YACT: Should Owner manual contain more service related instructions?

[Quixfire]

I was wondering on my drive in this morning if manufactures should include more service related instructions in their owner manuals than the typical checking/changing fluids, tire rotation and fuse locations.

I was thinking they should include drivebelt replacement and brakes service instructions.

Do you agree, disagree, or have some other comment?

 

Absolutely not, way too much liability, I can see it now, the average joe blow changes his brake ads according to the owners manual, the vehicle fails to stop causing death and injury, thus the automobile manufactures have to raise the price of their vehicles once again to offset the cost of their high priced lawyers and all the suits that will follow.


Besides, I need the business.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Roger
Absolutely not, way too much liability, I can see it now, the average joe blow changes his brake ads according to the owners manual, the vehicle fails to stop causing death and injury, thus the automobile manufactures have to raise the price of their vehicles once again to offset the cost of their high priced lawyers and all the suits that will follow.


Besides, I need the business.

Yeah, it's better to get our instructions from ATOT and just sue accordingly when we screw up :evil:

 

[Ronstang]

Quix, Roger is right, plus the average car owner shouldn't even be opening the hood. A little bit of information to the average dumbass is truly dangerous.

 

[Quixfire]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Quix, Roger is right, plus the average car owner shouldn't even be opening the hood. A little bit of information to the average dumbass is truly dangerous.

But they already give instructions on how to change the oil, coolant and some also given instructions for automatic transmission fluid changes.

 

[Red]

Hmm, it would be nice is instructions were provided, but I kind of lean on Rogers POV. I can see some wannabe mechanic f*cking up his brakes and slamming into the back of my car. Bad for insurance, bad for people getting hurt / inconvenienced with an accident, etc.

 

[Quixfire]

Originally posted by: Roger
Absolutely not, way too much liability, I can see it now, the average joe blow changes his brake ads according to the owners manual, the vehicle fails to stop causing death and injury, thus the automobile manufactures have to raise the price of their vehicles once again to offset the cost of their high priced lawyers and all the suits that will follow.


Besides, I need the business.

Hey stranger!

I don't mind the business either, but I perfer customers that don't want to work on their cars over the ones that think they can do a better job if they were only told how.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: Quixfire

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Quix, Roger is right, plus the average car owner shouldn't even be opening the hood. A little bit of information to the average dumbass is truly dangerous.

But they already give instructions on how to change the oil, coolant and some also given instructions for automatic transmission fluid changes.

OK...but as a fellow car guy let me ask you one simple question.......How do you feel about fixing a car that some dumbass has screwed up further with incompetence over repairing a breakage due to normal wear?

 

[NeoPTLD]

No. It's an owner's manual, not a service manual.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: Quixfire

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Quix, Roger is right, plus the average car owner shouldn't even be opening the hood. A little bit of information to the average dumbass is truly dangerous.

But they already give instructions on how to change the oil, coolant and some also given instructions for automatic transmission fluid changes.

OK...but as a fellow car guy let me ask you one simple question.......How do you feel about fixing a car that some dumbass has screwed up further with incompetence over repairing a breakage due to normal wear?

More work for quix is all!

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: Quixfire

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Quix, Roger is right, plus the average car owner shouldn't even be opening the hood. A little bit of information to the average dumbass is truly dangerous.

But they already give instructions on how to change the oil, coolant and some also given instructions for automatic transmission fluid changes.

OK...but as a fellow car guy let me ask you one simple question.......How do you feel about fixing a car that some dumbass has screwed up further with incompetence over repairing a breakage due to normal wear?

More work for quix is all!

SInce you are non-car guy I will translate........the damage caused by incompetence is sometimes 10X harder to fix than naturally occuring breakage and it is simply not worth the frustration cleaning up someone elses mess.

 

[Quixfire]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: Quixfire

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Quix, Roger is right, plus the average car owner shouldn't even be opening the hood. A little bit of information to the average dumbass is truly dangerous.

But they already give instructions on how to change the oil, coolant and some also given instructions for automatic transmission fluid changes.

OK...but as a fellow car guy let me ask you one simple question.......How do you feel about fixing a car that some dumbass has screwed up further with incompetence over repairing a breakage due to normal wear?

More work for quix is all!

Yep, I see it all summer long, The "Supermart A/C conversion kit" comes with instructions and I still see customers with non-functional A/C system a week or two after they installed it.

Can anybody say Duel-Air van with a lock-up compressor? Cha-Ching

 

[LordJezo]

Well, if they did that they wouldnt be able to sell their $100 service manuals for $100.

 

[djNickb]

Originally posted by: NeoPTLD
No. It's an owner's manual, not a service manual.

 

[Ornery]

Fvck yeah, they should! Well, at least books showing component locations, and part numbers. They could put that on a CD and throw it in the owner's manual, very cheaply and easily.

For example

7-1/4" CIRCULAR SAW with TILT-LOK® HANDLE and ELECT. BRAKE Talk about dangerous!

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Ronstang

Originally posted by: Quixfire

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Quix, Roger is right, plus the average car owner shouldn't even be opening the hood. A little bit of information to the average dumbass is truly dangerous.

But they already give instructions on how to change the oil, coolant and some also given instructions for automatic transmission fluid changes.

OK...but as a fellow car guy let me ask you one simple question.......How do you feel about fixing a car that some dumbass has screwed up further with incompetence over repairing a breakage due to normal wear?

More work for quix is all!

SInce you are non-car guy I will translate........the damage caused by incompetence is sometimes 10X harder to fix than naturally occuring breakage and it is simply not worth the frustration cleaning up someone elses mess.

Thanks, now I'm learned

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

On newer cars preventive maintenance is the key to a long happy life. I know of several Toyota Cressidas that have
topped 300k. That's the part of the owner's manual that should be followed, get a repair manual and do your own
p/m, thats what I tell ppl.

Most p/m the owner can do and should. Particularly those of us stapped for cash but I do agree w/Roger.

 

[Ornery]

...and another thing. I had the battery out of my car for a while, and it dumped the code programmed for the door lock's remote control. The dealer wanted $40.00 to reprogram it! MAGGOTS! Took me a while, but I finally found the procedure to program it myself. Took less than 5 minutes. WTF can't that info be included in the manual, eh? :|

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Ornery
...and another thing. I had the battery out of my car for a while, and it dumped the code programmed for the door lock's remote control. The dealer wanted $40.00 to reprogram it! MAGGOTS! Took me a while, but I finally found the procedure to program it myself. Took less than 5 minutes. WTF can't that info be included in the manual, eh? :|

So the dealer can make money Same reason why they'll charge $60 to read a code that can be read at autozone for free. There is a reason why people refer to it as bringing one's car to the stealership

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I say no, because that's outside the scope of an operator's manual. If you want that info, get a service manual.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Not in the owners manual. But I think that they should offer a "Basic Service Manual" for $5 to $10 that doesn't cover anywhere near what the full service manual does, but instead covers the basics like re-programming the key fob and the like. Basically something that covers the essentials for a well-equipped home mechanic.

ZV