What the Manuals Actually Let You Replace — a 7-Manual Survey
Written and edited by Ethan Cole, Editor-in-Chief · ✓ Technically reviewed by Daniel Wei Chen — Senior Chinese Automotive Diagnostics & Repair Specialist, Sydney · 24 October 2026.
We read the maintenance chapters of seven archived official owner’s manuals — the older MG3, five BYDs (Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal, Sealion 7, Shark 6) and the GWM Ora — and asked one question: what does the manufacturer still document as owner work? The answer has shrunk to a short list, and knowing it saves you both wasted DIY attempts and unnecessary dealer visits.
The survey, in one table
| Item | Older MG3 (2011–24) | BYD range | GWM Ora |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light bulbs | ✔ Full 13-position chart published — we reproduce it | ✘ No chart, no procedure — sealed units; lighting section covers alignment and fogging only | ✘ Replacement referred to authorised service centres by name |
| Wiper blades | ✔ Procedure documented (sizes not published) | ✔ Procedure documented, incl. a screen-menu “wiper maintenance position” | ✔ Procedure documented (3-second stalk-hold service position) |
| Fuses | ✔ Documented | ✔ Documented — same-rating rule | ✔ Documented — puller and spare fuses live in the engine-bay fuse-box cover; diagrams on both box covers |
| Washer fluid | ✔ | ✔ (monthly check listed) | ✔ |
| 12V battery | ✔ Jump-starting documented | Rescue terminals in the frunk documented; replacement not explained in detail | Emergency-call backup battery (3-year interval) documented; no rule for the main 12V battery |
| Coolant / brake fluid | Top-up documented | Level checks only — everything else workshop; HV cooling is strictly off-limits | Level checks only |
Each cell is sourced to its archived manual — nothing here is inferred from forums. Middle East editions used where an Australian download wasn’t offered (declared on the relevant model pages).
What this means in practice
- The bulb era is over. The older MG3 is the only one of the seven whose manual still hands you a bulb chart. On everything newer, a dead exterior light is a service-centre visit — budget for it, and treat “compatible LED units” from marketplaces with caution: no manual in the survey documents LED retrofits as owner-fittable, and whether such a retrofit is road-legal where you live is a question we have no source for.
- Your real toolkit on a new Chinese EV: wiper blades (use the on-screen maintenance mode — BYD and Ora both hide the wipers under the bonnet lip otherwise), fuses of the same rating, washer fluid, tyre pressures. That’s the documented list.
- Wiper sizes are published nowhere — all seven manuals document the how, none the length. Measure the old blade. Every time.
- The 12V battery sits in a documentation gap: the BYD and Ora manuals in our survey do not explain its replacement in detail. For replacement, refer to your vehicle’s manual or to qualified service. This page has also called the 12V battery the most failure-prone part we track (see the 12V pattern); that ranking is ours; we have not measured that comparison. This page has also said that in practice many owners fit AGM replacements, which is outside the book; our notes record that only for the Shark 6, from an unverified owner report, and we do not recommend it.
- Level checks are yours; circuits are not. BYD’s manuals draw the line precisely: look at reservoirs monthly, touch nothing orange. That line is theirs and ours.
Correction note: The 12V battery item above and the BYD and Ora cells of the table now say only what our survey records for the BYD and Ora manuals; the item no longer says that no manual in our survey treats the battery’s replacement as owner work. Its ranking of the 12V battery against the other parts we track is now marked as ours and unmeasured, and so is its report that many owners fit AGM replacements. We withdrew its recommendation of a dealer battery-management update and of a combined dealer visit: the item now refers you to your vehicle’s manual or to qualified service.
Where the part numbers live
Where we’ve checked part numbers against catalogues and OE cross-references, they’re on dedicated pages with their traps documented: MG ZS oil filter and MG3 oil filter, the Chery family filter and the Jolion two-engine trap (three thread standards across the brands — the reason “fits MG” is never enough). As of 24 October 2026, we have added no more.
Correction note: The part numbers on the pages this section lists rest on a catalogue reading of which we hold no copy; we have not verified them to our standard, so this section no longer calls them verified, and it now dates its statement about further part numbers.
Disclaimer: Information on this page is general guidance only and does not replace the manufacturer’s official documentation or the judgement of a qualified technician. Never open, touch or work on any orange high-voltage component. Fault-code behaviour varies between markets, model years and software versions. Last verified: 22 August 2026.