26Navigation System
Getting Started
System Function Diagram
This diagram shows the navigation
system features, starting at the center
and working outward in layers. The
navigation program starts at “Key ON,”
and then displays the globe screen
(blue). If OK is selected on the
Disclaimer screen, the functions in the
yellow segments of the diagram become
available in the Setup and Information
screen. The white segments of the
diagram are available anytime, even if
you do not select OK.
The items above the map screen show
various methods to begin driving to
your destination (orange). You are
provided with map/voice guidance,
routing cautions, and a direction list.
While driving to your destination, use
the voice control system as much as
possible to interact with the navigation,
audio, and climat e control systems
(green).
REMINDERS(pg.17)CALENDAR
-THEMAPSCREEN(pg.20)-
(MAP/VOICEGUIDANCE,ROUTINGCAUTIONS,DIRECTIONSLIST)
-DRIVINGTOYOURDESTINATION-
VOI CE:
"HELP"
(ALL)
(pg. 146)
VOICE:
"INFORMATION
SCREEN" (pg. 76)
VOICE:
"MENU" (to
change route) (pg. 70)
VOICE:
"HOW F AR OR LONG
TO THE
DESTIN ATION?"
(pg.
147)
VOI CE:
"DISPLAY (OR S AV E)
CURRENT LOCA TION"
(pg.
68)VOICE:
"WHAT TIME
IS IT?"
(pg. 146)
VOICE:
"A UDIO"
(pg. 151 - 159)
VOI CE:
CLIMA TE
F
AN, TEMP
(pg. 149, 150)
ENTE R
WA YPOINTS
(pg. 72)
VIEW
TRAFFIC (pg. 23)
VOI CE:
"ZOOM IN/ZO OM OUT"
(pg.
60, 147)
VOI CE:
"HIDE/DISPLA Y ICONS "
(pg.
63, 147)
VIEW TRAFFIC (pg. 23)
ADD BOOK (p g. 85)PINs (pg. 84)UNITS MI/KM (pg. 90)VOICE RECOG. FEEDBA CK
(pg. 90)
UNVERIFIED (pg. 92)AVOID AREA S (pg. 96)TIME ZONE (pg. 100)DAYLIGHT SAV. (pg. 100)OFF-ROAD TRACKING
(pg. 67, 10 1)CORRECT VEHICLE
POSITION (pg. 102)MAP COLOR (pg. 103)MENU COLOR (pg. 104)
GUIDE. PROMPTS (pg. 83)VERSION (pg. 107)MESSAGES (pg. 107)
BRIGHTNESS (pg. 82)VOLUME (pg. 83)INTERFA CE DIAL (pg. 83)
CALL (pg. 81)
COST (pg. 79 )
NUMERIC RAT I N G
(pg. 79)
ENTER (pg. 78)LIST (pg. 78 )MATH (pg. 80)CONVER T (pg. 81)LIST (pg. 77)
NAVI, AUDIO,
CLIMATE (pg . 7 6)
SELECT CATEGOR Y
( pg.
76)
IMPORT , SEARCH, DELETE (pg. 77)
PRESS
OK
NOT
SELECTEDOK
NOTSELECTED
OK
ROADSIDE
ASSISTANCE
KEY T O ZAGA T
RATINGS
CALEND ARCALCULA TORMAP LEGEND
PHONEBOOKMESSAGE
VOICE HELP
SELECT BAND/
FREQUENCYVOL BALANCECD
FUNCTIONSOTHER AUD IOBRIGHTNESS
ZOOM IN/OUT
SETUP
BUT TO N
(pg. 82)AUDIO
BUT TO N
(pg. 11)
INFO
BUT TO N
(pg.
76)
REAR CAMERA (REVERSE)
THEDISCLAIMERSCREEN(pg.17)
VOI CE: "FIND
NEARES T..."
AT M
, ETC .
(pg.
148)
SELECT A
DESTINA TION
WITH
INTERF A
CE DIAL
(pg. 73)
V OICE:
"GO HOME" (pg. 49)
VOICE:
"MENU" FOR ENTER
DESTINATION
SCREEN (pg. 27)
CONTINUE TO THE
DESTINATION
(RESUME)
AFTER REST
ART
(pg. 74)
GLOBESCREENKEYONPERSONAL
BASICROUTING
GUIDANCE
CLOCK
ADJUSTMENTVEHICLECOLORACU RALINKSYSTEM INFO .
VOICECOMMANDSINFO SCREEN (pg. 160)
AUDIO (pg. 151 - 159)
CLIMATE CONTR OL
(pg. 149, 150 )
Formoreinformation,see
thevehicleOwner'smanual.
BLACK LEVEL (pg. 83)CONTRAST (pg. 83)
SETUP
SCREEN (FIRS T)
2008 MDX
Navigation System75
Driving to Your Destination
AcuraLink Messages
AcuraLink enhances your ownership
experience by providing a direct
communication link between you and
Acura. AcuraLink messages are
displayed on the Navigation screen.
Working through the XM Satellite
Radio, AcuraLink works in conjunction
with your vehicle’s Navigation,
Bluetooth®
HandsFreeLink® (HFL),
and audio systems to send and receive
several kinds of message. These
include:
Operating tips and information on your vehicle’s features.
Important recall and safety information.
Maintenance information to keep your vehicle in top condition.
Diagnostic information to provide information about any problems with
your vehicle.
NOTE:
See your vehicle’s Owner’s manual for
more details on this feature. When service inform
ation is received
from your vehicle or AcuraLink, an
envelope icon is displayed in the upper
right corner of the Navigation screen.
The Interface Dial controls most
AcuraLink functions. For more
information on AcuraLink, refer to:
The Quick Start Guide for features and a function overview.
The vehicle Owner’s manual for a detailed explanatio n of the system.
2008 MDX
Navigation System109
System Initialization
System Initialization
If for any reason, you lose power to the
navigation system (like the battery was
disconnected), the navigation system
will require initialization. Once
completed, your system will be ready to
use.
This initialization requires the
following:
Entry of the 4-digit anti-theft security code to “unlock” the navigation
system.
GPS initialization (may not be needed depending on the le ngth of time the
system was without power).
Map matching to align the GPS coordinates to a place on the map
(displays current street at the bottom
of the map).
Entering the Security Code
If the battery goes dead or is
disconnected for any reason, you will
have to enter a secur ity code for both the
audio system and the navigation system
before you can use it again.
When you purchased the vehicle, you
should have received two cards that
have the audio and navigation system’s
security codes and serial numbers. Keep
these cards in a sa fe place in case you
need the codes. If you lose the cards,
you must obtain the security codes from
your dealer. Enter the four-digit s
ecurity code. If you
have entered it corr ectly, the display
changes to the Disclaimer screen. If
you make a mistake, the system will
display “INCORRECT PIN.” Re-enter
your 4-digit security code. You have ten
chances to enter the correct code. If all
ten are incorrect, turn the ignition to
OFF, then back to ON (II) to have ten
more chances to enter the correct code.
Follow the instructio ns in the vehicle
Owner’s manual to enter the 5-digit
audio code. The navigation voice will
not operate if the audio code is not
entered.
NOTE:
The anti-theft security code is unrelated
to your optional Navigation system PIN
(for Personal or Home Address).
2008 MDX
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.
2008 MDX
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
118Navigation System
Client Assistance
NOTE:
The system will not play movies or other video/audio discs.
Never “sneak preview” a newer white labeled DVD in the system
unless you plan to keep it. The system
cannot automatically “revert back”
to a prior version DVD. If you must
revert to a previous version DVD
after loading a newer version, see
your dealer for assistance.
If you see the error message “Navigation unit door is open...,”
close the door.PC Card
A PC card is not supplied. The PC card
slot is for factory use only. This slot
cannot be used to play audio files.
PC card slot
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.
2008 MDX
Navigation System133
Coverage Areas
Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®
Operation
When pairing a cell phone to use the
Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® feature,
you may see a “Phone-Data
Connection” screen. If so, do not
complete this portion of the process. In
addition, if a “Connect to the Acura
Server” button is shown on the
“Acuralink Messages” Setup screen,
don’t select this feature.
Shipping a Vehicle To or From
Hawaii
Although the DVD in the vehicle
contains maps for both US mainland
and Hawaii, the dealer must perform the
selection of “US mainland” or “Hawaii”
for you. When the dealer makes the
switch from US mainland to Hawaii or
vice versa, the system clears all user
data. Make sure to record any personal
information that you do not want to
loose. NOTE:
Shipping a vehicle from Hawaii to the
US mainland
If you wish to receive XM audio or
Traffic, you must call XM and set up
an account (800)-852-9696.
To begin receiving AcuraLink quick tips, contact Acura Client Services at
(800) 382-2238, and ask them to
activate your AcuraLink unit.
Shipping a vehicle from the US
mainland to Hawaii
If a US mainland delivered vehicle is shipped to Hawaii, there is no XM
reception. It is necessary to see your
Hawaii dealer to allow viewing of
local Hawaii maps.
The issues under “operation in Hawaii” above apply.
2008 MDX