I FINALLY got a hold of someone at Harman/Becker who had a clue about our situation. Here's what I was told;

- While the Crossfire nav radio shares hardware with the Becker TrafficPro II, the firmware is different.
- Our model is actually called the "Becker Crossfire Navigation"
- The updated CDs listed on their site will NOT work with the Crossfire system
- He was unaware of what would happen if the updated map and POI data were used to replace the Crossfire Nav data, leaving all other data intact.

So according to this guy at Becker, the CDs for the Traffic Pro II will not work with our system. I'd still love to give it a shot, but he did sound very sure of that answer.

I'd still love to get a hold of them or get a hold of an updated Nav DVD and do some expereimenting with rolling our own update.

radmanly, great thought about releasing the firmware, or at least the Nav CD spec sheet, to the community. I'd be shocked if you get an intelligent reply from that question though. Something tells me the intern/peon answering the emails sent to Chrysler will have no clue what you are talking about.

 

That something is right. I'm getting the runaround from the low-level customer service people. They tell me to call Navteq. I tell them I've called Navteq and Navteq has no updates. They suggested I try my local dealer and I said the dealer doesn't have anything different than Navteq. I asked if they would release the firmware, data formats, and tools and it was as though I were speaking Greek to them. We need to find some route around the call center people and talk to someone in management.

If you were able to talk to someone who actually knows what firmware is, maybe you can ask him about data formats, source code, and tools.

 

I know exactly what you mean. I've never encountered organizations that know less about their product than Chrysler and their dealers in relation to the Crossfire. I actually had 2 out of the 3 dealers I contacted refer me to a Mercedes dealership. I mean, I know it is basically an SLK32, but Wow...clueless.

The Becker guy said that Chrysler holds the rights to the firmware and all related matters, whatever that means, and that NavTeq holds the map data and POI rights, but not the CD distribution rights. To me, this sounds like it was thrown together very quickly with all eyes on the immediate problem (distribution of a Nav CD for a car with a very short development cycle) and no thought on the long-term life of the product (providing updates).

The next step will have to be a registered snail-mail letter to Chrysler accompanied by a National Better Business Bureau complaint against them for lack of support. Regardless of what these sell for these days, these cars are $32k on the low-end and $52k on the high-end. Not supporting updates to a nav system on such a car is simply not an option for Chrysler. We have to make sure they are aware of that. If I were buying a 2008 Crossfire and found out that the map data is from 2004, I'd be piiiissed.

 

^ There is no law saying that Chrysler has to provide updates for our system. I don't think bitching to them is going to get us anywhere. What we have is a dead vehicle using a dead format that was only used in one vehicle in the entire Chrysler line. I don't have much hope...

 

I know it's a long shot. I think PhillySRT may have struck gold if he's found a guy at Becker who knows what firmware is and knows that ours is called "Becker Crossfire Navigation." Chrysler may hold the license but I'll bet Becker has the source code and development tools. Does Becker have some kind of developers community like Navteq?

 

i guess there is alot of people looking for nav updates i had a little free time today to check into it i got in contact with a rep from becker today thru chrysler that said the original nav radio will never be updated the original 2004 disk will be the only one available however he said he would send me one they were working on before it got cancelled he said it is not much but he would send it to me to try he also said they do have a full update for european cars but they won't work in the states lucky us but as soon as i get this phantom upgrade i will try it out and post pics if its good i will see about copying it i will let you guys know how it goes......

 

What about the guy on ebay who recently sold the updated 3 CD set? He said that he worked on the project and that the CD's he was selling with the NAV radio was an internal set. Maybe he can shed some light ( if willing) on the firmware that is used and other issues.........just a thought.

 

If they're not going to release any updates then they should open the source! I'd even sign an NDA if it got me access to the tools.

 

Great work guys! Can't wait until some of these files start to show up so we can see if we're getting anywhere.

 

My trek through Chrysler customer service has, unsurprisingly, come up empty. I sent emails and I called. I spoke to "Charlene" and "Alan" (both with heavy Indian accents so the BS started immediately) and all they could tell me was to contact my dealer or Navteq. I explained that Navteq only has updates for the Alpine-based nav systems, not the Becker in the Crossfire. This was news to them. I asked if there was someone else I could call, someone above them or in a different department. Nope. Chrysler customer service is there for people too dumb to read the manual or search the website. They never told me anything I couldn't learn with two minutes of research on my own. Once you stray from their script, they've got nothing. I never got anyone to address my question about releasing the tools, code, and data formats.

 

Darn, I ordered these disks back on 7/7 never heard a peep from Harmon Audio. I called them this morning to see what's up, and they said the disk aren't available and shouldn't been shown as in stock on their website. So I get my $189.00 back but the quest continues.

BTW their customer service is is about a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10.

 

Subscribing to this since my dealer can not even find my disk!

From reading this it seems the rouge guy from Becker may be the best bet

 

It's just as well. I don't think those disks would have worked anyway.

So you're saying it's better than Chrysler's.

 

I received the three nav discs from Becker today. I have yet to try them. As soon as I get a chance, I will let you guys know.

 

Where did you get those? That looks like an internal build proof or something of that nature. Did you buy these off of eBay by any chance?

 

No I Did Not Buy Them On Ebay I Work For A Chrysler Dealer And Have Chrysler Contacts That Helped Me Get These Update Disks That Where Never Released. I Got In Contact With A Rep From Becker That Let Me Try These I Guess It Was A Gift From Becker Since They Can't Do Anything With Them Anyway......

 

So have you tried them yet and if so do they work?

 

No I Have Not Tried Them Yet I Bought A Chrysler Nav System To Put In But Have Not Installed It Yet As Soon As I Do Or If I Bump Into Someone Who Has One I Will Try Them Out Maybe That Will Give Me Something To Do This Weekend.....

 

Keep us posted please.

 

Could you rip the CDs to ISOs and either post them or transmit them to someone who does have a nav radio installed? I don't think you'll have a problem finding volunteers here.