GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hey there. I'm wondering if anyone actually reads their Vibe manuals when they get their new car. It seems like there are so many questions and problems on these message boards that are, in fact, covered by the manual.

Absolutely. In fact, I downloaded it in .pdf format so I could read on my computer, annotate, bookmark and such. Then again, this is my first new car, and I want to do everything right. I found the manual to be very basic, and didn't have info I was looking for like wiring etc.

I made sure that I read my manual. Assumptions should never be made on how something works, what it requires or things that you should and can do to a new car. Especially with this being the first model year of the Vibe. Even though a post that appears here may be mentioned in the manual, it can be very vague on some things.

quote:And we should add that Keely is a computer geek.....sorry Keely but the door was wide open!Sure, I'm a geek, but I drive a very sexy car. BTW, Canadians interested in downloading the manual can get it from this link: http://www.legaltech.ca/msc/2003vibe.pdf

I've bought two new cars, one 2002 altima and a 2003 Vibe over the last year. The altima is my wife's, but she refuses to bother with the manual. I've read both cover to cover. If she asks me a question about her car that I know is answered in the manual, I simply say "Read the manual, I know it's in there".I'll agree that although the user manuals do a pretty good job of explaining basic operation of the cars and controls. But that still leaves a few thousand questions unanswered. Thank God for forums like this one!KSNeptune

quote:I've bought two new cars, one 2002 altima and a 2003 Vibe over the last year. The altima is my wife's, but she refuses to bother with the manual. I've read both cover to cover. If she asks me a question about her car that I know is answered in the manual, I simply say "Read the manual, I know it's in there".I'll agree that although the user manuals do a pretty good job of explaining basic operation of the cars and controls. But that still leaves a few thousand questions unanswered. Thank God for forums like this one!KSNeptune Well put KSNeptune.I also have purchased another vehicle in the last year other than my Vibe. The other is a 2002 Pontiac Aztek that is my wife's. I read her manual also. I reprogrammed her auto locks for her. I would tell her to look in the manual also, but I feel like the cars are mine to look after. She takes care of the maintenance on them, but the little things I take care of inluding maintaining the cars apperance and other little things that she doesn't need to worry about.

quote:Does anyone actually read the manuals?Around here, not many.Keely wrote:quote:I found the manual to be very basic, and didn't have info I was looking for like wiring etc.That's because the owners manual really is only to tell you how to operate the vehicle and its features. Most people (non "car-guy" people) don;t want to know about the wiring diagram or how to reprogram the remotes. Plus, the dealers want you to come back to them and pay them to do those things.This is why the Service Manual is such a good buy for people who do their own work and want to know those things.

quote:BTW, Canadians interested in downloading the manual can get it from this link: http://www.legaltechca/msc/2003vibe.pdf Keely, the link doesn't work - you are missing the period between legaltech and ca.

Sputnik, thanks so much for the heads up. The link is fixed.

quote:Sputnik, thanks so much for the heads up. The link is fixed. No problem. I do stuff like that everyday at work.

quote:I'm wondering if anyone actually reads their Vibe manuals when they get their new car.Yes, I have read the manual for every car I've owned cover to cover as well as those of some of the female members of my family. I'm just wierd like that I guess, because I actually enjoy it. I never read my assigned readings for school, but I read the whole owner's manual. Go figure.

After I finished the paperwork to order the Vibe last August, I had them fetch me the owners manual and I read it cover to cover while sitting in the showroom over the next two hours. Still couldn't figure out how the rear hatch (not just the glass) got electrically unlocked until I got the Vibe and tried it for myself. Well, personal experience and some good answers earlier in one of the forums.

On my 92 Grand Am, something always seemed screwy about the dashboard on the passenger side...it always seemed something was missing. I drove it around for months. Finally, I pulled out the manual, and low and behold, tehre was a hidden cupholder!!!! Since then, I always read it cover to cover and learn about little features, and also, since this is the first non-100% pntiac i've owned, i wanted to make sure things worked the same as they did before...with the engine and all...Anyway, you can get the manual direct from GM: Click here to get the PDF manual I encourage everyone to go to myGMlink and sign up for it...it's great...I use it to track my service visits, it tells me when I'm due for things, it will notify me if there are any service bulletins or recalls affecting my car, and they have tons of little movie clips on things like aiming the headlights, checking for oil leaks, etc. They're not vibe-specific movies, but I learned a lot from them.

I was excited to see this link and spent a fair amount of time reviewing it and beginning to register. Silly me.. I should have known that GM wouldn't make something this worthwhile available to lowly Canadians. Don't waste your time fellow Canucks.. U.S. addresses only. There is a GMPlanner element to the GMCanada site but it is not nearly as comprehensive as this U.S. link. Once again GM Canada drops the ball!

This might be what you're looking for: MyGMCanada

I have read it but it is difficult to pick out information that is actually useful. I already know how to drive in different conditions, this is covered very well in the manual.

I actually order the manual from Helm, inc. and read it before buying my Vibe. The dealer didn't know much, so I had to figure it out myself.

Who would have thought that an Automobiles owners manual would turn out to be good Saturday Night reading material But then again, I did download a copy of it off the internet as well.

It's definitely good bathroom reading.