Problematic in-car owner’s manuals on the rise

In-car owner’s manuals

We’ve expressed our grievances with owner’s manuals many, many times over the years. But the growing trend towards in-car owner’s manuals should really stop.

At best they are difficult to navigate. We’ve used manuals from Maserati, Polestar and Volvo and in each case we’re left frustrated with the experience. Most recently, we were in a Cadillac with an on-screen manual that just leaves you starting from scratch each time you haven’t discovered what you’re looking for.

We sent the owner of that car to GM‘s manual download site. She immediately noted how much easier it was to handle in pdf!

So this is not an issue with electronic copies. Its an issue with navigation. Working most recently with Jaguar and Land Rover and their on-line manuals, we discovered that we needed to do a web search to get adequate information on certain systems. Either the information in the manual was lacking or was impossible to find. And we’re pretty good at digging through manuals!

Also, we found that if a search term was not in a segment title, it did not show up as a search result. Ridiculous! Unfortunately there is no pdf download option.

Back to the Maserati, they were one of the first to supply an on-screen manual, and we ran into two problems. The first was, that if you did not have a working key fob, the manual could not be accessed at all! Sadly we didn’t think to test this with the other vehicles and their on-screen manuals.

The second thing we found was that if you got deep into a topic, say five pages, you needed to literally go back the five pages before anything else could be accessed! This was many years ago and very much hope that this has been corrected, at minimum.

Our most common complaints of late have been warning lights and indicators not found in a gathered list, but rather buried deep within a topic. Any driver trying to understand an indicator is stuck with having to deduce its first-level meaning to even start. Manuals from Lincoln, Mazda and Kia fall in this category. Hit the links for more if you’re curious.

Regardless, pdf versions remain a gold standard for electronic manuals for ease of navigation. Any manufacturer adding a manual on-screen or on-line should look to that standard and emulate it.

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The material on these pages is provided for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

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