Haynes vs. Chilton's

Any well-founded opinions on which aftermarket manual is better?

Reply to
Jared Patterson
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I found it depends on your car, on my Taurus both where good, Chiltons was better, on my VW rabbit Chiltons was almost useless and Haynes was good. With my Taurus I liked having them both because there was some stuff that the other wouldnt list, I eventually got the factory set which is the way to go.

Reply to
Petebert

For which purpose?

Haynes manuals are good for the DIY home mechanic. I've used several for cars I've owned over the years. They're generally good on procedures, parts locations, system schematics, etc. They're also good about telling you when to seek professional help. Their web site is

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The Chilton manuals I'm familiar with are the comprehensive shop repair manuals, comparable to the factory manuals. They're aimed at the professional technician, and are priced accordingly. Looking at the Chilton web site,

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they publish manuals bothfor the professional and the DIY owner. I haven't seen the DIY version, soI can't comment on the content. You may also want to look into the Robert Bentley manuals. I bought them for my VW GTI and late, lamented Audi 5000. Checking their web site,
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I see theycover a wide range of both foreign and domestic cars, as well as othersubjects. The manuals I had for the GTI and Audi were factory repairmanuals, very comprehensive, and of very high quality. Depending on yourneeds, the web site may be worth a look. | George Ruch | "Is there life in Clovis after Clovis Man?"

Reply to
George Ruch

I've found the same as Pete says, as far as the DIY versions are concerned... you shoulld ask to look at the other if you arent satisfied with the one you first pick.

Petebert opined in news:2hCYc.1$ snipped-for-privacy@news.uswest.net:

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

Robert Bentley publisher's Ford manual selection is rather limited. It appears that the main source for Ford service manuals is Helm

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Some service manuals may be available less expensively from web book stores and/or web auto parts stores.

Reply to
Timothy J. Lee

If I'm going to keep the car until it dies I spring for the Helms. They are not cheap but well worth the price for the knowledge. I bought them for my Tempo and they were worth every dime considering what they saved when I'd have to take the car in for a repair I couldn't do or my ex wouldn't do. At last I knew what they were talking about and I was able to explain it in terms they understood. Linda

Reply to
HbgpodLW

Reply to
steve piskor

I ordered a CLYMER from

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It beat the Haynes I was looking at

R
Reply to
Rudy

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