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Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: Mike J on 21 October 2016, 08:58

Title: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Mike J on 21 October 2016, 08:58
Yes its 230pages of how to and what to  :undecided:
And that doesn't include the seperate book for the tv screen in the dash  :embarrassed:

I got to page 60Something and gave up, hells bells who has the time or can be bothered to read that lot??

Am I the odd one out or do you all read every page the handbook before getting on to the road?

PS My wife read the entire handbook for her VW before ever driving it (women  :wink:)
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: fredgroves on 21 October 2016, 09:47
Nope, always use the books to answer specific things I can't work out.

I can figure out how to unlock the doors but maybe I don't know how to change a bulb or insert the towing eye.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Fabio Bignose on 21 October 2016, 09:57
Only for recommendations like running in and oil.

Or as fred said.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: scanesare on 21 October 2016, 10:00
It's not that you couldn't start or drive the car without it (hopefully  :lipsrsealed:) but with modern cars I've always found that there are so many minor functions and tricks I was unaware of that are rather nice to know/use.

That been said, two months into ownership and I'm still at page 80... Try to read a few pages ever ynight before going to sleep  :grin:
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: fredgroves on 21 October 2016, 10:14
Push the buttons, see what it does :)
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Gnasher on 21 October 2016, 10:40
I wouldn't say I've read it cover to cover, but have definitely flicked through it and read the relevant sections that interested me...

...and yes, I am that sad!
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: mcmaddy on 21 October 2016, 10:44
Blokes don't need or read manuals! 😃
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: JoeGTI on 21 October 2016, 10:45
I flicked through it. A good cure for insomnia. Boring as hell and loads and loads of irrelevant information (i.e. the manual covers every derivative of the Golf for every market so there's lots of pages on stuff you don't have).
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: fredgroves on 21 October 2016, 12:18
I'm fairly certain that my manual is a GTD one and not the usual "all versions" book.

The biggest problem usually with a car manual is that it is an ALL versions one and you look at something and think "wow it can do that" only to discover that is only on certain models and not yours.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: scanesare on 21 October 2016, 13:26
I'm fairly certain that my manual is a GTD one and not the usual "all versions" book.

The biggest problem usually with a car manual is that it is an ALL versions one and you look at something and think "wow it can do that" only to discover that is only on certain models and not yours.

Which is why you buy the top trim fully loaded on extras...  :drool:
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Watts on 21 October 2016, 14:27
I gave it a go but soon lost the will to live. No idea how to use the ACC and probably never will plus no doubt there are other pointless functions I'm unaware of. It's a car, I have managed to drive it near daily for over a year so anything I've missed can't be that important.

It's a bit like mobile phones, I have one but rarely switch it on. Colleagues can't get to grips with it and always ask 'but what if someone needs to get hold of you?'. Well what if they do? I'll get a message eventually, it's not been a problem so far :rolleyes:
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: fredgroves on 21 October 2016, 15:09
Tsk! ACC is one of the things I use every day and wouldn't be without it!
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: kalimon on 21 October 2016, 15:34
I gave it a go but soon lost the will to live. No idea how to use the ACC and probably never will plus no doubt there are other pointless functions I'm unaware of. It's a car, I have managed to drive it near daily for over a year so anything I've missed can't be that important.

It's a bit like mobile phones, I have one but rarely switch it on. Colleagues can't get to grips with it and always ask 'but what if someone needs to get hold of you?'. Well what if they do? I'll get a message eventually, it's not been a problem so far :rolleyes:
I'm also in the dark as far as ACC is concerned but don't really see the need for cruise control anyway. Same for  high beam assist  :embarrassed:
I do however use a mobile phone Watts :rolleyes:
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: fredgroves on 21 October 2016, 16:06
LOL I love HBA too :)
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Watts on 21 October 2016, 16:34
I gave it a go but soon lost the will to live. No idea how to use the ACC and probably never will plus no doubt there are other pointless functions I'm unaware of. It's a car, I have managed to drive it near daily for over a year so anything I've missed can't be that important.

It's a bit like mobile phones, I have one but rarely switch it on. Colleagues can't get to grips with it and always ask 'but what if someone needs to get hold of you?'. Well what if they do? I'll get a message eventually, it's not been a problem so far :rolleyes:
I'm also in the dark as far as ACC is concerned but don't really see the need for cruise control anyway. Same for  high beam assist  :embarrassed:
I do however use a mobile phone Watts :rolleyes:

I worked out fairly quickly, being very clever, that the less you switch your phone on the longer the battery lasts :wink:

Tsk! ACC is one of the things I use every day and wouldn't be without it!

I like to drive my car, not the other way round :whistle:

Actually, I can see the benefit of ACC in certain circumstances, it's just I rarely fit them.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: fredgroves on 21 October 2016, 16:48

I like to drive my car, not the other way round :whistle:

Actually, I can see the benefit of ACC in certain circumstances, it's just I rarely fit them.

A motorway filled with speed cameras is not a place that's fun to drive - or at least probably only "fun" a maximum 4 times every 18 months....  I spend my days on them.

My car is not a toy, its an essential tool for my job.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Watts on 21 October 2016, 17:05

I like to drive my car, not the other way round :whistle:

Actually, I can see the benefit of ACC in certain circumstances, it's just I rarely fit them.

A motorway filled with speed cameras is not a place that's fun to drive - or at least probably only "fun" a maximum 4 times every 18 months....  I spend my days on them.

My car is not a toy, its an essential tool for my job.

Precisely the circumstance I envisaged the ACC being useful for. My commute is only 5 miles so most drives for me are fun. Love it :smiley:
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: dubber36 on 21 October 2016, 17:13
LOL I love HBA too :)

I've got a 12 year old son that does that job for me, just like I did for my dad. Come to think of it, we could well have invented it in his Morris Marina.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: jv on 21 October 2016, 17:47
I glanced at the head unit manual and realised guess work is far more likely to result in success.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Bungleaio on 22 October 2016, 07:43
I'm proper sad I'd read the entire manual before I'd decided a golf was for me.

I do it for most major things I buy, I like to know what they do and what I'm getting for my money.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: dippy_x on 22 October 2016, 08:10
I just treat the manual as a reference guide rather than a novel.  I look it up if I need to know something specific i.e what does the big red flashing warning on the dash mean?
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: TwoSheds on 22 October 2016, 09:16
Sad I know but I had the handbooks a couple of weeks before picking up the car & took them to read on a boring long haul flight whilst my wife read her novels. 

Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: fredgroves on 22 October 2016, 11:28
LOL I love HBA too :)

I've got a 12 year old son that does that job for me, just like I did for my dad. Come to think of it, we could well have invented it in his Morris Marina.

I hope you read the manual for your 12 year old son cover to cover.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: dubber36 on 22 October 2016, 16:49
LOL I love HBA too :)

I've got a 12 year old son that does that job for me, just like I did for my dad. Come to think of it, we could well have invented it in his Morris Marina.

I hope you read the manual for your 12 year old son cover to cover.

I did, and I still don't understand how he works.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Booth11 on 22 October 2016, 17:54
Read it as and when required. 

Unfortunately my 10 year old daughter didn't come with a manual. :undecided:
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Gtiless on 22 October 2016, 21:13
Read it as and when required. 

Unfortunately my 10 year old daughter didn't come with a manual. :undecided:

You are still okish at the mo. Wait until she is 13/14/15.(and beyond for a few years!) :undecided: :cry:
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Raffe on 23 October 2016, 08:06
What handbook  :huh:
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Mike J on 27 October 2016, 07:06
Well Im happy to realise it just isnt me.

On my first decent trip yesterday I wanted to use the cruise control (to keep the beast within the speed limit) but couldn't find it anywhere, so thats something for Sunday morning.
After reading all the replies I now realise ACC is what I should have been looking for  :laugh:

My biggest moan so far is that there isn't anywhere to stow the black leatherette folder that holds the service book, handbook etc. eventually got the manual and roadside assist info into the underseat drawer on the passenger (Wife) side, but the folder will have to stay indoors.


Now trying to personalise the load area ie; obtaining a US made WeatherTec load liner without the need to import my own from the USA.

 :whistle:
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Watts on 27 October 2016, 11:32
Mike - my folder goes in the glovebox. Admittedly it doesn't leave a lot more room but then I don't carry much in the car.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Mike J on 05 November 2016, 08:32
Had a real moan to the dealer the other day and they admitted it the no:1 complant they have about the new models.

Im going to modify the underseat drawer on the passenger side to take it, at present it will only hold the handbook and breakdown assist books.


Also want to know where in the passenger footwell the fire extinguisher goes?
There IS a place according to some overseas references but I cannot find the exact position.
Help please.

Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: monkeyhanger on 05 November 2016, 10:02


Also want to know where in the passenger footwell the fire extinguisher goes?
There IS a place according to some overseas references but I cannot find the exact position.
Help please.

Overseas models might not have the underseat drawers, giving the room for the extinguisher. IMO, if you have a car fire, you get out, you get the other occupants out and retreat to a safe distance - let the fire brigade and insurance sort out the rest, rather than risking your life going back for a fire extinguisher.would only possibly extinguish a tiny fire.

Have you ever seen someone pop the bonnet to look at a fire in the engine compartment? Whoosh - a little fire is a huge one in seconds when a bit more air gets to it.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: iandjm on 05 November 2016, 10:34
I use it to find out what doesn't work as the manual says lol
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: monkeyhanger on 05 November 2016, 12:06
I use it to find out what doesn't work as the manual says lol

You'd be amazed what some markets do and don't get as standard and even what is configurable as options in other markets. Maybe a better place to look is VW's German website configurator via a Chrome browser translation.
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Mike J on 05 November 2016, 23:47
Some EU countries demand you carry a fire extinguisher, on my Mk5 I strapped it (well the holding frame) under the drivers seat.
The tip of checking VW Germany is the best idea.

Likewise I believe the warning triangle comes as standard in VWs in many EU countries.
Certainly its often obligatory to carry one, plus I have had cars rejected during the MOT tests on the continent because I wasnt carrying one, though I was given time to go to the garage next door and buy one so I could avoid the re-test fee.

Couldn't sort how the ACC worked from the handbook, so watched a Youtube video on it and got the gist immediately and used it for the first time today, brilliant technology and light years ahead of my old Golf.

Next query, as I turned into the drive I would swear the front lights turned in the direction of steer, now thats something else I have to look up.......sometime  :sad:

Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Booth11 on 06 November 2016, 00:04

Next query, as I turned into the drive I would swear the front lights turned in the direction of steer, now thats something else I have to look up.......sometime  :sad:



Cornering Lights. 

Your mk7 Golf has two kinds of cornering lights - Dynamic which are part of the main headlight, and Static which is a separate bulb (the middle one in your headlights). 

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/technology/glossary/cornering-light-dynamic

http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/technology/glossary/cornering-light-static

The static cornering lights bulb is a very yellow light and some like to upgrade this to a brighter bulb which gives much better light and is a better match for the xenon main lamp.  I updraged my static cornering light very recently.

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=275792.msg2550049#msg2550049
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Mike J on 06 November 2016, 08:30
Hey, thanks for that  :smiley:

From what Ive read these cornering lights can be re-adjusted for continental driving and as I intend to drive through Holland, France, Spain and Portugal next spring and these new lights will make things so much easier.

Im also planning to make a few more upgrades, LED boot and interior change, fit the extinguisher somewhere, find a place to store the spare bulb&fuse pack and first aid kit and source a suitable drivers seat cover to name but a few.

Ive also seen a type of warerproof sock that fits around the central load hatchway so skis can be carried without the wet stuff getting into the interior, not that Im a skier but it would certainly be useful for my fishing rods  :wink:

Promise I will post the results on the appropriate area when the time comes.

Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: fredgroves on 06 November 2016, 10:05
Yeah, you don't need to stick those beam deflector things on, just go into the car setup menus and tell it to swap to driving on the right. Lights (all of them, not just the cornering ones) adjust electronically. One click.

No bloody stickers that you try to apply in the dark in driving rain at the ferry port any more!
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Mike J on 07 November 2016, 07:32
Thanks for that Fred.
You have saved me all the time I would waste going thro all the warning pages before I unearthed and then deciphered the correct procedure.
Now I will just press the CAR button and go find it.


Amazing things these forum handbooks, someones always got the answer (where were they in the '60's  :sad:)
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: fredgroves on 07 November 2016, 08:24
Its under the lighting in the menu, but I am sure you can find it.

In the 60's I was playing with Corgi toy cars, so couldn't have helped you then :)
Title: Re: New car handbook - 230pages anyone read it?
Post by: Mike J on 07 November 2016, 09:38

In the 60's I was playing with Corgi toy cars, so couldn't have helped you then :)


You were probably one of the little bu##ers playing football in the road while I was blatting around trying to miss you  :embarrassed:
Problem was one of them was the son of the station sargent and he set up a sting and got me fair and square, my own stupid fault but it taught me a sound, if somewhat expensive lesson.

Quickly sold the car for one with a less conspicuous paint job, didnt work tho.