It might seem like an obvious first step, but even though we should do it, many of us don't read our car's owner manual.
Why You Should Read Your Car’s Owner Manual
We’ve all had it happen, we get into our new, or new-to-us, car and notice that there’s a feature we don’t understand. Maybe it’s a new icon for cruise control, or a way to pair our phone, or maybe it’s something else. No matter what it is, we’re at a loss because we didn’t read the owner manual first. But fumbling around trying to turn on or off a new feature isn’t the only inconvenience you may run into. Without reading the manual you may not be able to troubleshoot effectively. This means there’s a chance that you’ll schedule a service when the issue is a fix you could have done yourself if you’d known what to look for.
Learn About New Features
Newer cars have more and more eco-friendly features than older ones. And you can take advantage of these-if you know how to use them properly. Many manufacturers nowadays are equipping their vehicles with an automatic start-stop feature. When the vehicle stops, like in traffic jams or at red lights, the engine turns off. Auto manufacturers say that this boost fuel economy and reduces emissions. But if you don’t read the owner manual, you might not know what this feature is. If you’re only used to driving much older cars, you may even worry that something is wrong with yours the first time you notice the engine shut off while running errands around town.
You might also miss out on some of the functionality of your vehicle if you don’t read the owner manual. If you’re planning a camping trip and you’ve got a vehicle equipped with a sport mode, you may have several more options available than you think. This is especially true if you’re used to driving a two-wheel drive car with low clearance. Or, if you’ve already got your heart set on an off-road adventure, you can save money on a rental vehicle.
Troubleshooting Before the Mechanic
If you read your owner manual, you can also save yourself several maintenance headaches. From putting the right kind of gas in your vehicle to knowing what the ideal tire pressure is, there are a plethora of pitfalls you can stumble into if you’re not careful. This is especially true if you’re switching over from, for example, a small sedan to a large pickup truck. These vehicles have different weights and are designed for different tasks, so it makes sense that they have different needs.
