Rant about owners manuals

"STREPITUS" (strepitus)
03/11/2014 at 16:51 • Filed to: None

So I had to drive a 2014 Jeep Cherokee today for work. Before starting I stopped by the gas pump to fill up. First glance around the cabin I didn't see a button for the filler cap release so I figured its one of those that you press and it pops open. Tried that, and nope. Walked back around to the cabin, looked around some more, and found the button. Pressed it, went back to the filler (passenger side of the car), and its still closed and locked. Walked back and pressed the button again. Still nothing. Pressed it 10 more times, tried holding it, cycled the door locks, cycled the ignition, tried everything I could think of and still nothing. So now I'm feeling like an idiot because I need to consult the owner's manual to see how to fill up the car. I open the glove box, pull out the big fancy case filled with all the warranty books, and manuals and guides and other crap. But guess what! The owner's manual is a CD! Good! Because I have a way to read a CD out at a gas station. The car doesn't even have a CD player I could try jamming it in to. The 'Quick Start' guide was a book though, however, Chrysler must have thought that filling a car with fuel is so basic that it isn't listed anywhere in the guide. Wonderful. After about 10 more minutes of trying the button and trying to pry back the fuel door, I found a little plastic trim piece in the luggage area that had a hard to see fuel jerry can icon on it. Peeling that off revealed a little emergency release pull cord to open the fuel door. Huzzah! Only 15 minutes later and I can finally fuel the damn car! After filling up, I went back to the Quick Start guide's troubleshooting/emergency section, and that still didn't have anything about the fuel door release.

Now dear automakers, I'm sure you include these wonderful bits of information in your owner's manuals, but it would be kinda nice if said owner's manuals were readable in all situations. I probably would have been ok with the CD had I been able to play it on the car's infotainment screen. Or maybe, instead of a CD, provide a USB stick seeing as how the car has a USB port. Or you know... a paper printed book.

Also, that whole time I couldn't help but think of the time Jeremy Clarkson couldn't open the fuel filler door on his Gallardo during the lightweight supercar roadtrip in Series 10. I guess Chrysler must really be embracing their new Italian side.

Thanks for reading. Have a D-Type

DISCUSSION (17)

Where have all the lightweights gone? > STREPITUS
03/11/2014 at 16:53

Chrysler must have given the Italians one job on the Cherokee. It sounds like they failed miserably.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > STREPITUS
03/11/2014 at 16:54

OK now I gota know...

How does the gas door open?!

STREPITUS > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/11/2014 at 16:56

In the luggage area... directly inside from the fuel filler door... theres a little black plastic trim piece that when peeled off reveals a pull cord to manually release the fuel door. I'm guessing the fuel door button on the drivers door was just broken on this particular Jeep.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > STREPITUS
03/11/2014 at 16:56

No, I mean, there has to be another way.

Like...the REAL way!

STREPITUS > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/11/2014 at 16:58

Refresh. I figured thats what you means and edited my post.

But yeah... theres a little button in the map pocket of the drivers door that I guess was broken.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > STREPITUS
03/11/2014 at 17:00

Ah, HA.

I just searched and found this on a jeep forum:

It's electrically operated. Button on driver door; under power window buttons. (You cannot see the button while seated with the door closed)

STREPITUS > Where have all the lightweights gone?
03/11/2014 at 17:02

"Make the fuel door release, and don't forget to write about it in the manual"

"Sì sì benzina. Dopo il pranzo e vino."

HammerheadFistpunch > STREPITUS
03/11/2014 at 17:03

Digital owners manuals are as useful as plug in sex toys at a Tibetan monastery. C'mon Jeep, how tough is it to print a damn book!

Takuro Spirit > STREPITUS
03/11/2014 at 17:03

I had a 1998 and a 2001 Crown Vic.

Basically the same car.

Fuel door was electric on the '98, and manual on the '01.

Every time I drove the '01 for about a month I would reach down to the driver's door to find only a BLANK where the switch was on the '98.

Textured Soy Protein > STREPITUS
03/11/2014 at 17:27

I wonder what idiot decided to spec an unreliable electric release for the fuel door that needs a backup cable actuated release, when if they're making a cable actuated release anyway why not just run it up to a lever mounted near the driver's seat? Argh. So dumb.

Ze Germans have a decent solution for this as well—the locking fuel door on my 135is syncs up with the door locks. With the doors unlocked, you can push on the fuel door to open it. Lock the doors and the fuel door locks too.

The Compromiser > HammerheadFistpunch
03/11/2014 at 17:27

My Doge has it too. Not a new problem. Yes you should always carry a laptop when you drive. Just in case you need to look something up as you haven't memorized....

I gave up and use the internetz now...

jariten1781 > STREPITUS
03/11/2014 at 17:35

I've had inscrutable fuel doors in rentals before...you don't even get an owners manual with them.

pdx107 > The Compromiser
03/11/2014 at 18:12

the glovebox on my Dart is big enough to hold a laptop, possibly two

The Compromiser > pdx107
03/12/2014 at 00:06

I can barely fit the manual package in my charger...

Hows that for messed up? I drive a full sized tank and have no glove box, you have a compact and a gigantic glove box. I think the italians are doing it better than the Germans did...

pdx107 > The Compromiser
03/12/2014 at 11:59

Haha, that doesn't make any sense at all, I can fit my arm past my elbow into my glove box

The Compromiser > pdx107
03/12/2014 at 12:51

So You could Mount a set of gloves in a holder in there and in case of emergency just shove both hands in? You would come out gloved. Exactly what the space is called too...

pdx107 > The Compromiser
03/12/2014 at 13:00

Yup pretty much, mount some gloves, and an ice scraper and lord knows what else.

The actual manual slides into a bit on the door of the box