WARNING - Do NOT put a pen in the Car manual compartment in the glovebox!

[Cossor]

Not mentioned here are problems caused by children.
Kids place all sorts of things where we do not expect it.
Like coins placed into the slot of the CD player (And in older computers, the floppy disk slot)
Toyota has seen fit to place a warning label on current Corolla cars, in plain sight, that the car radio does NOT have a touch screen.
VW could have done the same on predelivery cars, especially where caution is required!
Will be interested to see if my car when delivered has suitable protection.

[Cossor]

Added thoughts to previous post
Re the car dealer, where a possible problem could occur, should not the dealer be aware?
Wher the dealer is carefully shows all the bells and whistles on delivery, should not the dealer also convey due caution?
In other words, it is also the dealers responsibility to read the instruction manual.

[hooba]

[Frankenstrat]

The morons are those that don't read their manual.

Yeah, right.

I had to look up something in my manual yesterday. Does that make me less of a moron? Have I edged imperceptibly closer to 'genius' status? I could include it on my CV: Fully conversant with Page 211 of the Golf manual.

Maybe it's time to lock this thread and throw away the key.

[Corey_R]

I can appreciate Maverick's frustration.

Like myself, he has over 2500 posts, with a decent percentage directly answering questions that the members of these forums post. Many of the questions I answer every day, are covered in the manual. By the time you answer the same question 20 times for new members that have come to our forums, and that question is answered in the manual, it can become very frustrating.

As I've said many times before, these cars have become quite complex and after owning Japanese cars all my life and purchasing my first VW I was amazed at all the features my Golf GTI had that I would have never of known about if it had not been for reading the manual. If you've owned european cars before in recent years, maybe the jump isn't as big. If you've owned other VW's before, maybe you can fumble your way through. But there's even large differences between even my MY08 Polo GTI and my MY08 Golf GTI....

So I see the topic RTFM as being two fold:
1) If you don't read the manual, you're bound to need to ask a question here that has been answered 20 times already!
2) If you don't read the manual, you're bound to be missing out on some cool features and the full benefit of a car that you've just spent $30k to $70k on (depending on model and options).

So whilst I personally wouldn't call someone a moron for not reading the manual, I do struggle to understand why someone would spend so much money on an item and NOT be interested in understanding how it all operates and how to take full advantage of what it has to offer. To me it just seems like a bit of a waste when you consider how long it takes the average person to save up that $30k to $70k in comparison to how long it takes to read the manual

[Frankenstrat]

Coreying, my tongue was firmly in my cheek when I posted my response. I *know* how helpful Mav can be, and I know how prickly he can be, it doesn't diminish his contribution to VWW.

[hooba]

I told that horse was still moving!!!!!

[Corey_R]

Coreying, my tongue was firmly in my cheek when I posted my response. I *know* how helpful Mav can be, and I know how prickly he can be, it doesn't diminish his contribution to VWW.

Fair enough

[Cossor]

Owerners manuals are reasonable, if sometimes a bit obscure.
But pity the poor service engineer trying to understand some obscure error readout.
And again, the service or install engineer who does not bother to read the full manual, but takes shortcuts.
This last, as Chief engineer for an X-Ray company, was bane of my life.

[yowie]

So, what lies within the province of good design and what is responsible operation?
Is the product fit for the purpose if you cannot leave a visitor with the car, or a child in the front while packing the back, without worrying they might park a small object into the menu holder, which may later fall somewhere invisible from the passenger compartment causing dollars damage and inconvenience?
And what about us dunces who have read the manual, but can't remember everything, so try to select the most important bits?
In this last case, I would like to think the intrinsic design is sound, such that tiny things one might easily forget over several years ownership would not cause major damage.
I would like to see Sportsbet odds on design change for the MkVII.

[yowie]

PS; fascinating for a thread that I opened thinking my Waterman might be at risk

[Maverick]

So, what lies within the province of good design and what is responsible operation?
Is the product fit for the purpose if you cannot leave a visitor with the car, or a child in the front while packing the back, without worrying they might park a small object into the menu holder, which may later fall somewhere invisible from the passenger compartment causing dollars damage and inconvenience?

And what about a child in the front putting something in the CD/DVD slot, or the AC vent, or down the side of the gear selector, or down the side of the glass in the window or .........

And what about us dunces who have read the manual, but can't remember everything, so try to select the most important bits?

If you miss the warning about not putting things up in the top of the glovebox I doubt that a warning stick is going to be noticed

In this last case, I would like to think the intrinsic design is sound, such that tiny things one might easily forget over several years ownership would not cause major damage.
I would like to see Sportsbet odds on design change for the MkVII.

The Mark V has the same slots in the top of the glovebox and very few people managed to destroy their blower.

[Maverick]

So whilst I personally wouldn't call someone a moron for not reading the manual, I do struggle to understand why someone would spend so much money on an item and NOT be interested in understanding how it all operates and how to take full advantage of what it has to offer.

I was only responding to the post from REXman saying that people are morons for suggesting that people read their manual.

[REXman]

I was only responding to the post from REXman saying that people are morons for suggesting that people read their manual.

Yeah Maverick sometimes mate your a bit rich. Its just a "tone" I get from you thats a bit condescending. You always seem to answer people like you have the ****s, or your the chief engineer from VW getting offended by people thinking it stupid to read the manual, in order to operate the GLVOEBOX!!

Surely you can appreciate what people mean, that when you spend a whole lot of dosh on a car, you honestly dont expect us to all be herberts and read a car manual - cover to cover!

You can say what you like, but thats my opinion on reading manuals at length.

Same reason, I might be naive or whatever, but when I sign a contract for something I dont always have time to get through it all.. but most of us go on anyway.

If you actually sit there and read your mobile phone contract for example before signing, thats your business. But it aint normal. I am sure of it.

[yowie]

And what about a child in the front putting something in the CD/DVD slot, or the AC vent, or down the side of the gear selector, or down the side of the glass in the window or .........

The difference with the problem compartment is that an untrained person could put something there in ignorance.
I should say I am not disagreeing with the WVA decision. However, I bought the design philosophy of continual improvement. In this case, ther should be an elegant solution, such as the manual getting a hard cover and the compartment reduced to a pair of rails that it slides into. That or the gaps filled in.

If you miss the warning about not putting things up in the top of the glovebox I doubt that a warning stick is going to be noticed

Agreed, Maverick.

The Mark V has the same slots in the top of the glovebox and very few people managed to destroy their blower.

And that I didnt know.