Subaru manual silliness
We just bought a Subaru Outback, and I managed to lose the manual for the on-board GPS system. So I went hunting on their site for the manuals. When I clicked on the download link for the first section (yes, they put the manual up on the site as separate sections, rather than one big pdf,) I was directed to a signup page for an account name, e-mail, etc etc. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Subaru wants me to pay 35.00 for a 72-hour period in which I can download no more than 50 of their PDF manuals. Pretty insane. I guess I better look harder for that manual, or stop by the dealer and ask for another copy. Who, in this day and age, wants to charge you for PDf copies of their manuals? This is our second Subaru (our first was a 99 Forester) and we’ve been very happy with the cars, but this is just stupid.
The word “manual” alone can be ambiguous in this context. You want to replace your “owners manual.” I suggest asking your dealer for a free replacement.
The website is a place where independent (non-dealer) automotive technicians can get detailed “repair manuals” to do things like replacing your oxygen sensor.
Tag as confusing, not stupid.
Great, then they should make that more obvious. I was taken to that site from the Subaru consumer website. Nowhere on that site is it made clear that the site is meant for auto technicians. The link I followed to reach that page was labeled “Owners manual.”
Beyond this the point of the post was that companies making their manuals freely available on the Web is pretty common now, and should be an option. I just signed up to give them a ton of dough for this car – why should I have to drive to the dealership to get another copy of the manual? Does H-P make me drive to California to get a copy of my printer manual, or make me pay for a time and quantity-limited download? No. Where’s the free manual download?
[…] When we bought the new car, one of the things we needed to do was transfer the EZ-Pass from my old car to the new. For those of you outside the NY Metro area, an EZ-Pass is a little transponder you attach to your car’s windshield. It allows you to drive through toll booths without having to stop and give money to the tollbooth attendant, making toll stops much quicker. Well, the EZ-Pass attaches to your car’s windshield with some industrial-strength velcro, except it’s not really velcro, it’s these hard plastic interlocking mushrooms that, unlike hook-and-loop Velcro, are the same on both faces of the tape. They have to be aligned before they’ll go together, and when they do, they click together in a very solid, satisfying way. […]