Your vehicle owner’s manual contains valuable information about your car. It’s not something that you’ll read often, but it pays to keep it handy, because you never know when you’ll need to refer to it for maintenance advice, warnings or other information about your vehicle. If you don’t have a copy of the manual, try searching for it online. According to edmunds.com, most automakers have made the manuals available at their websites, and most are free to download. Here are some things to know:
Manufacturer. If you’re looking for an owner’s manual, check the vehicle manufacturer’s website first to see if you can download a free copy. On some sites, the manual may be available only for viewing, not downloading, and in other situations, a may be fee charged to view the manual or order a duplicate copy. The sites that provide information for free may require you to set up an account, which is a way for the manufacturer to collect contact information of current and future customers.
Clearinghouse or database. Other sites also may have copies of owner’s manuals and some sell copies of older manuals. You can use a search engine to search for the make and model of your vehicle and typically find user groups or support databases that include downloadable copies of the manual.
Printing versus downloading. If you need only to make a quick consultation, you probably won’t want to print the entire document, but if you plan to refer to the manual on a regular basis, you might want to print out some or all of the pages. In some cases, it’s possible to use a smartphone or a tablet computer to make the digital manual more mobile, so you can consult information while working on the vehicle.
