TellyzPerth, WA
- 2 reviews
Mixed feelsings about this unit.
I've had this 18 months now.
What's ok.
Easy to set up, footage, connectivity, easy to install.
What's not ok.
Only months after using it it would lock up. Disconnect power and wait for battery to drain then plug in again is the only solution I've found. It does it regularly on hot days but cooler winter day as well.
Bluetooth phone calls through the unit are not very successful.
I've found Google maps to be more accurate in routes it suggests and Google maps on the phone in portrait seems to give a more suitable orientation.
It was expensive so I did expect a better quality product.
Purchased in September 2021.
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WasteknotSydney, NSW
- 11 reviews
Failed after 4 months.
What is more annoying than a brand new and expensive device failing after only 4 months?
I purchased a Garmin DriveAssist51 in August, it was working well but it stopped functioning correctly today at 8.30am. Now it is stuck in a weird initializing loop and half a day of troubleshooting and searching online for answers have achieved ZILCH !!!! PLUS: If there is a fix out there somewhere it should not be this hard to find it!
At this point in time I would not & will not ever recommend a Garmin device to anyone.
Purchased in August 2021.
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BergsMid North Coast, NSW
- 2 reviews
- 1 like
Very Good GPS/Dash Cam, with a few annoying short comings
I purchased the Garmin Drive Assist 51 GPS system three months ago. I brought it mainly to use the dash cam feature to record video footage of when I am driving, but also wanted to have a GPS for the times I was going to areas I was not familiar with. This product gave me both of those features.
I am now reviewing it and giving my honest appraisal on what I like about it and what I think needs to be improved. Hopefully my comments can help other people who are considering buying it.
...Read more
Pros * Excellent and reliable GPS system. The voice activation feature and detailed visual instructions are clear and concise. It uses both physical street names and landmarks like churches and schools to navigate. This makes the system safer by making it hands free, allowing the driver to concentrate on where they are going instead of constantly looking at the screen *The large icons help by making it easier to read on route.Purchased in August 2021 at JB Hi-Fi for $369.00.
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MisterRareSteakMetropolitan Adelaide, SA
- 5 reviews
No map updates, poor routing, dangerous
This product is utter junk and doesn't compare to the 5 year old Garmin unit we replaced.
Firstly, there have been no map updates for over a year, probably 18months, meaning it is horridly out of date. So much for "lifetime" maps.
More importantly, it's routing choices are beyond unacceptable, they are dangerous. Some examples:
- It choose a tiny fire track up a steep slope, unsealed, and very windy rather than the obvious sealed road. We got bogged.
- In country nav, it happily chooses these small, one car wide roads which, I guess are mean...Read more
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PaulSouth East Queensland, QLD
- 5 reviews
Cheap piece of Rubbish
When i first got the unit i thought it looked smart and would kill 2 birds with one stone having the built in camera function the unit was fitted to my towing vehicle so got used about 20 times then the issues began.
It wont hold a charge so it must be plugged in at all times in order to do anything. then it wouldn't turn on then it would turn on halfway through the trip and also turn off halfway through the trip. Then i lost all maps history everything it was a blank screen and nothing would work except the camera. i paid for a technician to g...Read more
Purchased in May 2021 at Ryda.com.
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Gray McGowan
- 2 reviews
It started out perfectly...
It was wonderful when I first installed it, with great features and ease of use, including allowing subsequent updates without any problem, but now, it won't even switch on, let alone allow the updates which are apparently due.
My wife wants me to chuck it in the bin and return to the Navman DriveDuo we had previously, even though this DriveAssist 51 is/was better. I am seriously considering it...
Purchased in November 2021 at Harvey Norman for $379.00.
1 comment
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Don't trust Garmin
The Garmin 50 started out as a reasonable GPS; but then try and update the maps and it became a $50 piece of junk. The voice command feature just would not work no matter what I tried. Just said the feature was unavailable in Canada in American English. A check of the Garmin Website was a joke. There was a problem with the update a year ago, which Garmin said they would fix, but after a year it is still not working correctly. I have had several GPS over the years since it first came out, and found Garmin to be the worst, with very sad customer relations. My personal advice to anyone looking to buy a GPS, do not buy a GARMIN. The one I have is just a basic $50 piece of junk with no redeeming features. Again do not buy a GARMIN.
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CoreyAspley
- 5 reviews
- 3 likes
- DriveAssist 50 LMT
- Verified purchase
Serious navigation issues
I like everything about this unit (voice controlling included) except it’s ability to navigate effectively. On the first day I bought it, it sent me to a dead end less than 400m away from my home. The other two problem areas I have found is that it gives very inaccurate directions when it comes to sealed roads. If I choose to avoid unsealed roads it will still direct me to unsealed roads. This inaccuracy becomes a safety issue in my opinion and Garmin should rectify this. Also when it comes to tunnels it’s presentation of routes gets very confusing and I have found without exception that if I use the gps to direct me I will always go the wrong way. Everything else about the unit works well. I’m happy with the voice command functionality.
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BrianNewcastle, New South Wales
- 2 reviews
- 1 like
- DriveAssist 51 LMT-S
- Verified purchase
Great Unit
Great unit. Can't fault it except now I see it $80 cheaper than I bought it 2 weeks ago at the same store. DOH!
A couple of annoying features that can be turned off. Great screen image and volume. Camera is also moveable so no problem placing it just about anywhere on the windscreen. Also phone works better than the bluetooth on the radio without a voice delay as with the radio. Very happy with this product 51LMT-S.
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mcalexy2kSydney, NSW
- 16 reviews
- 2 likes
- DriveAssist 50 LMT
- Verified purchase
Good GPS with some oppertunities to improve
Overall
Using this for more than 18 months now. Happy with the product and functions. Didn't have GPS signal issues in City area compared to the other GPS I used before.
Pors
Map navigation is smooth, Map zooming function is good.
Live incident and traffic information very accurate. Estimated time is reasonably correct.
Receive most of the map updates within a few months.
Dashcam is good enough to cater for basic needs.
Keypad and touch screen is responsive
Search POI by category is good. Very useful
...Read more
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Greg PPerth WA
Inaccurate maps
The biggest problem is that despite maintaining updates, the maps are horribly inaccurate. It is very frustrating getting instructions that youhave no confidence in. Errors mainly in the route choice. It is a problem in old established road networks, not just recent changes. I will go back to a Tomtom prod t.
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Do Not buy this
I bought this pricey model because of the extra features like blue tooth working with the phone. However, this feature did not work very well. When I called Garmin they sent me a refurbished model even though I just bought the new one. Then the refurbished one worked worse than the original one.
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NutsMelbourne
- 4 reviews
- 2 likes
Terrible unit!
I had this unit for 2 weeks and returned it. As a dash cam it was good, but not great; as a GPS, it was OK, but not good. The accuracy was horrible: it would say to turn 50 metres too late; it would say I still had 30 metres to go to my destination when I was already there; it would say a school zone was approaching in 200 metres when I was already 3/4 of the way through! The lane departure warning mostly didn't work, I would get forward collision warnings when there were no other vehicles around, The mapping would show non-existent roads, fuel...Read more
stations in paddocks and wrong speed limits. I also paid an additional $40 subscription for safety cameras and yet it didn't pick up a single camera! I have a Garmin Nuvi 3590 that is now 5 years old and that's easily still the best unit I've ever owned. As a professional driver I update my GPS units yearly but I will definitely be hesitant of buying another Garmin. Very disappointing.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
JonnoMelbourne
- 7 reviews
- 1 like
- DriveAssist
- Verified purchase
Fast and accurate unit with crispy screen and cam inc forward collision warning
Maybe it was because I was so scarred from my previous unit which was utterly rubbish, that I found this unit to be such a wonderful device, but I must say it works even better than the SatNav that comes with my new Honda, which says something. Anyway despite costing $100 that the rubbish unit, it has loads more features, very fast signal pick up speed, accurate road guidance, and the cam works very well with crispy images. More below:
Pros:
- Dash Cam is super sharp and captures good videos and images, and all vehicle movements are capture...Read more
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PezMurray Bridge, South Australia
- 3 reviews
- 5 likes
- DriveAssist
- Verified purchase
A bit disappointing
Great to have a GPS & camera combination as it saves having two separate devices and their cables cluttering the windscreen. The LANE DEPARTURE, FORWARD COLLISION & GO ALERT just become an annoyance as they give warnings when unnecessary so I think most people will eventually turn these features off. I was a little surprised that a unit costing as much as this one does not record sound on the dash-cam, otherwise the camera is fine. My main complaint about the DriveAssist 50 is that as soon as I leave the Freeway (I live 75klm east of Adelaide S...Read more
outh Australia) the speed limit information disappears from the screen, and along with it the over speed warning. I have driven on many country roads in the area with the same result, and even in the regional centre of Murray Bridge (over 20,000 residents) still no speed limit info on the screen. This unit is reasonably pricey at $400 (TVSN claim normal price to be $450), I have two other GPS units costing significantly less ($80 & $130) and they both show speed limits even on the most out of the way country roads. I contacted Garmin who recommended that I return the unit to the seller as the mapping information should cover all of Australia. I received a replacement unit and guess what.. still no speed limit displayed on the screen after leaving the Freeway. If you only drive in metropolitan areas or stay on major hi-ways this unit will be fine for you. I can't comment on country regions in other parts of Australia, but if you live outside a major city you may want to check the speed limit info display before deciding to buy this unit as, in my opinion, having a warning when you exceed the speed limit is one of the main reasons to have a GPS in the car. As a footnote I have contacted Garmin by e-mail again since receiving the replacement unit....no reply received at this point.2 comments
Update on the Garmin DriveAssist 50. The replacement unit lasted seven months then started doing all sorts of strange things before expiring completely. Garmin had me send the unit to them at my expen... Read more
se and after just a few days contacted me to say they would send me a new replacement unit, so I guess the problem was fairly major or they would have just done a repair. The unit has yet to arrive (almost two weeks), so I will update again if any issues are found in the future. Still no reply on the mapping issue so I guess it's just the way this particular mapping works...very disappointing for a unit in this price range.Took around four weeks but the replacement unit arrived and I have to say a big thank you to Garmin as they sent me the updated version DriveAssist 51 which records sound, vast improvement on the earl... Read more
ier model. Hopefully some time in the future the mapping will be improved to include wider coverage of speed limit information but if you live near suburbia or travel on main hi-ways this unit does a great job.Similar opinion? Write a review on ieatwords.com.au!
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steveOmacsydney
- 13 reviews
- 17 likes
- DriveAssist
- Verified purchase
Good clear unit with dash camera
Worked very well straight out of the box even before the full setup once we got home. The windscreen mount is nice and solid and easy to fix. A very clear display and addresses load very quickly. The integrated dashcam has a good resolution and field of view. You can playback on the unit or download to a PC for better zoom and editing. So far I'm very impressed with the unit and its apparent lifetime free maps of Oz and NZ.
I'd recommend the unit and with a couple of small software upgrades would certainly make it worth a 5. Now that its al...Read more
1 comment
I've downgraded my original score after 16,000kms driving around Aust. with the unit.
While it does have a good windscreen mount, some really annoying things became apparent.
It doesn't tend to show... Read more
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Questions & Answers
Camasked
Why cant I use a standard USB power cable in my car. My car does not have a cigarette lighter!!!!
1 answer
I believe you need to purchasing a Garmin specific USB cable to be able to charge the GPS. You will need it because the battery only last about 30 minutes
Rhodes Petrosasked
can you capture a single photo using voice command, say in the case of a questionable action by vehicle ahead?
1 answer
Disappointingly there is no voice command available to operate the dash cam or camera. So to answer your question, no you cant'.
Bergsasked
I've had my Garmin Drive Assist 51 now for a couple of months, One question I have to ask is how do you get the unit's GPS to navigate by landmarks, as well as streets? For example How do you get the unit to say "In 100 metres, turn left at the church into Smith Street", instead of just "In 100 metres turn left into Smith Street"?
Is there a setting in the Device you can change? I have the unit linked to my phone and I have downloaded the Garmin Smart Phone link app.
Thanks
Mark B
TAREE NSW
1 answer
There is no setting for this (that I could find), it will sometimes decide to navigate by landmarks and sometimes street names. I think it depends on how prominent it things the landmark is.
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Gray McGowan
Following my previous comment, the Garmin once again failed to open/switch on, so has now been replaced by another brand. Pity, as it's features were superior.