In response to all the RTMs and RTFMs we receive from our readers on a daily basis, we requested an owner's manual for our Mercedes R500.
One of the quirks of the R500 is that it's so gadgety you need a manual to do anything, including change the time on the analog clock.
Well, here it is in all its glory. Look how beautiful, all 80 pounds of it wrapped in sturdy leather...
I took it home last night and read all about how to change the time. But then saw the note about how these instructions don't apply if you have the nav system. So I read the navigation manual and followed the instructions on how to switch to Daylight Saving Time. I did everything it said but the time didn't change. I couldn't find anyway to just change the clock itself.
Alas, the analog clock on the dash and the digital clock in the nav are still an hour behind.
So I tossed the manual into the glove box but it wouldn't close. So I tried to put it in the center console but it was too large. So I put on the front passenger seat but it set off the seat belt alarm. So I left it on the floor.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 21,825 miles
duh_rel says:
11:06 AM, 03/16/07
I remember having to adjust the clock on my boss' S500. Took me forever to figure it out! And his manual was just as big as the picture posted. I'd try to help you, but I'm the kind of guy that needs to fiddle with those steering wheel buttons and in-dash knobs to figure it all out.
-Darrell
mikemir87 says:
11:30 AM, 03/16/07
I must say, that last paragraph had me laughing out loud. Thats quite a perdiciment i must say...Yet very halarious!
roar02ram says:
12:33 PM, 03/16/07
Sad.
genius163 says:
01:27 PM, 03/16/07
My husband's M-B has a net pocket on the left side of the passenger footwell that is designed to hold the giant manual.
desmolicious says:
01:50 PM, 03/16/07
In my 330 I have one of the manual books in the glove box, the rest is in the trunk it's so big. No, it will not fit in the glove box...
anoopk says:
04:10 PM, 03/16/07
unfortunately these things (the manuals) just keep getting bigger.
this is due to the cars getting more and more complex by the day.I wish the automakers did something about this?
They should initiate new ideas as in to how to make their manuals more user friendly without making them too big and complicated.A nice new thought for changing a simple old system into a NEW simpler system of READING!
mb_parts_blog says:
07:38 PM, 03/16/07
R500 has this new features using advance technology. Its understable that its owner needs to consult a manual to be familiar with the operation of its parts compared to the Mercedes ML320 parts-http://www.mbpartswarehouse.com/mercedes_ml320parts.html-
and others which has common ones.
crashtestdingo says:
08:26 AM, 03/17/07
I see the clock that stamps the time and date on our comments hasn't been moved forward, either. (It's now four hours behind the Eastern time zone.) :-)
mopar424 says:
09:14 AM, 03/17/07
There comes a point when there is too much stuff in cars. What ever happened to the main purpose of the car, DRIVING? We shouldnt have to spend all our time looking at complicated nav screens, we need to see the road sometimes too.
jerrywimer says:
04:38 AM, 03/19/07
The size of manuals isn't all due to the addition of stuff to cars. Some of it (easily 1/2) is due to our litiguous American society. There's not a whole lot more "use" information in the Owner's Manual for my 07 Avalanche than there was in the '97 Malibu (or for that matter, the '92 Corolla). But there seems to be a warning / caution / don't be stupid paragraph for every "here's how to do this" section now. So the Av's manual is easily the same size (at least it appears to be) as that pictured above (and won't fit in the main glove box either!), while the other two vehicles mentioned were relatively svelt.
banhugh says:
07:09 AM, 03/19/07
hahaha, you are absolutely right!!! Modern manuals try to cover any stupidity the driver might think so the company will not get sued!!!
ahightower says:
11:18 AM, 03/19/07
It's not the size of your manual that counts, it's how you use it...
bimmerjay says:
12:35 PM, 03/21/07
Just like a bimmer manual! Like desmolicious, mine has taken up residence in the trunk since it doesn't fit in the glove box. That is when I'm not reading it, of course.
minnie2 says:
07:23 PM, 05/14/07
Mercedes R500 or even a Mercedes Benz accessories, we can say that it has a strong capability when it comes to quality