How many people actually read their owners manuals?

Often people do not have the owner's manual handy. Either they remove it from the car when they buy it, or they are not at the car when they ask the question.

I would say that 50% of the used cars sold today do not have the manuals in them. If you take the late model cars (2010 and newer) out of the mix, it is more like 75%. People who are trading in cars usually take everything out of the car, including the manuals. Some do so because the dealer has actually put their personal information on the manual package when they originally bought the car, some keep the manual as a souvenir, and some think the dealer is not giving them enough for the car so they are not going to give the dealer anything extra.

Some owners manuals are available on line for download, some must be ordered and purchased. It is easier for some to ask a question

I typically use the manual as a reference for questions. I haven't read it cover to cover, but I'm also used to technical reading. Not everyone has the latent intelligence to solve their own problems, and manuals can be worded in a confusing way or lack comprehensive covering of the material. This being said, the internet is replacing hard copies, and if you've never looked at the manual, you probably don't know what kind of information it contains.

People who post that kind of question here are basically lazy and would prefer to have someone hand them the answers instead of actually having to READ a book to find out what they need to know.

I do when I wonder about certain things. It's a question forum on cars so there will be questions on here on it. It's a free world, so one can ask anything about it. Just don't answer it.

Because it's easier to ask than find the answer yourself.

because people would rather pay people then read