My dealer is doing the same on the 30th of this month.

 

Not to stir any bad water but the nav system is a usefull aid when going places ive never been. for me the enjoyment of finding new places is almost like christmas. now when ive found a town that is from deliverance, then nav is usefull to get out of town and fast. Each person has a diferent take for its purpose. for me i enjoy freedom from needing to find a map, but i also enjoy wandering. a straight path i will not take.

 

I know that I may be in the minority but I actually like the navi on the new 14 models. I just use mine to get to point A to point B. I don't bother with the many waypoints that some do, but I can see why some would be annoyed if they were used to those features on a garmin.

 

Not sure why you would find it amusing that a dealer is finding ways to better connect with their customers. Someone is taking time to explain a completely new system to owners who have questions. Iirc, the dealer training class was several hours long. There are a lot of features available on these new radios.

Are they "that" complicated? I dunno. I think it depends on the tech level of the individual. Its a pretty complex system with a lot of features and many levels. I've spent a good bit of time screwing around with mine (and its the 4.3 unit w/o Nav) just figuring out how it all works.

I think its a wonderful idea and sounds like its probably a pretty good dealer. Kudos to them. And yes - its another way to get someone in the door. Isn't that what business is all about?
jt

 

Last firmware update offered was is dated August as far as I know

 

That's kind of how I've used it as well... it also helps me keep track of how long it will take to get home when I'm out wandering (I pay no mind to the routing until I'm homeward bound). My wife commented that my ETA's have grown more accurate