Following on from the Targhetta Assistenza thread, my new order for a 1.2 Lounge includes the 6DD option "Dvd Replacing Lum". After contacting my dealer apparently this is to do with the hand book. Fiat have now replaced the old hand book with a new colour quick guide hand book and DVD. If I want the old style hand book then it's going to cost me another £17.07. According to my dealer Fiat do not give them the option to replace the DVD with the old style hand book.

I know FloJo who ordered at the same time as myself doesn't have this "option", or should I say down grade, which makes me wonder what's going on.

I would be interested to know if anyone else who has ordered, or received their car recently, are getting the DVD based hand book (option 6DD) or the old style hand book.

ffxmy said:

...Fiat have now replaced the old hand book with a new colour quick guide hand book and DVD. If I want the old style hand book then it's going to cost me another £17.07. According to my dealer Fiat do not give them the option to replace the DVD with the old style hand book.

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I've just unpacked a new (and expensive) smartphone & that doesn't even have a DVD - you just get a quickstart guide (B&W on poor quality paper) & a web address where a user manual can be downloaded.

I think we're going to see much more of this sort of thing in the future.

Just think of the trees it's saving and feel good you are doing your bit to save the planet.

nottsfiat07 said:

Just think of the trees it's saving ...

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...and it also saves you from having to join the 'where do you keep your handbook' thread.

How long before the motoring rescue organisations start getting calls from the roadside: "I've got this funny light on the dashboard & I don't know what to do 'cos I've left my portable DVD player at home".

Online documentation is IMO actually better than a DVD - these days, you'd have more chance of actually being able to read it when you need to.

Agreed about online being so much better than DVD. My latest computer doesn't even have a DVD/CD player. Everything I need is either online or on my hard disk. Having a DVD is just more clutter which I don't want or need.

There's always the ciao Fiat app for the iPhone

jrkitching said:

...and it also saves you from having to join the 'where do you keep your handbook' thread.

How long before the motoring rescue organisations start getting calls from the roadside: "I've got this funny light on the dashboard & I don't know what to do 'cos I've left my portable DVD player at home".

Online documentation is IMO actually better than a DVD - these days, you'd have more chance of actually being able to read it when you need to.

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Plus the error messages that you might get are more or less straight forward anyway.

From now on in Maxi you are going to have to say WTFM

RUI said:

From now on in Maxi you are going to have to say WTFM

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Noted

ffxmy said:

Agreed about online being so much better than DVD. My latest computer doesn't even have a DVD/CD player. Everything I need is either online or on my hard disk. Having a DVD is just more clutter which I don't want or need.

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The manual will most likely be a PDF file. I could be wrong, but I don't think it'll actually be a DVD video as such.

306maxi said:

Plus the error messages that you might get are more or less straight forward anyway.

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Really? What about the following taken from the online version of the manual:


So when the cryptic padlock light comes on does the car tell you what to do next? Would you know to try the other keys?

ffxmy said:

Really? What about the following taken from the online version of the manual:

Each time the car is started turning the ignition key to MAR, the Fiat CODE system control unit sends a recognition code to the engine control unit to deactivate the inhibitor.

If, during ignition, the code is not correctly recognized, the light (some cryptic padlock symbol) lights up on the instrument panel. In this case, turn the key to STOP and then back to MAR; try with the other keys provided if the problem persists. If you still cannot start the engine contact the Fiat Dealership.
​

So when the cryptic padlock light comes on does the car tell you what to do next? Would you know to try the other keys?

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No, but how many people have had this problem? I can only remember a couple of people across the 500/Panda forum.

Sods law says I will get it at some point! Besides, aren't there other warnings lights that need some explanation when they come on? The check engine warning light is one that springs to mind. That's come on when I've been driving although admittedly it wasn't a Fiat. On that occasion I stopped in a nearby supermarket car park, consulted the manual to work out what to do next and made a cautious retreat back home.

ffxmy said:

Sods law says I will get it at some point! Besides, aren't there other warnings lights that need some explanation when they come on? The check engine warning light is one that springs to mind. That's come on when I've been driving although admittedly it wasn't a Fiat. On that occasion I stopped in a nearby supermarket car park, consulted the manual to work out what to do next and made a cautious retreat back home.

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Check engine light means the same across all ranges of car. Something's wrong, don't go driving thousands of miles.....

Agreed. It's not that difficult to remember what these lights mean - there's not THAT many of them.

306maxi said:

Check engine light means the same across all ranges of car. Something's wrong, don't go driving thousands of miles.....

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I didn't know that and I suspect a significant proportion of other drivers wouldn't either. As it turned out, I tried my car a few hours later and the check engine warning had mysteriously gone away. I took it in to the dealers and they couldn't find anything wrong. The car has since done ~10k miles and not had any further problems.

Thinking about the quick guide that should come with the DVD, it's possible all diagnostic type warnings are covered in there. They certainly should be. If that's the case then I would be happy to file the DVD in the bin and keep the quick guide in the car.

ffxmy said:

I didn't know that and I suspect a significant proportion of other drivers wouldn't either. As it turned out, I tried my car a few hours later and the check engine warning had mysteriously gone away. I took it in to the dealers and they couldn't find anything wrong. The car has since done ~10k miles and not had any further problems.

Thinking about the quick guide that should come with the DVD, it's possible all diagnostic type warnings are covered in there. They certainly should be. If that's the case then I would be happy to file the DVD in the bin and keep the quick guide in the car.

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Then a significant proportion of people simply shouldn't be on the road then IMHO.

306maxi said:

No, but how many people have had this problem? I can only remember a couple of people across the 500/Panda forum.

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Well, me for one - though it's the only problem I've had with either car so far that I couldn't easily fix myself.

I do remember, but you have to admit it's a rare problem.

306maxi said:

...but you have to admit it's a rare problem.

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Admitted and well done for remembering .

What would really impress me is if FIAT would offer a option to swap having a handbook for a data cable & an online link to the latest versions of Examiner & Elearn, but that ain't gonna happen .