Does anybody read the ..manual?

[DavidCM]

Is it me,or does nobody read the manual anymore?.

I'm all for trying to figure it out for myself(and occasionally messing it up)but I'll keep trying and,if all else fails,then try the manual.

I know that manuals aren't always perfect and some are better than others but you do get the answer,most of the time.

If that then fails, that's where forums such as this,with their vast knowledge and experience come into their own.

But in the first instance..RTFM.

(I've probably now tempted fate and will be on here with a simple question tomorrow!)

[Guest]

Some people do, some skim through it and some ask questions on a forum (or a combination), why should it matter? Most  people send emails and texts rather than use phone calls or send letters, such is the variety of life.

[malcolmw]

With the advent of things like smartphones with intuitive interfaces, reading the manual for many has become an unnecessary waste of time.

Until something unexpected happens.

I look at it as the end user version of manufacturers selling products with software only partially tested and relying on users to find the faults.

[Ala Larj]

For all the cars I’ve bought from dealers I have always asked for a handbook whilst the car is being prepared for handover. By the time I collect the car I have read it! 

[NemesisUK]

1 minute ago, Ala Larj said:

For all the cars I’ve bought from dealers I have always asked for a handbook whilst the car is being prepared for handover. By the time I collect the car I have read it! 

Yes, this is what I have done except I download the manual once the dealer tells me the VIN. By the time the car arrives I've read both handbooks cover to cover.🤓 Not that any of it sticks, one really needs a reason to research for it to make sense and stick in the mind but one certainly gets a great overview and a good idea where one should look 😄

[Las Palmas]

If manuals were made logical and easy to find interesting things in and not having the same question spread over 10 - 15 different places in the manual - a manual would be a good thing.

The manual for the CT is a perfect example of something being written in haste by people that know too much about what they write and expect that the reader knows just as much. And translating from Japanese through Chinese to English in Google does not make it any better.

[Dippo]

Manuals would be a lot simpler if you didn't have to wade through all the different options - LHD or RHD, std, sport or Takumi, 8" screen or 12" screen, plus all the features you may not have. When I had a 5 Series, you could put your VIN into the app, and it downloaded a version of the manual specific to the actual configuration of your car. I do think Lexus are a long way behind the premium Europeans when it comes to software and apps.

 

It's also useful to be able to sit in the car with a paper version of the manual, and follow the steps as you read them. 

 

Or you could just go to the North Side Lexus videos!

[Mr Vlad]

You know what. Reading through this thread I got a massive hit of dejavu. 

[Harrier Man]

I agree with Peter (NemesisUK) and John (Las Palmas). One of the few (only?) advantages of having to wait 7 months for my NX was that I had plenty of time to read the roughly 1,300 pages of the pdf manual. However, it had limited impact as I couldn't relate what I was reading to the real car. It isn't well written either, compounding the problem, and I don't understand why, in this age of word processors, it hasn't been fully and specifically updated for the UK market.

[JeffL]

If you don't read your car manual you'll have to answer to John @royoftherovers 🤣

[royoftherovers]

1 hour ago, Harrier Man said:

I agree with Peter (NemesisUK) and John (Las Palmas). One of the few (only?) advantages of having to wait 7 months for my NX was that I had plenty of time to read the roughly 1,300 pages of the pdf manual. However, it had limited impact as I couldn't relate what I was reading to the real car. It isn't well written either, compounding the problem, and I don't understand why, in this age of word processors, it hasn't been fully and specifically updated for the UK market.

Well said Malcolm.

[Spacewagon52]

1 hour ago, royoftherovers said:

Well said Malcolm.

How are you getting on with the NX user guide John?

[royoftherovers]

14 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

How are you getting on with the NX user guide John?

The User Guide has been with Elizabeth for 2 weeks Davey while she has the car.

 I have downloaded the full Manual and am on Page 87/552 currently while I watch the Spurs v Fulham match !

I will read a bit each day, but am not really up to it physically just now.

I have yet to fall in love with the NX.