Auto Repair Pros & Shadetree Mechanics;

[Indiana George]

Quick question:

When it comes to auto repair manuals for someone not in the trade,
which would you recommend?

Chilton's or Haynes ? ? ?

Thanks! My intention is to start saving a little more money when it comes to more than the basic automotive maintenance.

 

[Indiana George]

After reading the mixed bag of reviews and seeing the low prices on Amazon, I ordered both the Chilton's & Haynes manuals for each of our vehicles.

Nevermind . . .

 

[ThirtyAcres]

Go to the library----get them both for free and then decide.

 

[jj2am44]

Go to Google and type in what you want to fix on what car. Cant be beat.

 

[Indiana George]

Thanks ThirtyAcres!

With daily use of the Internet, it has become easy to forget the resources to be found at the local library.

 

[ThirtyAcres]

If your library does not have a copy of what you are looking for on the shelf-----ask them to get it on an interlibrary loan.

 

[oldman45]

With the later model cars, it is more than knowing how to fix something but rather having the tools to fix it.

Many repairs require pricey gauges, code readers, pressure testers and dedicated tools.

I bought one tool to replace the front shocks on a Buick that was $45. Never have used it since. Bought a $114 Stant pressure tester to find a leak in the system on a Chevy. A good code reader will run over $150.

You can wind up with a lot of tools that you only needed once. I have a shop full of them that has cost me a fortune.

Then you can be assured of what the problem is and once you fix that, you find it was something else.

All that said, I do a lot of my own work but there is so much I will not touch. They may be a simple fix but best left to the pros.

 

[Fishslayer]

Those manuals are general overviews. Useful, but not really a model specific "how to." Usually getting TO the part is harder than the actual work to be done.

As has been mentioned, Google is your friend. Don't overlook forums dealing with your particular make & model. There is almost always somebody who has BTDT and learned things that may not be in a manual.

 

[-db-]

Older Chilton's from the '70s and early '80s are decent books but they sort of went generic and dumbed-down the material after that. The best books for any particular car are factory shop manuals (the books the guys at dealerships use). You can usually find these used in good shape at affordable prices online.

 

[msinc]

With the later model cars, it is more than knowing how to fix something but rather having the tools to fix it.

Many repairs require pricey gauges, code readers, pressure testers and dedicated tools.

I bought one tool to replace the front shocks on a Buick that was $45. Never have used it since. Bought a $114 Stant pressure tester to find a leak in the system on a Chevy. A good code reader will run over $150.

You can wind up with a lot of tools that you only needed once. I have a shop full of them that has cost me a fortune.

Then you can be assured of what the problem is and once you fix that, you find it was something else.

All that said, I do a lot of my own work but there is so much I will not touch. They may be a simple fix but best left to the pros.

And dont forget...you can tie up alot of money just as above then sell the car and buy something else and all that stuff is of no further use to you. As to the manuals the pro's use Motor Manuals. I have been out of it for some time now {and glad too} but the Snap-On truck always sold Motor Manuals.

 

[Andy Griffith]

I've only used Bentley Publishing repair manuals- you just need to be fluent in the king's English.

 

[chief38]

I used to buy the Chilton's, but now I don't even bother to buy them at all. I use the internet. I own 4 cars and a motorcycle and have never been at a loss over not finding what I needed to in order to repair one of them.

In fact I just printed a page from the internet on a better way of adjusting the clutch on a Harley Davidson Motorcycle than the Service Manual has suggested. I thought it was such a good idea, I actually brought a copy of the instructions to my friend who has 20+ years of experience as mechanic at the local Harley Dealership. He thought it was an improvement as well.

Chief38

 

[snowman]

I've been doing my own work for a number of years, and have been served well by having both a Haynes manual and a factory service manual. The former is written for amateurs like me, with basic procedures and principles included. The latter provides more specific and precise information for the car on which you are working. The Chilton manuals I've seen seem too general to me, leaving too much to guesswork, which can result in costly and sometimes dangerous mistakes. But then maybe they have improved them in the many years since I looked at them.

I also do internet searches for troubleshooting information, and it can be quite helpful. But I wouldn't be without the manuals. They are right there when you need them, such as when you run into a snag(inevitable), forget the order of disassembly/assembly, etc. This prevents down time while one searches for the information on the web or in the library.

It seems to me that utilizing any readily available resource is a good solution.

Andy

 

[truckemup97]

I've only used Bentley Publishing repair manuals- you just need to be fluent in the king's English.

Those are the ones that recommend you refill the smoke reservoir with only genuine Lucas electric smoke, right?

 

[CJ]

Quick question:

When it comes to auto repair manuals for someone not in the trade,
which would you recommend?

Chilton's or Haynes ? ? ?

Neither, as they always seem lacking in major as well as tidbits of need-to-know information. Mitchell Manuals are the most informative in my experience and though admittedly pricier than the other brands of manuals, most libraries carry them for your perusal.

That said, an inexpensive code reader and Google will take care of many of your auto repair needs.

 

[truckemup97]

That said, an inexpensive code reader and Google will take care of many of your auto repair needs.

That's absolutely true. Sometimes a video is much better than a written explanation, for me anyway. And AutoZone will read your codes for free. They also have loaner tools if your garage is somewhat lacking.

 

[DeadAye]

I used to buy the Chilton's, but now I don't even bother to buy them at all. I use the internet. I own 4 cars and a motorcycle and have never been at a loss over not finding what I needed to in order to repair one of them.

In fact I just printed a page from the internet on a better way of adjusting the clutch on a Harley Davidson Motorcycle than the Service Manual has suggested. I thought it was such a good idea, I actually brought a copy of the instructions to my friend who has 20+ years of experience as mechanic at the local Harley Dealership. He thought it was an improvement as well.

Chief38

Sounds good - How about a link?

 

[Andy Griffith]

Those are the ones that recommend you refill the smoke reservoir with only genuine Lucas electric smoke, right?

Yep, I've got some right here:

 

[Maximumbob54]

This may boil down to a "Ford vs. Chevy" type debate, but I have always found Chilton books more to my liking. I can't swear to it but I feel like they are just more reader friendly. Diagrams seem to be easier to understand, directions seem to make more sense, and the dang book through whatever voodoo magic has never fallen into a fan belt like one of my Haynes books did…

 

[venomballistics]

manuals?!?! whatever makes the most sense to you.
whats more important is knowledge of how to pick your battles.
with todays parade of dixie cup cars there are only a few rides worth the busted knuckles now.
if you have one of the chosen machines, and love said machine, by all means dive in till your elbow deep in engine on that mustang, camaro, vette, porsche, etc etc but dont waste your life on that Hyundai