Why you should read your owner’s manual

You’re at the showroom brimming with excitement, about to collect your new car and all you want to do is hit the road. But you politely watch the sales person demonstrate all its features before sending you on your way.

While being overloaded with information, there’s one item of standard equipment lurking in your glovebox that probably wasn’t mentioned at the handover and will possibly never see the light of day – your vehicle owner’s manual.

Yet, this seldom referenced resource can help you get the best out of every feature in your car. We’re talking about the features that the manufacturer has spent billions on researching, designing and making; the features that you have paid for.

The world’s least read book
For blokes, reading an owner’s manual is like an admission of failure. Blokes don’t need instructions – even when operating a chainsaw for the first time. Women, on the other hand, are more inquisitive and are slightly more likely to refer to it.

In the early 60’s a well-known Japanese brand wrote in their owner’s manual under How to Start, “put key in hole, turn and wait for explosion”. These days, however, language translation isn’t a problem, with most models sold globally.

Modern cars, like smartphones and computers, are complex and most of us only use a slither of their features. But unlike the latter, you don’t need to be a Mensa member to get the best from your car, just get to know it by reading the owner’s manual.

How to use it – quickly
Many owner’s manuals have more pages than a Harry Potter novel (Audi’s A4 has 420 pages), but there’s usually a quick guide, which is essential reading (even for blokes) and several also have an Australian-specific supplement.

Sometimes the information you’re after isn’t always where you expect it, so you’ll have to do your best Sherlock Holmes work. One example is finding the mobile phone setup in a Honda. You won’t find the information under phone, or mobile, or telephone, or even cell phone. Nope, you’ll have to go to ‘H’ as it’s listed under Hands-Free Telephone (obviously).

Audi’s infotainment information isn’t under ‘I’ in the index, it’s under ‘A’ for Audi Connect, so while all the information is in the owner’s manual, you sometimes have to think outside the square – or resort to good ol’ Google.

Get to know your car
The easiest way of getting to know your new car is to sit behind the wheel and start twirling the dials, pushing the buttons and flicking the switches. Many features will be straight forward to operate, some will take more time to learn, some will lead you to more sub-menus and some will surprise and delight you. And then there are many that will be met with “I didn’t know it had that”, but that’s half the fun of getting a new car in the first place, right?

However, not everything is quite so easy to work out just by fiddling around. You might go years without knowing your car had an awesome feature.

Tips and tricks from real owner’s manuals
Here are some gems of information and features owners would miss if they didn’t read their owner’s manual.

Mercedes-Benz vehicles have a hill-hold system, which is activated by pushing firmly on the brake pedal once you’ve come to a halt. Deactivation is as simple as pushing the throttle, and while many owners don’t know about it, all the details are in the owner’s manual, which in many Benz’s these days can also be read through the command system within the infotainment system.

A lot of cars have voice recognition systems, which accept natural commands like, “I want to talk to John Smith”, or “play my favorite music”, or “where’s the nearest restaurant” and even “how far can the fuel get us”, but unless you’ve read your owner’s manual you’ll either not use it at all or talk to the system like a robot, getting frustrated at its lack of cooperation along the way.

The Skoda Superb has many clever features. Without getting familiar with your manual, you may never use the luggage compartment light that doubles as a removable torch. Or the two umbrellas stowed in the front door jambs, or the small pocket on the side of the driver’s seat, or the mobile phone and tablet cradle for rear seat passengers… and the list goes on.

The bottom line is the owner’s manual is a goldmine of information and lets you enjoy your car to the fullest. Manufacturers put a huge amount of effort and money into each new model, so take the time to get to know your car inside and out. You’ll enjoy it so much more when you do.

So, who’s ready for some light bedtime reading?