Who provides the nicest owner's manuals?

[wheelman1991]

Maybe a thread on the worst manuals might be more informative.
I have two to add to that list:
Mercedes Benz
Audi

Is your opinion based on a more modern Mercedes? I can't speak for the new stuff, but the owners manual for my 190d is pretty informative. Maintenance items are pretty well laid out, including serpentine belt size and routing, bulb and fluid specifications, how to change bulbs and even how to emergency pop start. Granted this is for a 1985 model where there aren't nearly as many "see your dealer" and "danger NoNo" warnings.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Online manuals are best. The Tesla manuals are available on the dash screen, and are, of course, always up to date.

 

[pezzy84]

Is your opinion based on a more modern Mercedes? I can't speak for the new stuff, but the owners manual for my 190d is pretty informative. Maintenance items are pretty well laid out, including serpentine belt size and routing, bulb and fluid specifications, how to change bulbs and even how to emergency pop start. Granted this is for a 1985 model where there aren't nearly as many "see your dealer" and "danger NoNo" warnings.

Wow tow starting in an automatic - did not realize that was possible and even crazier a manufacturer points out how to do it. Now a days I'm sure the manuals say something along the lines 'if you try to tow start your car will explode in a ball of flames and you will die'.

 

[xgmad]

I don't know the best, but worst I've had is VW. It tells very little and references all questions to your dealer.

Battery dead?! Call the dealer! Need to change a bulb on the brake lights? Call the dealer!! Steering wheel fell out of your hand and you need to put it back on so you can go home? Call the dealer!!! Need to know what coolant you need to get because it leaked out and want to go home? We are going to punish you for not using our main information provider google by calling the dealer, if you still have phone service, so call the dealer!

-Said every Volkswagen manual ever.

 

[brianl703]

Wow tow starting in an automatic - did not realize that was possible

It's only possible with an automatic that has the pump driven off the output (driveshaft) side, which is very few of them.

 

[JohnnyG]

Is your opinion based on a more modern Mercedes? I can't speak for the new stuff, but the owners manual for my 190d is pretty informative. Maintenance items are pretty well laid out, including serpentine belt size and routing, bulb and fluid specifications, how to change bulbs and even how to emergency pop start. Granted this is for a 1985 model where there aren't nearly as many "see your dealer" and "danger NoNo" warnings.

2018 (mine) if that's any help, the 2014 I had previously wasn't much better. The organization of the topics leave a lot to be desired to say the least, and in the end no real technical information.
On top of all that there are SOOO many options, some apply to this car, but not all. Not only that the descriptions of what each option does is really vague.
I had a buddy that swore his Audi manual was translated into Chinese first, then from that to English. Maybe the same thing happened to Mercedes.

 

[PeterGreen]

My complaint with virtually all recent owners manuals (of every make I've seen) is that they have 100 pages on how to work the radio and 5 pages on 'maintenance' of the vehicle.

I love it when they tell you (as the manual for my new Mazda does,) what the shift points should be on a manual transmission, and they are ridiculously low, as if you are trying to win the Mobil Fuel economy run. Chances are, if you bought a car with an MT (and they nearly always come with a tach,) you have a sufficient understanding of when you should shift gears.

 

[ecotourist]

Nicest: BMW. Lovely soft cover binder. Good information.

Worst: Renault Megane - about 5 pages (in French) on the headlights, but there was no way that I ever found to use only the low beams. I had my choice of fog lights or high beams. My solution - don't drive at night.

 

[PimTac]

Maybe on a road trip, but I don't carry my phone with me all the time I run some errands. And besides, trying to look through a 500 page manual on a 5 inch screen is pretty miserable when instead you can thumb through a paper manual in seconds to find the relevant information.

For crying in the beer, there is such a thing called Search. For example I can bring up my Mazda manual on my iPhone, click on the search icon and type in transmission fluid and find out the service interval.

 

[John105]

I bought a used Ls430 and was impressed with the booklets. I was able to request another set from Lexus. They also provided the build sheet for my car.

 

[PimTac]

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