It really is a shame that that automotive manuals have become so lame (my mini's explanation of the "sport" button: "makes the car more sporty") but cars are so reliable that many things you needed to know you simply don't need any more. I doubt many HN readers under 45 have seen a dwell tach, and I consider that a good thing.

I was also encouraged that 40% of my car's manual was on the audio system. The next step, not quite here, is to eliminate that because the audio system is the phone.

There's a huge difference between the owner's manual and the factory service manual. The owner's manual is mostly useless (this is how you turn on the headlights). The factory service manual can be excellent, but extremely dense (this is how you replace the bearing for counter fifth gear).

Yeah, but that difference has become much wider over time. User manuals used to include a lot of maintenance andsmall repair procedures.

As much as I hate "no user serviceable parts inside" I have to feel like these crappy manuals are a symptom of something good.