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Owner's Manuals - - Who writes them? Who reads them?

Gonzo

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Gonzo

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Owner’s Manuals

The Tell, No-Tell Book of Knowledge.

 

Hardly a day goes by that I'm not changing oil in a car. It's a simple task to perform… you know drain the oil, change the filter, and pour in the right amount of fresh oil. These days along with the usual oil change you also have to reset the oil reminder system on most cars. The procedure varies from model to model, as well as from year to year. Since I’m right there by the car I might as well find the owner’s manual, and look it up myself. It’s that little booklet that’s buried in the glove box under all those extra napkins, broken sunglasses, and assorted paperwork. (Funny, the one thing I never find in a glove box is … gloves.) Well that little book does (in most cases) have that information in there. A lot of times I might even use it to find the exact amount of oil I need to add, but for some reason not one of these various manufacturers can come up with one method of putting the information in a convenient spot. It’s a war of words between the writers of these manuals and my slowly diminishing patience.

The information is in there, but it’s hardly ever clearly placed where you can find it. You’d think it would be a fairly simple task, just flip a few pages and find the answers, and you’d think with years of going through various owner’s manuals to find these reset procedures, or the quantity of oil that I’d have this down to an art. !!NOT!!

 

There I am, just another day at the shop, another oil change, and just like the last oil change, I’m sitting in the car flipping page after page of that crazy book trying to find the right section. I do believe the definition of crazy is doing the same thing but expecting different results. That might explain the crazy mechanic in the car, if you walked by right about then. You’d probably noticed me shouting out a few comments about what I think of these poorly written exposés of motor world. The out pouring of obscenities and derogatory comments goes something like this, “Come on, you put it under capacities last time, where the heck did you move it to this year? Who in their right mind puts the oil reset under “interior controls”? Specifications section? Yea right… people! Let’s be specific… where in the world did you put it this time!?” Crazy is when you keep grabbing for the owner’s manual and expect a different answer than the last time you tried looking up things. (Wait a minute… is that me!? #!@#& owner’s manual!) But I’ll try looking up the information… over and over again.

 

It’s like a maze of confusing references from one page to another. I mean really… there’s not that many pages in these darn things. Tell me, why do these owner’s manual writers make it so difficult to find such everyday information? I know it’s in there, probably one short paragraph describing a few steps you need to do to clear the warning light, but do ya think they’ll put a reference to that particular page in the index? HA! Good luck on that one. Of course, the real issue becomes my own stubbornness. Once I've rattled around in the glove box, found the owner's manual, and have started to dig through the pages of information I'm determined to find out how much oil goes in this car even if it takes me the rest of the afternoon to do it. I’m not letting some owner's manual get the best of me. I'm going to sit here and dig through this book until I find it! (Definition of crazy is in affect again.)

 

Not that I like spending my afternoon reading a boring owner’s manual, but there really is a lot of useful information in there. Sometimes I do find a few things interesting. I call it “accidental reading” when I actually do run onto something I didn’t know before. (Usually while I’m looking for those reset procedures.) The other day I had one of my old regulars pull up with a van they had just purchased. They wanted to know how to fold the seats down to their storage position so they could go on a vacation with it. I just happen to be reading about how to fold the back seat in that particular car just the other day. (I was actually taking a mental break from trying to find the oil capacity page in the owner’s manual, besides, it had a really cool photo section in it.) That’s the only reason I even knew about it, and since I’m fresh with this new acquired knowledge I was more than happy to share it with my customer. Needless to say, he was totally impressed that I knew exactly how to do it. (If he would have asked me a few weeks earlier, I doubt I’d even know what to do other than looking in the glove box for his manual.) (It’s all about timing… you know.)

 

Oh, I'm sure if you're a complete novice at driving, and you don't even know how to open the sun roof you should probably spend some time reading the owner’s manual. Of course, ya have to actually open the book. It doesn’t do much good just sitting in the glove box with all the other forgotten about items. Of course, a lot of new cars have gone to a cd or a website that you can view the manual. To me, that just makes it even less likely that I’ll look. I'll just go to my own computer and find the information there instead. It's less hassle than logging onto the web, and dealing with some website that starts you off with some bogus advertisement before you can get to the actual site information.

 

I've lost count of how many times I think I've found the page with the information I needed, only to be directed to another section, which then leads to an entirely different section. It’s just a pain in the dipstick to read these manuals sometimes, and that’s probably why people don’t read them at all. You know what these manufacturers need to do? They need to spice it up a bit. Yea, like hiring a professional drama writer to write the owner’s manual for them. Maybe turn it into a novel… doll it up… make it interesting and not so boring. I can’t say I’d sit down in my comfy chair next to the fireplace with a copy of “Gone With the Owner’s Manual”, but it wouldn’t hurt to make them more readable… maybe then people might actually “read” them. And as for me, while I’m digging through the manual trying to find the reset procedures I might actually enjoy the read. Hey, a little entertainment while changing the oil… I’m up for that!


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kenk Collaborator

kenk

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Years ago on the older cars near the radiator supports or up on top of the hood you would find information such as timing spec. idle speed, etc most of the stuff you would need to do some servicing. You don't see that anymore, probably because everything is fixed and not adjustable, but they could have a sticker that tells you the amount of oil it takes, besides telling you what type of oil! Something like this I used to see..

http://www.google.com/imgres?start=120&sa=X&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS336US337&biw=983&bih=497&tbm=isch&tbnid=018redUyj5ejgM:&imgrefurl=http://www.libertyautollc.com/charlieandtomschargers/emissions_sticker76.htm&docid=GbIclOSHsu1STM&imgurl=http://www.libertyautollc.com/charlieandtomschargers/67844780.jpg&w=1092&h=632&ei=0wDiUZajEpHG4AOR5IDIBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=449&vpy=192&dur=1422&hovh=171&hovw=295&tx=195&ty=110&page=9&tbnh=140&tbnw=262&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:27,s:100,i:85

ATLAuto Rising Star

ATLAuto

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Posted

These stories always get me laughing!

 

As an FYI ... the "Reset Procedure" quick click is one of the main reasons that I like using Identifix (picture below)

 

post-1198-0-58080000-1373925559_thumb.jpg

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      The Technician Shortage Is Our Fault, And It's Time We Own It
      Nearly every day, I hear shop owners complain: "There's a technician shortage. We can't find qualified people. There's no one out there." If that's true, then who's to blame?
      The industry? The schools? The government? I don't know how you feel, but who promised us an endless supply of qualified technicians?
      Another common complaint is that young people do not want to work in the trades. Well, if that were true, then why are other trades such as HVAC, electrical, and plumbing growing? What are they doing that the automotive industry is not? 
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      Many shop owners have learned that team morale, along with the opportunity to earn income, is important to technicians and to the company's long-term success. But let me ask you: how many technicians have left or been pushed out over the years because of the old flat-rate pay system?
      Another issue is the workplace environment. I remember being grateful to be hired as a young technician at a local repair shop. While very thankful, the work environment was not ideal. The shop owner kept the bay doors open year-round (I am from New York) unless it rained or snowed. He felt that if the bay doors were closed, customers might think we were closed for business. We had no heat and no hot water. Many of the jobs were done outside, year-round,  in all types of weather. The starting pay was minimum wage, with no benefits, sick days, or vacation pay. 
      Now, again, I need to point out that I was truly grateful for the opportunity this shop owner gave me. I learned a lot working there, and the experience was pivotal in my career. But looking back, I wonder how many people were discouraged by these working conditions?
      While the physical demands of the repair workplace are daunting, perhaps even more critical is the culture. Too many of my generation shop owners preached the mindset of "my way or the highway." We were the business owners, after all. We started our companies, took all the risks, and provided jobs. Why shouldn't we be the ones to set the ground rules our way?   
      Many of us found over the years that the "my way or the highway" mentality was a sure way to isolate employees and make them more likely to look over the fence for greener grass. In other words, it led many technicians to seek employment elsewhere, where they felt they could be appreciated and recognized for their hard work. The issue, however, was that there wasn't much green grass around. Disappointment after disappointment, bouncing from repair to repair shop, eventually led to despair. So, I ask you: were workplace conditions a contributing factor in today's technician shortage?
      Another factor that we are all well aware of is the complexity of the modern automobile. When I started, the work was mostly physical, and you were required to master essentially three vehicle models: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. Let's fast-forward to today. The evolution of automotive technology, along with the extensive training and tools required, has outpaced the typical technician's pay compensation, with no clear career path. Again, leading to frustration and insecurity about the future.
      Here is the bottom line: people don't leave their job; they leave their experience. We must do a better job. 
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      To fix the technician shortage, it will take a combined effort from everyone in the automotive industry, particularly automotive shop owners. Shop owners are in the perfect position to make the greatest impact, not only on their businesses but also on the future automotive workforce.
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      As technicians age, we need to have a place for them. Expecting a 58-year-old to perform like a 35-year-old is unrealistic. We need to be more focused on career pathing. Provide training, skill development, and coaching to develop leaders and mentors within our older workforce. While their bodies may have slowed, the knowledge they have gained is priceless. 
      Our future is dependent on young people entering our industry. We need to give more young people opportunities. Every shop owner across the country should consider hiring an apprentice, then build an apprentice training plan and career path for them. If every shop did this, we could solve the technician shortage within five years. Get involved with the trade schools and high schools in your area. Look into the NAPA Apprenticeship Program. Don't sit on your hands with this one. Do it today.
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