A better instruction manual!

[ccintrigue]

Don't get me wrong ... we love our CC Intrigue. Floor plan is perfect for us. But the manual is so frustrating. It's full of generalities. If you buy a hundreds of thousands $ rig, is it too much to expect a manual that tells you how everything works in detail? We have about 12" of manuals but with most of our questions we have to call the dealer or CC directly. :mad:

[newswriter]

I had to laugh when I read your post. I agree! And the manuals need to be written so anyone can understand them. When we purchased our used 98 Patriot it came with a briefcase and a 6" thick notebook of manuals - most of which told us nothing! It took a year of frustration and hair pulling before we finally made an appointment and took it to Bend to have a technician go thru it with us. It was well worth the expense.

[ccintrigue]

Finally someone agrees with me! Thanks so much for letting me know!

[stacyb]

to make it easier put pictures in it for us so we can see what we need to do.. lol I agree with you.. too much information we dont need and not enough of what we do need to know

[summerof]

Oh my gosh I totally agree!!! The owners manual that came with our trailer was generic and most of the instructions said "refer to the owners manual of that product". We had to rely on all these different manuals and some were helpful, some were not.

It's really bad when you are new to RVing too. At least if you've been there, done that, you can take a good guess at where something might be or how something might work but if you've never owned one before it's like being on another planet.

Our Dealership was good and they did go through everything with us but there was no way we were going to retain it all. I actually ended up getting most of my questions answered by people on forums and reading threads on forums. Fortunately there are forums out there for most brands of RV's and I found the one for mine and it was helpful.

[stampgirl]

"Instruction Manuals"...they should be called "Confusion Manuals"! First these so called manuals are for 20 diffrent models...you have to know which RV model you have (not too hard to figure out) and then which "options" you have along with the model number for each item in the rig. Then you get to read stuff which almost any normal thinking person would already know (they think you're an idiot and don't know everyday basics). Then when you get to a subject that you really want to know and understand more about, they don't explain a thing or tell you to read a manual which came w/that particular item...which in turn tells you basic things your 3rd grader could have figured out or they tell you something that you need to be a rocket scientist to understand. Come on RV manufacturers...Easy to read and step by step insturctions with illustrations is what we need!!! We bought our unit used, off a private owner, so we didn't get a dealer "walk-thru" class. We have a switch in our TT that we still don't know how to use as it is not covered in ANY of the books or manuals which came with the unit. Anyhow...just wanted you to know ccintrigue, that I too do agree!!!!

[whodo]

If you think it is bad trying to figure any thing out from the owners manuals as a USER, try to fix things as a REPAIR PERSON. You basically have to make your own manuals as you work on the different RV's, that way you have some thing to refer back to. After a while you get pretty good at guessing where this wire goes or that line.
It would be wonderful if just the component manufactures would give complete details for their respective items, ie; tolerances, limits, adjustments. OH WELL, we don't live in a perfect world. OH Yeah, did I mention THANK GOD I was smart enough to sell out and RETIRE!

[kd8wdave]

The manuals I have for the most part come in separate manuals for each major component and are mostly 'operator' manuals. They simply say 'contact your dealer or component manufacturer', which is pretty much useless. I have began to 'redo' all the manuals on my coach using microsoft word and a digital camera and recreate a operator/maintenance manual for each major component. It won't ever be done, but as I go along, it will slowly become much more complete.

[ccintrigue]

Good idea!

[travlnjo]

Working on the theory the perhaps manufacturers are reading some of this, I would like to make a few suggestions.
First, the manuals really should be written in American, English just isn't good enough, especially if the English is coming from China or Pakistan or some such.
Next, would a large 3 ring binder be a bad idea? With tabs and a table of contents on the the outside. Then if the instructions point to mfgs. manual, it could be added after that area.
Also, if there is any place where wood is cut to corners, couldn't those be rounded off?
I need to add a spring to my screen door-cause there isn't a kid in the world that ever knew how to close a door.
Why are the microwaves 6 ft off the floor? Bringing a hot cup of cocoa or soup out of them is very dangerous.
What's with carpeting in the RV? Does vacuuming sound like a vacationers dream come true?
Brighter lights-or at least the option-would be nice, as would higher toilets.
So, that's my wish list, to start with. I've only had my camper for a few months now and I'm still getting used to all the differences.
The bedroom window under the awning arm isn't very bright either. But once it's broken, you remember to check before putting up the awning!

[atrium1]

I didn't think it possible that the dealer could get mixed up with the manuals but this one did. My friend bought a new 38ft gasser and after all the walk-thru's and hand shaking took his new escape vehicle home to study up on its abilitys. Guess what...ALL THE MANUALS WERE FOR A DIESEL PUSHER! Not even the same manufacturer. When he took the manuals back to get the correct ones they could not be found. I guess someone is driving around in a diesel pusher with a front end gas manuals.

I think the manuals are designed by lawyers. They are confusing and lack the simple information we look for.

[dreid999]

Just purchased a new 5th wheel from Forest River. I love the layout but i have an addendum for the 3-Ring Notebook Idea. A page listing all the Model and Serial Numbers of all the appliances. I needed the Model and Serial Number of my furnace for a propane tank hookup. Guess what? ID plate was mounted against the bulkhead. Called Forest River and they had the info readily available.
I suggested to them that a template be affixed near the appliance. I also agree
on the manuals but I have found out that the web sites are a good place to go for a particular model. Hope this helps.

[lensmanicu]

Not only should the manuals be so you can read them but the preventive maintance section if it even has one should include a wiring diagram for the camper.

[mtgranny]

Took me weeks to get through all the manuals for my camper. After a few days it dawned on me that each item that was installed in the pop-up came with its own manual. Then I had to go back through our camper and figure out what each manual "connected with" what and then which model in that manual was ours. Some items had 2 or 3 manuals plus a write up in the camper manual, mostly generic. Some manuals assumed we could find the gizmo (water heater vs heat pump unit behind a panel) and identify lines (which ones went into or out of the water heater) using only words although some had a blurred image to guess at. I even had manuals for some items that I still do not understand what they do or why I should be concerned about them. It might help if the manuals included what the item is for (its purpose), not just what it is called.
And dealers should at least explain to first timers why we have so many manuals, in fact during the walk through they might actually show us the manual of the item they are telling us about so we can write in it which model we have and highlight how to use/maintain it. I am quite certain that we have manuals for things that we don't have or were not addressed upon our walk though. We were first time RV buyers and it was all so overwhelming. Even after studying the water heater manual, I had no idea how to find it (or the drain plug). I called the dealer and the service dept (neither were sure but gave me general information). I finally got the right information from a forum member, he sent marked up photos of the access panel and the unit and drain plug and water connections (hot vs cold and in vs out) along with explicit, yet down-to-earth, words to explain how to drain and winterize the hot water heater system. Thank goodness for forums!!!

[gbmpursuit]

If you have a camcorder it's a good idea to videotape the walkthrough. That way you can always review it later when you have some questions.:)

[donnie]

When we bought our Monaco, we discovered a small file box in one of the storage cabinets.
Inside this file box was all the "owners manuals" for our MH.
We have discovered that not all the componets have info on them.
Went online to get all I needed.

[stevesandidge]

as a service tech i have 2 milk crates full of manuels, and have to carry a laptop because some manuels are online or on cd's. dometic hasn't printed new manuels in quite awhile, since the man who made the manuels retired...3 yrs ago!
steve

[shdigu01]

I had to laugh when I read your post. I agree! And the manuals need to be written so anyone can understand them. When we purchased our used 98 Patriot it came with a briefcase and a 6" thick notebook of manuals - most of which told us nothing! It took a year of frustration and hair pulling before we finally made an appointment and took it to Bend to have a technician go thru it with us. It was well worth the expense.
When you bought your 98 they did not do a walk through with you?

[mikeandjanet]

Forget the dealer. Ask you neighbor in the next campsite.

[riggsrepair]

It's a matter of liability. Thats it, plain and simple. If the manufacture says "refer to the owners manual" of the manufacture of the appliance or part there off the hook.