“What engine oil do I use, How often do I need to change the gear oil? What does the light on my dashboard mean?” etc.

As a car user, you are often faced with situations such as these You may think that, well ‘Oga Kamoru’the family mechanic will come to the rescue. Then one day, you see him pouring a Visco 2000 engine oil into your CVT gearbox, because the one he drained was ‘too light’…MISTAKE!

There is a reason brand new or ‘Tokunbo’ cars in Nigeria never remain the same after one year. Just like any other product you purchase, your car comes with an instructional manual. The car owner’s manual provides you with the vital information on aspects of your vehicle such as features, appliances, tools, Maintenance schedule, warranty, specifications and the kind of fluids that should be used.

Maintenance schedule:
Your car has been built to last a longtime with minimal problems, so long you adhere to the maintenance schedule as stipulated by your owner’s manual. Scheduled items such as engine oil and filter change interval, transmission fluid change interval, radiator coolant/ flush change, brake fluid change/ inspection, tire rotation, light bulb inspection/change etc. are well detailed in your car manual. This further confirms the importance of this documentation towards ensuring the prolonged life of your vehicle and making it run in tip-top condition.

What do these dashboard lights mean?:
Your instrument cluster provides you with real-time information on your car’s operating condition and health, including lights and buzzers that warn you of an impending trouble ahead of any of your car’s operating system. Lights such as check engine, ABS (Antilock braking system), airbag and oil pressure warning gives you a direction on what exactly the problem might be with your vehicle. Some cars are even equipped with self-diagnosing features. Such warning systems are well documented in your car manual telling you what the warning lights mean and the actions to take thereafter.

Fluids Specification:
Your car, as a machine needs lubrication and cooling to run optimally. For this, your car has been designed to run on specific fluids for your engine, gearbox, power steering, cooling system etc. Your car manual gives you specific details on these fluids and where they should be put in your car. It also tells you the exact quantity required for each system. Please note that using the wrong fluids (Like ‘Oga Kamoru’) can drastically cut short the life of the affect system in your car. Have you ever wondered why cars like Nissan Muranos (in most cases, aside the known factory defect) suffered more frequent transmission failures in Nigeria than in the US? Or why most Honda products suffered transmission and power steering failures in Nigeria? Your guess is good as mine. Reading the vehicle manual regarding the recommended fluids (Honda DW1, Nissan NS2, Honda Power steering fluid, Kia/Hyundai PS4, etc.) would save you thousands of naira in the long run.

Vehicle settings and features:
Features like clock settings, resetting maintenance required lights, door lock/unlock features, radio settings, climate control settings etc. are all detailed in your car manual. Your car manual will provide all the tips and tricks on how to tackle the operation of these systems to your own preference.

TIP – If your car is without a manual or gotten lost, you can download a free copy using a Google search.

http://mymotorguru.com/car-manual-importance/

Need more information? Send us an email at mymotorguru@gmail.com and we’ll revert asap.

Nice tips

Inception:
Nice tips

Thank you sir

I am not sure about old cars that have nothing special inside. But those cars which have new cool features should have a manual for their "consumers". We should read the manual because there are many cases when a function can be very useful at a moment. For example, my mother bought a new Range Rover Vogue Autobiography which has everything that a Range can have inside. So we want to mountains for a winter vacation with it. That was strange, but we couldn't find how to turn on the 4wd mode. Besides that, my mother left the manual at home which was really terrible... Always, I was lucky to have internet in the middle of the road and I found manymanuals.com. That was really cool because the site contained all the needed information and it was very easy to use.

Veriton:
I am not sure about old cars that have nothing special inside. But those cars which have new cool features should have a manual for their "consumers". We should read the manual because there are many cases when a function can be very useful at a moment. For example, my mother bought a new Range Rover Vogue Autobiography which has everything that a Range can have inside. So we want to mountains for a winter vacation with it. That was strange, but we couldn't find how to turn on the 4wd mode. Besides that, my mother left the manual at home which was really terrible... Always, I was lucky to have internet in the middle of the road and I found manymanuals.com. That was really cool because the site contained all the needed information and it was very easy to use.

Yes, I absolutely agree that the new car should have manual for their "consumers"