The owner’s manual

H. Kishie Singh

There is nothing as entertaining, informative and educating as reading. Reading anything! A book, a newspaper, a car owner’s manual. At the moment, I have a Triumph Owner’s Handbook and Toyota Fortuner Owner’s Manual to read. 

The Triumph handbook, all 108 pages, is precise, box items with a caution or warning note. Every point mentioned is important for the rider or the functioning of the bike. In short, a must read. The Toyota manual is as different as chalk is from cheese!

I have read dozens of manuals of cars and bikes, but never have I read anything like the Toyota Fortuner manual. Not a word about the technical aspect of the vehicle. No mention of the engine cubic capacity or the number of cylinders. It is all-wheel drive with an auto gear box with paddle shifts. Not a word about this first-time owner, nothing about the tyres, oils or service periods. All this should have been mentioned.

Of the 234 pages of the Fortuner manual, 168 are devoted to Infotainment. It starts with setting up the touch screen. Bluetooth explanations take up 10 pages. The AV systems, like how to play a CD, 12 pages. Instructions on using the phone, 10 pages! Dos and Dont’s of using the GPS and Bluetooth, 10 pages!

This does have very important information. People with pacemakers and other such electronic devices should maintain a safe distance from the Bluetooth antennae. The Bluetooth radio waves may affect the operation of such devices. But where is the antennae and what is the safe distance? No mention. And yes! You can talk to the system in 123 languages!

Information on the Navigation System starts on page 169. So far it was all fun and games and nothing to do with motoring. What you should know about the GPS? It is unreliable! The GPS works using three or four satellites. The signal must come directly from the satellite to the GPS receiver in the dashboard. A heavy cloud cover may affect its functioning. Even on a clear day, there are some reasons for it to malfunction. A steel roof rack will interfere with the signal. Tinted window film contains some metallic content. This will lead to malfunctions. Tunnels, high-rise buildings or even objects placed on the dashboard, like cell phones, files with staples or paper clips, will get in the way.

Other reasons for malfunctioning?

One could be driving on a winding road or even on a long straight road! From Shimla to Delhi, it may not work at all! From Shimla to Kalka is a winding road; further on to Delhi, are long straight stretches.

Another could be driving with tyre chains or worn out tyres. This will also affect the ABS or anti-lock braking system. This navigation system uses tyre turning data and is designed to work with factory specified tyres. Installing tyres of a size other than OE-specified may cause inaccurate display of your current location. During high-speed driving, it may take time for the auto-route to operate. If the route to your destination has kutcha (gravel, unpaved, off-roading) roads, the routes may not be shown. Your destination point may be shown on the opposite side of the road. The road and map data stored in the navigation system may not be up to date. As such no information will be available. 

Happy Motoring!