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Helpful Guidance Using the Forum

19K views 0 replies 1 participant last post by  Aussie Ed 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi Forum Member,

It is possible that you are new to the Chevrolet Forum and ended up here either by chance or a post has referred you here. Either way you are Welcome. As a new member (or even an older member) who is unfamiliar with the layout I've compiled some helpful tips below.

Explore First
Number one tip is to spend a little time exploring the Header tabs and the drop down lists that may appear. This will give you an overview of what is available within the use and layout of the Forum.
With the increasing difficulty of obtaining Chevrolet parts in certain parts of the world (particularly UK & Europe) do remember that this Forum is not a parts sourcing facility. Please dont expect or demand that other people do your shopping for you. The Internet can and often is a wonderful resource. You just need to be patient in your search.

Sign-Up
Firstly, if you havent already done so please complete your Sign-Up with as much information as possible especially your 'Location'.
This is a World Wide Forum (excluding the USA who have their own GM Built range of models and dedicated USA Chevy Forums). There can be different vehicle ‘build specifications'. Knowing where you are also assists Forum Members to direct you to the expertise you are seeking. If you didnt complete your Location you should do so by going to Your Avatar (located in a coloured box top right side of Header bar) click to open drop down list and select the cog shaped icon ‘Account Settings’ > scroll to ‘Location’ and add Your Town/City & Country.

Vehicle Model
The other vital piece of information is to tell us which vehicle you have and its variant. Over the life cycle of some models they 'morph' through several re-incarnations and the model made 10 years ago may have the same name but be totally different mechanically now.
The Forum Sign-Up has limited space for vehicle details which appear in the far left data pane. The best place to put your vehicle details is in your 'Footer' (Signature in sign-up) because there is much more space for full vehicle information. This will then automatically appear under all your future posts without you having to repeat it over and over every time you Post. This is courtesy to Forum readers.
Do note that Including your vehicle information in the content of a single post does not get 'carried over' next time, where as in the 'Footer/Signature' it will. Include model name, variant, year of build, engine type, gear box type, mileage. Things like Service history and how long you've owned the vehicle can also help.
If you havent included vehicle info on original Sign-Up you can do so by going to Your Avatar (located in a coloured box top right side of Header bar) click to open drop down list and select the cog shaped icon ‘Account Settings’ scroll to Edit Signature in the left hand drop down and add ‘Vehicle Details’.

Right of Privacy: You have the right to control who sees your Location and Vehicle details but if you block this from Members it can make meaningful replies to your posts much more difficult.

Where to Post
This should be reasonably straight forward and self explanatory ..... but you'd be surprised how many technical questions end up in the Picture Gallery which is - yes you've guessed it - for Pictures/photos !
If you own or are posting about a Captiva you post in the Captiva Forum; if you post about a Cruze you post in the Cruze Forum and so on. There can be the odd anomaly that some old Daewoo Models were absorbed into the forum and may appear under the Chevrolet name or possibly not at all ! Dont blame me I didnt design the Forum! Please note that this Forum does not cater for American Classic models. There are separate UK Owners Clubs for classics which can be found via the internet.

How to Post
Give your question/Topic a caption. As concise as possible but informative. The heading 'Help' tells us nothing whereas 'Gearbox Help' tells us more. Avoid long complicated Topic titles. Giving your post a Short concise Topic description helps the Forum Index function locate the discussion later. (I'll explain this a bit more further on below). Include description of the problem as accurately and concisely as possible. Diagnostic Trouble Codes are invaluable.

Before Posting your problem
Have you checked the Owner responsible basics such as has the battery 'died' in your key fob; have you checked the fuses under the dash and in the engine bay, and of course the number one failure to do; Have you referred to Your Owners Handbook? The number of posts on this Forum that can be answered by reading the Owners Handbook which is left sitting in the glove box is mind boggling!

Forum Index Function.
What is its function and how do you use it?
There is a good possibility that your question may have been asked before and may already have an answer on file. The Indexing goes back about 10 Years. To use it you can go to the black coloured Header Bar and use the Search Community box with the internationally used magnifying glass icon, or click on the three white dots top right hand side of the black header bar. This opens the drop down list, select >Advanced Search>enter your Topic/Question>enter vehicle Model. (You can leave the member name blank if unknown). Tip: dont overload the question box. The more words the harder it is to sort and may 'over sort' to irrelevant items. So a question like ‘I'm really worried about my gearbox’ is better shortened to 'Gearbox automatic'. Changing the wording only slightly will bring up other similar posts.

On the subject of Posts please try and build/add to an existing topic. A new Titled post may simply create yet another variation of something that may already exist and we end up with a plethora of Topic Titles all about the same thing and total fragmentation. If you have more than one Question please try to open (or add to) an existing Topic for each question.

Importantly keep discussion relevant to the Topic under the caption title.

Closing off a Post (solution)
Please remember that the success of this Forum is a two way flow. Once you have a solution that solved your problem tell us what the cause and solution was so that others can learn too.

Other things such as how to attach photos, documents, links etc you will have to learn by experimentation other wise this post will be so long it will bore you to tears.

Safe and Happy Motoring.

Aussie Ed.
 
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