The on-board documentation (use and maintenance booklet, service booklet and additional services booklet) are not among the mandatory documents to keep on board the car, but among those to be kept with care. Here because.
What is the on-board documentation of cars
Driving license, vehicle registration certificate, inspection certificate and RCA contract, are among the mandatory car documents to be kept on board on any trip, to be shown in case of need.
However, there are other booklets, which even if they do not necessarily have to be kept in the car, it is advisable to have (and keep with care).
Among the on-board documents whose importance is often underestimated are:
- Use and maintenance booklet
- Service booklet
- Additional services booklet
Now let’s find out together what they are and why they are still important documents.
Use and maintenance booklet
Let’s start with the use and maintenance manual, that is the actual instruction manual of your car: it is a fundamental document, too often overlooked, of the car.
In fact, it contains the detailed explanations of each device, all the specific indications on minor maintenance and on the use of any optional; if it is true that once it was little used, on modern and highly technological cars, a reading of the use and maintenance manual is necessary.
Because? Because, for example, even the correct functioning of modern driving assistance devices (lane assistant, automatic braking, etc.) is explained only in the car’s user manual, and reading it helps you to know every possible reaction of the vehicle.
Even certain anomalies, in addition to the meaning of the car warning lights, are clarified by a simple examination of this important document, capable of reassuring also on many aspects concerning safety, such as the rules for installing child seats in the presence of airbags, etc.
A note: on some cars the user manuals can also be consulted through the on-board monitor.
Service booklet
The same goes for the service booklet, which contains the warranty rules, those on the frequency of servicing and the list of planned operations.
This is a leaner booklet, but it must still be read well to evaluate any exclusions and limitations of the car warranty: moreover, this document must be kept up to date with the scheduled maintenance interventions, both carried out at the official assistance network and in independent workshops.
It is a tool that is also very useful when you sell the car, because it documents its regular maintenance to potential buyers.
A note: for some manufacturers, the registration in the paper booklet is accompanied (or replaced) by that in the central database, which can be interrogated by any authorized workshop.
Booklet of additional services
In addition to the use and maintenance booklet and the service booklet, there is a third manual: it is the booklet of additional services. This document groups the conditions and indications on the use of additional services to the normal warranty.
An example? The list of devices covered by the Book of additional services includes the possibility of towing in the event of a breakdown, return to destination, etc.
In the event that a breakdown or an accident stops your car, this document will allow you to find all the information to contact the service center, thus obtaining the expected help.
Last note: remember that often these are services with a limited time validity , usually the same as that of the contractual guarantee, so it is a document that at a certain point ceases its function and becomes “collector’s”, or can be eliminated.
