Owner's Manual DOA?
Published: April 1st, 2010
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Hyundai has announced that its Equus luxury sedan will launch with a “multimedia tablet” (widely speculated to be an Apple iPad) instead of an owners manual. Not only would a tablet be easier to navigate (in theory) than a giant manual, it would also allow owners to schedule maintenance right from the car. Is this the end of the owner’s manual as we know it?
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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I didn't think plastic-encased electronic devices with batteries (rechargeable or not) would do too well kept in a glove box. But then again, I guess a lot of cars are now essentially plastic-encased electronic devices, and they can handle temperature extremes. More seriously, are there many owner-serviceable parts in current cars for the owner's manual to be used to help diagnose and fix a problem?
Just wait. As part of the warranty Roadside Assistance Plan there'll be a port to connect your wireless device so that the Centre can get the thrown codes. Before the truck ever gets there they'll have all the necessary modules and info to fix the nonrunner. Once the warranty period ends, look out!
I have some of my manuals in PDF form. Since 2002. I keep a copy on my desktop and on a smartphone. The phone has an 854x480 3.7 in screen and I have no problems reading the manual. The big advantage is that if I'm away from the cars, it's easy to look something up without going to the car to retrieve the manual. It's especially handy if you get a call from a family member that's on the road and has a question. It's never happened, but if it does, I have the electronic copy ready to go.
Thats a great idea. I keep a .pdf copy of my car's manual, along with some of the machines from work on my laptop. Much easier and more efficient than searching by hand through a stack of dusty paper manuals.