I bought 2 x pieces of technology in the month
1) Tablet - came in a box and had a cover - no manuals whatsoever..........it just worked out of the box - set itself up and prompted input and works really well.
2) Crv comes with 500+ pages in the car manual and 148 pages for the Sat Nav/Radio/HFT.
I have gone through the manual of the SatNav etc 2 x and managed to fathom lots but by no means all the functions/buttons etc. Contrast Garmin/TomTom was of use.
Surely there is a huge market for windows/Apple/Android Technology in carsThe handheld SatNavs seem much more elegant in use.
Instead we have multiple bits of technology in the car - lots of buttons on dashboard, steering wheel and sound system.
What we appear to have is Radio/DVD technology being added to and it does not have the ease of use that modern tablets/phones have...........
Is it a Universal Motor Manufacturing Problem OR Honda failings which will be better in the latest model.
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Before we answer we need colour, spec and engine type ! :-)
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And nose wheel towing weights.
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Somewhere I saw a report that the Japanese mind-set required a long and complicated manual to show how well thought out and encompassing their product was.
A short and easy to take in manual was the sign of a poor product that didn't take into account the eventualities it would encounter.
A well thought out English manual for I think, an Olympus camera was rejected on those grounds and the writer had to write a longer less understandable one!
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>> BMW I drive anyone?
Can't comment on the early versions, but the current one is brilliant. Intuitive, easy to navigate, and even dishes up the owners manual for you, if you do happen to get stuck.
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Especially if you're lucky enough to be left handed !
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The Outlandish Manuel is about 450 not especially informative pages. Certainly it's hard to find things like wheel nut torques, or anything much other than the bleeding obvious.
Very similar to the CRV manual in fact, which IIRC had 34 pages on the seat belts.
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Toyota every bit as bad.
I didn't count the pages but the handbook for the satnav/radio was the same size within a fagpaper as the book for the rest of the vehicle (Hilux)...the satnav once you finally got the thing programmed worked very well but easy to lose the will to live trying, extremely frustrating, and unable to be reprogrammed whilst vehicle moving.
Fortunately didn't pay any extra for it, came as standard.
In contrast to my Garmin satnav, the few times i use it is simple and intuitive even if its been 12 months since last used, which it has come to think of it.
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>>it is simple and
>> intuitive
and that, gordon, is the secret.
I'm in and out of lots of different cars.
If it is intuitive to use, it is a good feature. If not, it isn't.
Oh, and as far as manulas are concerned, you'll probably find that at least 25% of the manual is the most intuitive stuff of all - how to fasten a safety belt, and how to strap kids into the back. If you don't belive me, go look at YOUR car's manual.
This is of course ass-covering in case of litigation. So if anything goes wrong (ie the parent is a moron), then the manufacturer can send them a legal RTFM.
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When i got the Accord 8 years ago it came with a thick manual, the first quarter being safety information.
It went back in the glovebox unread - the controls were where you expect them to be and did what you expected them to do. A very good piece of design.
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>> When i got the Accord 8 years ago it came with a thick manual, the
>> first quarter being safety information.
>>
The car bits were fine - on/off lights,wipers,cruise, etc...........
The less easy bits are the Built-in voice operated satnav, hands-free telephone, stereo - one unit does all 3.............all new to me having used Garmin (easy), bluetooth hands free (2 buttons connect/hang-up -easy) in the past.
Update
Mostly all fixed now, imported phone book from mobile etc BUT if you were to try to use these functions in a Hire Car it would be a 2 day hire, one to master the manual and 1 day to drive to your destination.
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My view of any "new to me" car is that if I cannot learn to drive it in 5 minutes - with help from someone who knows how to show me the difficult bits- it's undriveable..
Having spent a considerable part of my life driving hire cars, it's a very sensible approach I feel...
Last edited by: madf on Tue 9 Oct 12 at 18:17
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Honda CR-V III - Lots of technology BUT even more manuals - R.P.
