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RTFM??

2K views 28 replies 21 participants last post by  usaffrank 
#1 ·
I'm constantly amazed at some of the questions asked here (and on other enthusiast forums) that could be answered by a quick glance at the owner's manual or even that picture book "User Guide" that they include.

One of the first things I do when I get a new vehicle is go through the owner's manual to see how the various features that I'm not familiar with work, and then go back to it when something new comes up to see if I can find the answer there. Am I the only person who does this?

If only a small percentage of people who are enthusiasts of the car care enough about how it works to look at the manual, I can only imagine how few people who view their cars as transportation appliances ever crack it open. I'm beginning to understand why they aren't putting them in cars any more - why go to the cost and effort to print them if no one's going to use them?
 
#2 ·
Not only that, but I think I knew as much as I possibly could about the Challenger before they even started making them.

Of course I've learned new things about it since, but those were all pretty much the kind of things you learn after you start driving the car.
 
#3 ·
I'm constantly amazed at some of the questions asked here (and on other enthusiast forums) that could be answered by a quick glance at the owner's manual or even that picture book "User Guide" that they include.
I'm like you, I read the manual pretty much from cover to cover. And yes, some people apparently don't. See the same thing on the truck forum and motorcycle forum I am on as well. However, the way I look at it is if someone asks then they are looking for an answer, if it annoys you to answer then click and go on.

Of course I'm getting old enough I need 8-10 reminders of the same thing for it to really sink in. I also agree with the previous post... I think I had read everything about the Challenger ever printed before I bought one.

More than owners not reading the manual I'm surprised by the number of dealerships that have no clue what's going on in the market they are selling on. For instance, I asked a dealer if he was getting any 392 (6.4L) Challengers and he replied the 6.1 was the biggest available. When I said no, Dodge was making a 6.4L Challenger he told me he hadn't heard a thing about it in the "Dodge dealer channels".
 
#28 ·
To be fair, the search feature on this forum kinda sucks...
 
#7 ·
More than owners not reading the manual I'm surprised by the number of dealerships that have no clue what's going on in the market they are selling on.
Heh! That won't ever change. Also had to educate a couple of dealers near by on the 6.4. Then went to another one to look at a 6.1 - sales guy says, "OOoohhh yeaaah!! Top of the line! Got one of them Bose systems!!" I almost asked him in my straightest face if it had one of those VTEC motors too... but I exercised a healthy amount of restraint.
 
#9 ·
I agree 100%, but we are in a tiny, tiny minority of people. I'm sure the vast majority out there read about us reading the manual and think "My God, they have no life!"

Then they get on here for the answers. I don't mind, but it's just different strokes I guess.
 
#11 ·
Oh, I've given up on car salesmen knowing anything about the cars they're selling. The one I bought my car from told me if you put the headlight switch in the "A" position they'd dim automatically when another car approached, that the car had a variable displacement engine, and the 6-speed transmission did not have the "skip shift."

But my favorite was when I test drove a Porsche Cayenne and the salesman insisted he had to drive it off the lot. After watching him search frantically for somewhere to stick the ignition key, I dryly told him that it was to the left of the steering wheel, just like every other Porsche ever built. Then I watched him trying to figure out why it wouldn't start. (It was because it was a 6-speed and the idiot didn't have the clutch depressed.) Needless to say I didn't by anything from him.

But there's a bit of difference between a salesman not knowing all the nuances of every car they sell (although there's really no reason for them not to know everything about them if they're selling new cars) and someone who OWNS one of them being too lazy to look up in the owner's manual what the keyhole on the driver's door is for or how the sunroof operates.
 
#14 ·
I always read the manual for whatever product I purchase. I still have questions though.
 
#19 ·
RTFM was my Dad's standard response if i asked a question and hadn't reviewed the manual yet. Many manuals are poorly constructed and miss thier target audience by a mile, but at a minimum they usually contain the information if you don't mind drilling for it. Going through the paper and electronic manual provided most of the information I was looking for, especially the basic stuff.
People would be amazed at what they might find if they just opened up the manual.

With that said, the tips and tricks section on this site fills the 'gaps' quite well.:bigthumb:
 
#20 ·
When my own kids ask a question I tell them to "look it up on the net"

Kids have access to so much information and can look up anything without pulling out the old encyclopedia like I had to do when I was a kid.

RTFM sounds good, but sometimes there are certain nuances you can only find with current owners. I like asking stupid questions and getting easy answers. That is why I belong to this forum.
 
#21 ·
Some of the manuals are a bit "dry" to the point of being almost coma inducing. A lot of them seem to put the info in a random sort of way that almost repels people from reading it. If you've ever read a Ham Radio manual from Icom or Kenwood, you will know how bad a manual for a complicated device can be, the info is all over the place, with no real order to it. Yaesu does the best ones, now, but their old manuals were pretty bad too.
 
#22 ·
I'll admit that I'm one that never reads the entire manual. Most of the info should be known. I mean come on if you can't figure out how to turn on the headlights, work the cruise control and 90% of the other features on a car you probably shouldn't be driving.
However if there is something that I cannot figure out on my own I will get the info I need by looking it up in the manual. I'm not going to come on a forum and ask a question because I'm to lazy to look it up. But unfortunately that is part of how our society is now. People just want to be handed the answers to everything w/o having to expend any energy to figure it out on their own.
 
#23 ·
You'd be surprised the number of owners that are too lazy to look in the manual themselves. They would rather take the time to type their question here and wait for who knows how long for an answer. I really don't get it. The answer is right at their fingertips.
 
#26 ·
I'm right there with you Frank. I'm also surprised at the abundance of misinformation on these forums as well. Even with topics covered in the manual some folks feel the need to make up answers as to how/why certain features work, etc.

Also, like some others here, I typically research the heck out of a vehicle prior to purchase. With the Challenger, I had a good grasp on the common problems folks were having, TSB's, characteristics, features/options, etc.

....you're not alone.
 
#27 ·
What's "RTFM"? :icon_wink:
 
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