Chrysler owners' manuals go digital for 2010, saves 20,000 trees
2010 Jeep Liberty Owners' Manual - Click above to enlarge
It was bound to happen sooner or later. For the 2010 model year, Chrysler will no longer be providing traditional owners' manuals on any of its vehicles. Instead, all Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep cars and trucks will come with "a consolidated, customer-friendly user guide and DVD." That consumer guide will be comprised of 60-80 pages in full color and will cover the most commonly-needed information.
While some will surely miss their thick paperback owners' manuals, Chrysler cites a number of benefits to the switch. For instance, dropping the four-pound books will save 930 tons of paper annually, which equates to about 20,000 trees. We'd also bet it's more informative to watch a video on DVD giving the proper procedure to fold down a Jeep Wrangler's notoriously stubborn soft top than reading about it in print.
Oh, and we'd also guess the Pentastar is saving a good bit of cash by making this switch. Full press release after the break if you're interested in all the sordid details.
[Source: Chrysler]
PRESS RELEASE:
Chrysler Group LLC is First Automaker to Provide Digital Owners' Manuals
- For all 2010 model-year Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles, automaker will provide a consolidated, customer-friendly user guide and DVD
- Digital move to save 930 tons of paper, the equivalent of 20,000 trees annually
Chrysler Group LLC is the first automaker to provide digital owners' manuals for its complete lineup of 2010 model-year vehicles. The switch will save 930 tons of paper, or the equivalent of 20,000 trees on an annual basis.
Traditional owners' manuals may be longer than 500 pages and weigh nearly 4 pounds. Beginning next month, each new 2010 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicle will come with a comprehensive DVD and a full-color printed user guide - most between 60-80 pages - that highlights commonly needed information.
"As vehicles have increased in complexity, so has the size of traditional owners' manuals," said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO – Mopar® Service, Parts and Customer Care, Chrysler Group LLC. "With this new approach, we are making it much more convenient for customers to find the information they seek."
The DVD includes the owners' manual, vehicle and tire warranty information, navigation and entertainment system guides, as well as information on 24-hour towing assistance. Video tutorials also are available for commonly used features, such as folding down a Jeep Wrangler soft-top, operating the video entertainment system and setting electronic speed control. In addition, owners may search by topic rather than sifting through a 500-page book.
The printed user guide includes photos and diagrams allowing customers to quickly find assistance for emergency situations, such as changing tires, jump-starting a battery or assessing warning lights. The printed guide also covers basic operating procedures for temperature control, windshield wipers, seat adjustment and navigation systems.
Customers requiring a traditional printed manual may obtain one by contacting their dealer or calling customer service.
About Chrysler Group LLC
Chrysler Group LLC, formed in 2009 from a global strategic alliance with Fiat Group, produces Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Mopar brand vehicles and products. With the resources, technology and worldwide distribution network required to compete effectively on a global scale, the alliance builds on Chrysler's culture of innovation – first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925 – and Fiat's complementary technology. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich., Chrysler Group LLC's product lineup features some of the world's most recognizable vehicles, including the Chrysler Town & Country, Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Ram. Fiat will contribute world-class technology, platforms and powertrains for small- and medium-sized cars, allowing Chrysler Group LLC to offer an expanded product line including environmentally friendly vehicles.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
wincros 1:18PM (9/21/2009)
Kind of hard, sitting beside the road, to check your DVD manual unless you opted for the $2000 GPS/video screen option and it is not an electrical problem.
Think I would rather have a paper manual, even the cheap, poorly bound paperback, that mostly tells you contact your dealer, included with most cars. How expensive can it be? Produced on a computer. No author's cut. No pricey cover art. Cheap paper. It should be cheaper than the cheapest paper back book to produce.
And there really are people who do not have computers. Disks make sense for computer or software manuals. They are in a format familiar to the user. Not for an automobile.
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Throwback 1:35PM (9/21/2009)
I agree. Just helped my brother change a flat on his minivan. If not for the manual we would not have found the spare. It is under the floor between the front seats. You have to insert a long rod with a crank, and wind the wheel down to the ground. Since the flat was on the front, we had to jack the van up before we could slide the tire and it's carrier out to get the spare. Good luck figuring that out with a DVD in the dark.
Nozferat 2:42PM (9/21/2009)
You need an entire manual to have emergency contact information of dealers?
You can download the manual to your computer, print it as a PDF and put it on your I-Phone or other device.
As for paper being a renewable resource...yeah sure it is...so long as you use renewable resourced paper. Most companies don't use that...they use clear-cut forest paper where the biodiversity in those forests is not renewable.
We're in an age where there are little to no excuses anymore for not using the technology we have to reduce waste and consumption.
smartacus 1:20PM (9/21/2009)
Paper is from renewable resource while plastic is from non-renewable resource.
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swimtedswim 1:25PM (9/21/2009)
Oh snap i see what you did there!!!
inteller 1:28PM (9/21/2009)
"And we would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for smartacus and that pesky Internet thing"
-Chrysler.
Nick From Montreal 1:33PM (9/21/2009)
You know what else could help save the environment, Jeep/Chrysler? Finally coming out with that family of EVs you promised over two years ago. Then, the cars would have less moving parts, which would make the manual a lot thinner.
Problem solved.
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PabloKoh 2:54PM (9/21/2009)
I have to argue with the author, the Jeep Soft top is easy to put up and take down if you have read the manual. I always laugh when I see a rental jeep with the top flapping in the wind. But I do prefer a hard copy manual. Sometimes friends and relatives drive my car. I would like them to have the information at hand in case of emergency.
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Doug 3:01PM (9/21/2009)
Don't be fooled into thinking this is about saving the environment. It's all about saving money. A DVD is a lot cheaper than a manual.
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Epyx 4:57PM (9/21/2009)
So what if it is? 90+% of green initiatives are marketing or cost cutting related - so what? Do you like the outcome? Should we now police the motives?
Conservation saves money but marketing it as a green initiative rather than cost cutting is better PR.
Doug 5:59PM (9/21/2009)
I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. Just that the unmentioned (in the press release) cost savings are the primary motivation.
Bill Siuru 3:36PM (9/21/2009)
Years ago, an automaker, I think Chrysler, tried to replace the owner manual with a video - didn't go anywheres. Then you had to use a TV and video player. Not much good when your are disabled at the side of the road. Not everyone is computer literate, but virtually every driver can read a hardcopy. Bad idea.
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Epyx 5:00PM (9/21/2009)
The article mentions a 60 page supplement to the DVD. All the vital stuff is in the supplement (emergency info etc).
This is not a very big deal. I use the manual maybe once. I am sure they will sell you a hard copy if you really want one.
Doug 5:59PM (9/21/2009)
The press release very clearly says customers may request a manual.
Luke 7:35PM (9/21/2009)
""You can download the manual to your computer, print it as a PDF and put it on your I-Phone or other device.""
Not only that, but if you have a really strong projector, you could have someone at home project the instructions onto the clouds in the sky so that you could read them.
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smartacus 8:53PM (9/21/2009)
-The farmers stopped reseeding the petroleum orchards when California shut off the water to save the endangered bait fish. Paper makes more sense as the price of the commodity it originates from, does not fluctuate as rapidly. 9 months ago, the petroleum based owners manual would've been $20 while 19 moths ago it would've been $62.83?
-Kidding aside: Owners manual on DVD? say no more. talk about stuck in the mud old fashioned fuddy duddy.
- I sold my Fujitsu lifebook and I don't have a DVD player in either of my netbooks. (I'm even tired of those and am ready to cut the umbillical chord to go PDA only). Now owners manuals on SD card makes a lot more sense.
agree? disagree?
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Chris 8:23AM (9/22/2009)
So basically Chrysler is saving thousands, if not millions by not including a proper manual and not passing along any savings. So they are basically screwing everyone over in the name of "green."
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Kabayo 9:09AM (9/22/2009)
Trees are a crop. Worrying about 'saving' them is just environmentalist nonsense.
Now, if Chrysler is saving MONEY, and their customers don't mind this new format, fine.
Personally, I would prefer a real manual.
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