![\"Next you must remove the mekugi from there holes. Katana will have anywhere from 1-3 mekugi securing the tsuka to the tang. Proper mekugi are tapered and should only be removed in one direction. You may use either a Mekuginuki or the end of your brass hammer to push the mekugi out of their hole. You may tap on the opposite end of the Mekuginuki or brass hammer with a rubber mallet to facilitate the removal process. You should take the time to inspect the mekugi in case they are broken or damaged and need to be replaced. The tsuka ito may need to be pushed aside to get to the mekugi. If your katana does not have mekugi, it probably cannot be disassembled.\" (courtesy swordsofmight.com)](https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/gloves_mallet_m.jpg "\\"Next you must remove the mekugi from there holes. Katana will have anywhere from 1-3 mekugi securing the tsuka to the tang. Proper mekugi are tapered and should only be removed in one direction. You may use either a Mekuginuki or the end of your brass hammer to push the mekugi out of their hole. You may tap on the opposite end of the Mekuginuki or brass hammer with a rubber mallet to facilitate the removal process. You should take the time to inspect the mekugi in case they are broken or damaged and need to be replaced. The tsuka ito may need to be pushed aside to get to the mekugi. If your katana does not have mekugi, it probably cannot be disassembled.\\" (courtesy swordsofmight.com)")
RF just shot me a press release that claims a Peugeot survey discovered that drivers use their owner's manuals now more than ever. According to their findings, 79 percent of customers have consulted their handbook and learned about features on their cars that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Some 93 percent of drivers have read or do read their handbook. Fully 82 percent feel it necessary to have a paper copy of the handbook rather than access the info electronically. The entire story sent alarm bells off in my head. I mean, the last time I used an owner's manual was when my 2000 Nissan Sentra's engine warning light started flashing at me (it meant my gas cap was loose). And, that's it. OK, in the interest of Truth, I did thumb through the Jeep Wrangler's book to try and figure out how to remove the top, the doors and the windscreen. But I put it down when I came across an image of a rubber mallet. You?
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Yes I have. I was bored at work.
A Jeep Wrangler and/or 2000 Nissan Sentra aren’t the most complicated cars in the world. You can basically sit in them and figure out how to operate every single feature in a few minutes. A lot of cars today, especially higher-end luxury/sports cars have so many features (of often questionable usefulness) and arcane symbols/acronyms that the average owner would be missing out on a lot by not reading the manual
The manual is also good for finding out things like what oil viscosity to use
If your katana does not have mekugi, it probably cannot be disassembled.
Them’s words of wisdom right there.
thetopdog:
Take a peak at how you remove the Wrangler’s soft top and get back to me.
Have to admit that what should be the simple job of resetting the digital clock has made me look at the manual for the last several cars I have had. So non-intuative most of the time that I end up looking it up twice every year no matter how long I have had the car.
I can now add looking up how to reset the tire pressure monitoring system after a tire rotation.
Cars have so much electronic junk the manual is really becoming needed. Wasn’t at all 15 years ago.
Yup, read it cover to cover on the first night. Trying to figure out how to use the launch control, and it was left out of the manual!
I like to look at the ideal maintenance schedule to try to spot any $1000 timing belt replacements in the future.
Yep! Cover-to-cover at purchase, then random references to change the clock DST>ST, reset the maintenance light, etc. Also occasionally handy for finding fluid capacities, bulb types and other specs without digging out the svc. manual.
Most of the content is crud but is required by either the legal beagles or the Feds; knowing where to find the really valuable 10% has saved me a lot of time.
Jonny Lieberman: I’ll take your word for it. That’s probably one of those cases where keeping the same basic design for decades has made things more complicated. The C4 Corvette required use of a wrench and/or ratchet to remove the targa top (on the C5/C6 you just flip 3 latches and lift it off) so I can only imagine how complicated taking off the roof and/or doors on the Jeep is
Yep, first day I got home with my new car, I paged through the manual. I can’t say I read every page, but I skimmed through it.
Generally just for fluid types. But my Miata has “Smart Key” and there are bunch of setting — walk away and the doors lock — turn on the beep, turn off the beep so for that yes. NOTE: After 2 years I still can’t figure out why when I turn it off and open the driver’s door sometimes I get 2 beeps sometimes not. So I did read it cover to cover. Resetting the clock wasn’t “intuative,” so I should have read that first.
Yes, but not necessarily cover to cover. I used it as bathroom reading material until I was tired of looking at it.
yes, On my liberty i had to figure out how to redo the keyless entry so the horn wouldn’t honk.
and any GM manual i have to look for the same images that have been in their owners manual since the Carter administration.
Yes, if they car came with one, it’s useful for the exact model number of the replacement lights you need. Also I read my buddy’s owner’s manual, specifically about it needing a breaking in period, and what not to do in the first 1,000-3000 miles on his Toyota Solara his parents bought him.
No body does. If they did, they wouldn’t have bought that Tundra for towing!
On “one’s intuition” for figuring how to use mechanical functions. Everyone thinks THEIR tuition is obvious to everyone, or should be.
Yup, read it cover to cover on the first night. Trying to figure out how to use the launch control, and it was left out of the manual!
I cracked up laughing at this–I usually find manuals tell me what I already know and don’t tell me what I don’t already know.
John
Awkward as it is to admit, mine’s sitting on my desk beside me right now, and I’ve had the car for 5 years…
I take pride in my geekiness, however, when I recall a recent panicked phone call from my brother who couldn’t open the door on his smart key equipped Lexus IS. If he had read his manual, he’d have known about the emergency backup entry system ;)
I didn’t read it cover to cover, but I did have to refer to it a few times. Most recently, on Monday night, I needed the low beam headlamp replacement instructions on my 2004 Accord (you have to remove two inner fender clips).
The relevant pages now have grimy fingerprints all over them. :)
Otherwise, I drive a lot of different vehicles, so I can figure most stuff out on my own, but sometimes the icons or abbreviations give me trouble. Things like figuring out what the checkered flag button on a Jaguar XF button does (sporty-type mode) or what the two buttons on the right side of the Infiniti EX35 steering wheel do (top one is laser cruise distance control; bottom one is lane departure prevention).
I read it cover to cover the first few night after the purchase and made my wife read(skim to her) it also. It was actually pretty informative, unfortunately I dont remember everything in it so I must go back every once in a while to figure out stuff I don’t use regularly since my wife drives the car.
Johnny I had a huge crush on a Karen Lieberman back in high school many years ago, any relation?
Only look at the “Capacities” after every oil change. I can never seem to remember how much oil I need. Added bonus, it’s the only page with greasy fingerprints, so it’s easy to find.
Re Jeep Roofs: The old school ones are awful easy. I can get the roof on or off on my ’76 CJ in 10 minutes by my self. About 2 minutes or so if I have help. Probably quicker than the first ever G6 convertible.
Well, I have the eight-volume factory shop manual for my ’83 911SC, which I consult constantly, but the thing that amuses me about modern “owner’s manual” is how ineptly they’re indexed. Look for “gas cap” and it’ll be under “filler door.” Look for “tire pressure” and it’ll be under “taking care of tires.” “Windshield wipers” are under “safety equipment,” “trunk latch” is under “opening the luggage compartment,” stuff like that.
I have to use owner’s manuals constantly to find where stuff is in press cars, and it’s always a hassle.
It also amuses me how the first 80 pages are filled with yellow-highlighted warnings not to lick the exhaust manifold or try to stop the coolant fan with your fingers…
I had to consult the manual for my ’93 Saturn every time daylight saving came and went, because setting the clock was so unintuitive. I looked at the manual for my Accord when I had to change a tire, to check exactly where to place the jack, and for something else I think. I dont think I had a manual for my ’77 Toyota Corolla, which I got used.
I’ve had the same type of trouble with the indexing that Stephan Wilkinson describes.
I take pride in my geekiness, however, when I recall a recent panicked phone call from my brother who couldn’t open the door on his smart key equipped Lexus IS. If he had read his manual, he’d have known about the emergency backup entry system ;)
Ditto, Evo MR with smartkey had a couple of hiccups. Left radio on, got out of car. Key was in my pocket. Came back in. Car couldn’t find key. Had to turn car all the way off, leave car and come back.
Also, if I didn’t read the manual I wouldn’t know about the fact that you can sometimes shift into R before the DSG is ready, and it won’t engage, so you have to go to N and R again. Hooray for technology. You’d figure the computer would just take care of it for you. These new fangled automated manuals are quirky but when they work, oh they work so good.
Did anyone figured out without the manual how to reset the tire pressure monitor warning on their car?
No, stupid run-flat tires on the MINI. Oh how I hate the.
@Stephan – It’s not just the first 80 pages with warnings, it’s every single page. It makes it unreadable. I was looking for a way to turn off traction control on my new 4runner, and there are about 5 pages of warning telling me how bad of an idea it is. And one line that tells me when I lock the center differential, the traction control is turned off automatically.
I read bits & pieces of my manual for fluid reccomendations, and also an indepth explanation of the different DCCD settings in my STi.
The manual had the fluids but nothing in depth about the reasons to use various DCCD settings :(
I tried to understand my Audi A3’s explanation of how to disable the traction control. Mostly, all I could pick out from all the legalese was “please don’t disable your traction control.”
Yes, I read it because I’m one of those tech deficient people who cannot figure out the radio buttons, or how to set the clock, w/o looking at the OM.
What suprises me about OMs these days – and Mr. Wilkinson touched on this – is how thick they are. An OM is almost a novella. I have an OM for my ’63 Rambler, and it’s very thin compared to today’s tomes.
Not cover to cover, but certainly at least skim the parts that will be useful in the future. And since the new car came with a NAV system, have read THAT manual cover to cover and will do so again (somewhat technology challanged).
No.
I still remember the surprise of reading the 2001 Saturn L100 owners manual that said not to use wax or soap or any other cleaning product other than pure plain water when washing the car. I don’t have the manual in front of me but it said something to the effect that the paint job was so super high tech you didn’t need to wash it, just rinse it and go.
Yes. Often. I have a Saab, and it’s always a surprise which new dash icon shows up.
When I buy a car I read the manual cover-to-cover shortly after purchase.
My two cars currently come from 2002 and 1965. The contrast in manuals is ASTOUNDING. The 1965 one was written by engineers wearing canvas coveralls covered in grease. It tells you how and when to lubricate every little zerk and nipple on the whole chassis. It talks about tuning carburettors (spelled just like that!) and finally, it contains a chapter about preparation and tuning for track use(!)
The 2002 car was obviously written by viscous litigating tort lawyers wearing Armani suits and very expensive shoes. It does nothing but WARN YOU IN ALL CAPS ABOUT HOW THIS OR THAT FEATURE OR DOODAD CAN CAUSE HARM OR INJURY IF USED IMPROPERLY. FURTHER THE MANUFACTURER IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANYTHING NO MATTER WHAT YOUR ATTORNEY MIGHT TELL YOU.
Oh for those good old days.
–chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
Naw… I’ll wait for the video.
Cover to cover as soon as possible after purchase. I do skip over the parts not relevant to me: sunroof if I don’t have one, all the details about child restraints since mine are grown up (and don’t have children of their own), and the same warnings/legalese when they appear for the third or fourth time.
It’s amazing how much owner’s manuals have grown just in the last few years: my 2004 Camry’s manual looks skimpy compared to something as prosaic as that of a 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander. Of course in the latter, you do have an optional third row and more folding seats, but still?
And kudos to BMW for writing manuals that are concise and readable despite the complexity of the cars (iDrive for example).
The first time (of many) my headlight burned out on my 2000 Golf I decided to check the manuel to see how I could change it myself. The manuel said to bring it in to the dealer as the entire front of the car had to be removed to get at the $12 lightbulb. So I threw the manuel at the wall.
veefiddy:
Is that why I see so many VWs, especially Beetles, with one working headlight?
I’ve always carefully studied the maintenance scheduled to avoid getting ripped off for unnecessary work at the dealership. For my latest car, I actually did read it cover to cover. Yes, I am a nerd.
I read the owners manual in its entirety when I first got the vehicle. After that, I only refer to it when I have to figure out the origami technique for required to store the retractable middle row seatbelt into its designated location in the roof or the appropriate way to tuck, bend and fold the tonneau cover into its storage compartment.
I always refer to them for fluid levels and any unique electronics that I may have to fiddle with.
This brings me to a very personal pet peeve of mine. I have yet to see a dealership change the transmission fluid in one of their non-brand cars to the proper levels. They are either ridiculously overfilled or pathetically under-filled when they get to the auction.
I actually use an excavator to remove all the excess fluid and also top off all the others as well. I’m still amazed that certain dealerships are still in business given their absolute lack of care towards something as simple as fluid levels.
Just a couple of days ago I spent a few lovely minutes perusing the owner’s manual to my long-gone Peugeot 404.
Likes others who have posted, my current car has nav, satellite radio, Bluetooth, voice recognition, a “smart key” and enough electronic nannies to run a third-world orphanage, so I read most of the sections and supplements devoted to those features.
I’m also astounded at how thick the package of manuals (note plural) is…the entire package is thicker than a phone book for a medium-sized city. My ’63 Chevy’s manual was so thin that it was bound with two staples.
Yes. For the MINI, you have to constantly re-learn how to set stuff on the dash. The system is not very intuitive, but it is consistent within its own little world. (ie, double click usually means the same thing no matter what you are doing). At least the manual is kindof fun to read for the car, as it is written not too unlike the ads.
But then I have always read the manual. I read car blogs too. Not all that different.
Every vehicle I have owned for the last 20 years, every page of the owners manual was read, and I am not kidding.
2007 Focus-funny how the manual doesn’t mention the information stored in the ECU that can be accessed by holding the trip meter down for 5 seconds and turning the key on, but not starting the vehicle. Works in the ’04-up F150 as well.
I skim through all my car’s manuals.
I don’t do it so I can consider myself more educated about my vehicles, I do it as a testament to the progressively more retarded button setups and unintuitive lights and symbols on the dash.
I took an interface design class back in school. Our final project was to re-design a campus touch screen phone system. Every other person’s phone was a single screen of no less than 50 buttons displayed at once.
I can only assume most of the class went on to design i-drive and my 2005 FX35’s radio and temperature controls.
Sidenote, I’ve had my 2008 Wrangler Unlimited for 4 months now (3rd jeep, btw) and I STILL cannot get the top up in less than 10 minutes.
I downloaded the manual on my 2004 SRX and read it before I ever got the SRX. I still had to re-read parts of it to learn how to program everything including the garage door opener. I am remodeling my house and so I will be reading it again to re-program the garage door opener.
No, because there are lies, damned lies, and VW Manuals.
Haynes and Bentley cover me pretty well. Mostly Haynes. Simplicity ftw!
Only for programming and wheel torque.
Part of the fun of buying a new vehicle, for me anyway.
I’m embarassed to admit that having bought a new 335, I drove it home and then had to get the owner’s manual out to get the silly transmitter out of the dash (you have to push it in). Any of the electronic adjustments (open one door with the key, daytime weenie lights off, etc) require a consultation with the owner’s manual as do more critical operations like checking the oil or to let it know that you have changed the tire pressure. In this case, I suspect it’s BMW’s revenge for not venturing into I-drive hell.
Must be extremely deflating to the ego to discover that your tires are smarter than you are…
I use my Owner’s Manual for information on service intervals, fluid capacities, etc. Beyond learning how to set the automatic volume adjustment on your car stereo, you’ll also find a lot of useful information in those books for properly maintaining your car. Of course, I also have two Shop Manuals and at least a Chilton’s or Haynes (prefer Chiltons) manual for every car that I or my wife have owned; so, I may take the maintenance of my car a little more seriously than most. However, everybody can benefit from knowing what maintenance is required when they go to a mechanic to avoid getting ripped off.
Chuckgoolsbee:
You want to see a contrast in styles, you ought to see the difference between the Shop Manual for my 58 Chevy and the Owner’s Manual for my 2004 Mazda6. From two different worlds.
Yes! Absolutely and i try to obtain a pdf version to have handy for easy reference as well.
Intersting things i have found:
2001 M5 Manual – pdf version listed 10W-60 as preferred oil – Engine bay list 5W-30 – Manual in the glove box had a full page sticker over the original page which said 5W-30 but the original page listed 10w-60. I switched to using the 10W-60 in warm weather and reverted to 5W-30 in winter and had much less of a problem with oil consumption than many other owners using 5W-30 exclusively.
2004 M3 – SMG equipped – launch control procedure – this made the stop light drag race completely unfair for everyone else ;)
2007 RS4 – Not nearly as intersting but i had to consult it to get audio files set up right on my SD card for the in dash MP3 player and to learn how to reset the service interval computer when I changed the oil.
I was 21. It was the first new car I bought. It was a loaded 1988 Cutlass Supreme coupe with all kinds of electronic gizmology (for its time) and the first year of production for the front wheel drive version. I got it home and wanted to figure out how to program something – I can’t remember what. I break out the owner’s manual, open it up and what do I see? I see pictures, references and instructions for the previous generation rear-wheel-drive version amalgamated with pictures, descriptions and instructions for the new style. It was as if the technical writers in the engineering department at GM called it good enough, broke away for happy hour, and just cut-and-pasted the manual together when they got back. So I inquired about my question at the Award-Winning service department…and they had no answer. Apparently the award was for ass-scratching.
Pman– As a simple Dodge automobile owner(98 neon– nothing digital but the radio) I’ve got to call shenanigans with your insinuation that the Oldsmobile/GM traveller is a complex machine.
I was riding in a friend’s 1989 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency, and the date/time not being set correctly bothered me. The darned thing has a 0-10 keypad on it– and a reset button to, you know– reset things.
Seems, in hindsight, that the thing just worked. Oh yeah– the car has 280k miles, and the change oil message has been displayed for the past 18 months. She does not mantain the automobile, but it keeps going– it seems almost as if GM built a good automobile.
I read owner’s manuals in every car I sit in. I’ve always loved the line-art, and knowing more about other people’s cars than they do.
I drive an M-B and have read all four (4) manuals. I have to keep referring back to them to remind myself what the hvac buttons do, fluids, etc.
When I first got the wagon I had to spend a half hour learning how the back seat folds flat into the floor. I had to do this because it wouldn’t move no matter what I did and later found out it was merely stuck.
I didn’t open the owner’s manual to any of the three Saturn’s we had. I’m not exactly sure if that means that they were simpler and therefore better or if I just didn’t care enough…
Every car, every time. That doesn’t guarantee that I’m retaining any of it, though. I will say that the owner’s manual in my Malibu Maxx is much improved over any of the ones I’ve seen in GM cars in the last 15 years. It reminds me of the ones from years ago, where each manual was meant for the car it came with.
I have owned a number of cars from the same manufacturer and many of the electronic gizmo features have remained similar over time, but occasionally the location or exact function changes.
As a result, I am constantly pressing the wrong button on the dash, the key fob, or setting the clock when I want to set the radio station or some such misadventure. Always minor, but occasionally fun. Especially the time I was using the key fob without actually looking at it and thinking I was opening the hatch and instead was activating the remote start…
Usually I do read the manual when I get a new vehicle and then refer to it for fluid capacities, bulb numbers, etc. as needed.
However, our newest car has a nav system and bluetooth so it took some concentrated reading by my wife and I both to figure all that stuff out. And I think its going to require a re-read!
Read all owner’s manuals for most cars I’ve owned. (I was tasked to write a user’s manual for some procedures at work and the intended audience included non-computer users. I had to describe each step explicitly even down to what I meant by clicking and selecting using a mouse and what was meant by left-click and right-click. I spent weeks on it until I had an acceptable version. I now appreciate the work that goes into an owner’s manual.) I wish more were available in pdf format. They are full of information and often disagree and disprove Dealer claims.
I used to read the manual cover-to-cover for a new to me car, but now I just look up specific sections.
Things like figuring out how to turn the service needed soon light off after I do an oil change and other complexities of modern cars have me hitting the book.
I’m a CPA and a mild case of OCD, so the answer is YES! I read the manual in the first few days after I buy a car. Then I tuck it away in the glovebox and rarely touch it again.
I’ve consulted the manual in my current vehicle, Mazda3, far more than any in the past. The audio system and the clock/trip computer are less than intuitive to someone who has owned nothing but Hondas in the past. Nothing is sacred, obviously, because I’d be spending even more time reading the manual for a new Civic or Accord!!! The Accord’s pseduo-iDrive alone needs a separate, leather-bound instruction manual. I say leather-bound because it will need to hold up well being used on a daily basis…
Nah – the story line was crap!
I have not only read my 2007 Suzuki SX4’s manual, I’ve downloaded both the 2007 and the 2008 version. As I’m a frequent poster on SX4Club.com, I’ve found a basic familiarity with each model year’s manual to be quite useful when answering member questions.
Yes – online copies are not as useful when you’re on the highway in a dead cell zone (Canadian Rockies, for example) and want to know the total capacity of the fuel tank to guesstimate if you can make it to the next fuel station.