, tall buildings, freeway overpasses, tunnels or overhead
electrical power wires
Although the system will direct you to
your desired destination, it may not
always generate what you consider to be
the most direct rout e. Try changing the
method of routing. See Changing the
Routing Method on page51. You may
also have Unverified Area Routing set
to “OFF.” See Unverified Area Routing
on page92.
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112Navigation System
System Limitations
Additionally, the mapping database
contains verified and unverified maps.
See Map Overview on page6.
A Disclaimer screen will warn you if
your route includes unverified streets.
Unverified streets may be missing from
the map, in the wrong location, or have
an incorrect name or address range.
Exercise additional caution when
driving in these unverified areas.
The destination icon shows the
approximate location of the destination.
This occurs because a city block can
have as many as 100 possible addresses
(for example, the 1400 block is followed
by the 1500 block.) Since most cities
use only a portion of the 100 possible
addresses (for example, in the 1400
block, the addresses may only go up to
1425 before the 1500 block starts), the
address 1425 will be shown a quarter of
the way down the block by the system
instead of at the end of the block where
the destination is actually located. You may find that the system
occasionally “reboots.” This is indicated
by the display returning to the
globe
screen. A reboot can be caused by a
number of things, such as extreme
temperatures or shock from bumpy
roads. It does not necessarily indicate a
problem that requires service. If this
happens frequently, please see your
dealer.
2008 MDX

Navigation System113
Database Limitations
You will find that some points of
interest (POI) may be missing when you
search the database. This can be caused
if at the time the database was gathered,
the name was misspelled, the place was
improperly categorized, or the POI
change is not yet in the database. This
means you may not find places listed
that you know exist. This is also true for
police agencies and hospitals. In
outlying areas, facilities listed may not
be the closest. Always check with local
information sources if you need law
enforcement or hospital services.
Every effort has been made to verify
that the system’s database was accurate
at the time it was created. However,
businesses do fail or move to new
locations, and new businesses start in
the old locations. For this reason, you
may occasionally find “inaccurate”
information when you select and drive
to a point of interest (for example, a
restaurant is now a jewelry store). The
number of these inaccuracies increases
the longer you go without an update. The digitized map database reflects
conditions as they existed at various
points in time before production.
Accordingly, your
DVD may contain
inaccurate or inco mplete data or
information due to the passage of time,
road construction, ch anging conditions,
or other causes.
Due to ongoing software and database
improvements, navigation disc versions
may change in the middle of a
production year. The version shipped
with your vehicle was the most recent
available at the time of production, and
is considered standard equipment for
that vehicle. There is no free program to
retrofit early production vehicles with
the latest disc. For DVD ordering
information, see page117. In addition, this database does not
include, analyze, proc
ess, consider, or
reflect any of the following categories
of information:
 Neighborhood quality or safety
 Population density
 Availability or proximity of law enforcement
 Emergency, rescue, medical, or other assistance
 Construction work, zones, or hazards
 Road and lane closures
 Legal restrictions (such as vehicular type, weight, load, height, and speed
restrictions)
 Road slope or grade
 Bridge height, width, weight, or other limits
 Road, traffic or traffic facilities safety, or conditions
 Weather conditions
 Special events
 Pavement characteristics or conditions
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Navigation System115
Client Assistance
Reporting Errors
Occasionally, you may encounter
database errors.
 If the error pertains to freeways and
main “verified” roads shown in black
on the map, then report it either
online at
http://update.navteq.com/ , or to
Acura Client Services.
 If the error involves a light brown “unverified” road, then do not report
it. These areas have not been verified,
and are provided for reference only
(see Map Overview on page6).
 For errors in points of interest (POI), like a business that has changed their
name, do not report them. Keep in
mind that depending on when the data
was collected, and when your DVD
was purchased, the database can be
out of date. The business may have
not reported the change(s), or not be
in the database at all. Update
Navigation DVDs are available for
purchase, usually in the fall of each
year.  If the error does not involve the
database, such as if the vehicle
position icon does not follow the
road, screen error messages, or other
GPS related errors, see Frequently
Asked Questions on page134, System
Limitations on page111, or
Troubleshooting on page142.
Acura Automobile Client
Services
Telephone: (800) 382-2238
Fax: (310) 783-3535
Mail:
Acura Navi
America Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Acura Client Services
MS 500-2N-7E
1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501-2746
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116Navigation System
Client Assistance
Visiting Your Dealer
We strive to make this manual as
complete as possible and to answer all
questions regarding operation of the
system. Occasionally you may run into a
specific issue that you cannot find in the
book. You may save yourself a trip to
the dealer by first consulting the
following resources:
 The Troubleshooting section (see page142)
 The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section (see page134)
 The navi FAQs found on the on-line DVD order site (see “Obtaining a
DVD”)
 For detailed questions regarding HFL, Audio, or other systems that
interact with the navigation system,
see the main ve hicle Owner’s
manual, or the Quick Start Guide
 For traffic related issues, see the “Real Time Traffic Display” section
(on page23) and FAQs (on page134)  Call Acura Client Services (see
“Acura Automobile Client Services”)
 For database or PO I issues, follow the
guidelines in the “Reporting Errors”
section (see page115)
If your question is still unanswered and
you wish to visit the dealer, please be
prepared to demonstrate the issue to the
service advisor. That way, the service
advisor can document the issue for the
factory to allow more efficient
troubleshooting. Some issues may at
first seem random, but you may notice a
pattern, like it only occurs when you
enter some specific address, or when
driving on a certain road, or just when
it’s cold. This inform ation is very useful
to the service advisor. Be patient, the
tech may be unfamiliar with your
specific issue. If you need to visit your Acura dealer
for a navigation related issue, ensure
that you have the “Key
Fob” that was in
use when the proble m occurred. Each
driver (1, or 2) can have their own
navigation and other vehicle settings. In
order for the dealer to properly diagnose
the problem, the correct key fob is
necessary to tro ubleshoot the issue.
2008 MDX

Navigation System119
Coverage Areas
Map Coverage
The system provides map coverage for
the following 48 US states, Hawaii, and
southern Canada. The US map coverage
consists of accurately mapped (verified)
metropolitan areas (in the following
list), and a less accurate (unverified)
rural database. Canada coverage
consists of major metropolitan areas,
and major roads connecting the
metropolitan areas within about 100
miles north of the U.S. border. If you
need additional North Canada coverage,
you may purchase the gray Canadian
DVD (see Obtaining a Navigation
Update DVD on page117). See Map
Overview on page6 for a discussion of
map coverage.
The cities and metropolitan areas in the
following list are fully mapped. Only
major streets, roads, and freeways have
been verified outside these areas. If your
route passes through these areas, routing
may be limited in these areas, depending
on your routing choices. See Unverified
Area Routing on page92. If you desire additional map coverage
information, contact Acura Client
Services or go to
www.acura.com and
select in order. “Acura Store,
Navigation DVD Updates,” and follow
the links. Enter your vehicle model and
model year, then select the state in
which you want to check map coverage.
U.S. Detailed Coverage Areas
Alabama
Birmingham/Tuscaloosa
Huntsville
Mobile
Montgomery
Arizona Phoenix Metro
Sedona
Tucson
Arkansas Fayetteville
Hot Springs
Little Rock
California Bakersfield
Fresno
Los Angeles/San Diego Metro
Merced Modesto
Sacramento Metro
Sacramento-Reno-Lake Tahoe-Yuba
San Francisco Bay
(approximately
Monterey to Sonoma) – including
Monterey County and Hollister
San Luis Obispo
Stockton
Southern California Area
Colorado Denver/Boulder/Colorado Springs/
Ski Resorts Metro area – including
Ft. Collins
Grand Junction
Connecticut Bridgeport
Danbury
Hartford Metro
New Haven Metro
Norwalk
Stamford
The State of Connecticut: All roads
are verified in non-metro areas.
Delaware Entire state – including Dover,
Wilmington Metro area, New Castle
County
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124Navigation System
Coverage Areas
West VirginiaCharleston
Harper’s Ferry Metro
Wisconsin Appleton
Beloit
Green Bay
Janesville
Kenosha County
Madison
Lake Geneva
Milwaukee Metro – including
Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington,
and Waukesha Counties
Neenah
Oshkosh
Racine
Sheboygan
Wausau
Wyoming Cheyenne
Jackson Ski ResortsCanada Detailed Coverage Areas
NOTE: The blue colored city names are
not included in the USA South DVD. To
obtain coverage for cities listed in blue,
you may purchase the gray Canada
DVD (see page117, Obtaining a
Navigation DVD). DVDs are not
available at your dealer.
ALBERTA
Airdrie
Alberta
Banff
Beaumont
Calgary
Calmar
Canmore
Chestermere
Cochrane
Crossfield
Devon
Edmonton
Fort Saskatchewan
Leduc
Lethbridge
Medicine Hat
Spruce Grove
St. Albert
Stony Plain
Strathcona County
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Greater Vancouver
Anmore
Belcarra
Bowen Island
Burnaby
Coquitlam
Delta
Langley
Langley Twp
Lions Bay
Maple Ridge
New Westminster
North Vancouver
North Vancouver District
Pitt Meadows
Port Coquitlam
Port Moody
Richmond
Surrey
Squamish
Vancouver
West Vancouver
White Rock
Whatcom, WA Point Roberts (Community) also
listed in USA Washington St Cities
2008 MDX

Navigation System131
Coverage Areas
Operation in Alaska and
Hawaii
Certain functions that rely on a satellite
signal will not work correctly in Alaska
and Hawaii. These functions include but
are not limited to AcuraLink, Nav-
Traffic, automatic clock updates, and
time zone adjustments.
Alaska
If the vehicle was purchased in the
Lower 48 states and driven to Alaska,
the system cannot display maps. The
map screen will be blank and only
display the red vehicle position icon.
Hawaii
This section describes the differences in
Navigation System operation for
vehicles delivered in Hawaii.
XM Radio
Navi Vehicles delivered to Hawaii are
equipped with XM hardware, but XM
broadcasting is not available; therefore
sections of the manual that mention XM
audio, traffic displays, and AcuraLink
features, do not apply. Vehicles
originally delivered to the US mainland,
and shipped to Hawaii also have XM, but
will not function because the XM
satellites (aimed toward the US
mainland) are too far away to obtain
reception.
Map Coverage
All roads displayed on the Hawaii map
screens are detailed coverage roads.
Text related to “unverified” roads or
areas are not applicable. The following
topics do not apply in Hawaii:
 Unverified road descriptions (see page
6, 92)
 Cautions and pop-up windows related to unverified roads (see page
69)
 Setup entries that relate to turning on
or off unverified routing (see
page
93 )
 When zooming in and out, there is no 350 mile scale for Hawaii Other Map Issues
 See the coverage section for a list of
islands with coverage (see page 119)
 The map scale “traffic” indicator,
shown beneath the map scale bar,
may show at vehicle start, but
disappear later. This is normal.
 Freeway Exit information does not exist in Hawaii, so if the “Freeway
Exit Info” icon is shown on the icon
bar, the button may be selected, but
there is no data for Hawaii.
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132Navigation System
Address and POI Entry Screens
When in Hawaii, the following
differences occur for map, address, and
POI selection:
 It is not possible to enter US mainland addresses or scroll the map
east to the US mainland.
 Selection of the “State” is confined to the state of Hawaii only
 Entry of a destination address or POI on an island other than your current
island may result in a screen caution
message. This is normal because
there are no “ferry” routes between
islands available in the database.
 If the “Guidance Prompts” setting on the main Setup screen is set to
normal or maximum, street names
will not be spoken in voice guidance
commands.
Setup Screen Differences
The Setup screen differences are minor,
and are listed below. See the Setup
section (page82) for additional
information.
Routing and Guidance (Unverified
Area Routing On/Off)
This feature is unavailable. All roads
displayed on the map are verified.
Clock Adjust Screen
There is no Daylight Savings Time for
Hawaii. In the Setup Clock
adjustment screen, ensure that the
Auto Daylight setting is OFF. To test
your adjustment, use the voice control
system, and say, “What time is it?” (see
page99).
Information Screen Differences
Messages
The Information screen Messages
feature utilizes XM, and because XM is
not available it is not shown on the
Hawaii Information screen. In addition,
the “Map menu” item New Messages
will appear grayed out. This is normal.
Vehicle generated AcuraLink messages
may display on the screen; however,
they may be inaccurate and should be
ignored.
Roadside Assistance
This selection may not be shown. The
number can be found in the navigation
Owner’s manual (see the Information
screen). Additionall y this number is
listed in the “Auto Service” category in
the Places menu.
Map Legend
The map legend “Traffic” descriptions
may be available, but do not apply.
Coverage Areas
2008 MDX

134Navigation System
Frequently Asked Questions
Map, and Features, Voice Operation, Entering Addresses
Problem Solution
Why does the Disclaimer screen need to be displayed every
time I start the car? I am the only driver. The
Disclaimer screen reminds you and your guest drivers to always
operate the navigation sy stem in a safe manner.
The Setup or Information screen has “grayed out” items that
I cannot select. Why? You need to select
OK on the Disclaimer screen to view these items. See
System Function Diagram on page26.
I tried entering an address, but th e city or street could not be
found. Is there any other way to route to the location? Some cities are lumped in with a major metro area Try entering the street
first. In rural “unverified” areas
or new subdivisions, streets may be
missing, or only partiall y numbered. Try selecting the destination directly
from the map. See By Map Input on page
45.
When I enter an address, some letters become grayed out. Is
this normal? Yes, as you enter each letter in an addr
ess or a point of interest (POI), the
system looks in the databa se to see what letters are possible and “grays out”
letters that do not apply.
How do I delete Personal Address, Previous Destinations, or
the Home Address? This is done in Setup, under “P
ersonal Information.” See page
84.
I cannot hear the navigation system voice. 1) Ensure that Volume in the Setup screen (first) is not OFF. See page
83.
2) Go to “Basic Settings” in the Setup screen (second), and set Voice
Recognition Feedback to ON . See page
90.
The voice control system is ha ving difficulty recognizing my
Voice commands. Ensure that the vents are not blow
ing on the microphone on the ceiling,
place your hand over the microphone; if you feel any airflow, adjust the
vents. Ensure the vehicle is as quiet as possible, and that you are using the
correct command when speaking (See Improving Voice Recognition on
page
14). Say “Help ” at any screen to see a list of the applicable voice
commands. If the system cannot r ecognize your command because of
background noise, speak louder.
When the system pronounces the street name in the guidance
command, or reads the destinat ion address it sounds strange.
What causes this? The basic guidance phrase uses a studio
-recorded voice, but the street name
is pronounced by the system us ing a machine-generated voice.
Consequently, the name may be misp ronounced or sound strange at times.
2008 MDX