Are Service manuals a thing of the past - for VW anyway

you can get a genuine wm manual for about 50 quid

Manufacturers have not made paper manuals available for decades. Haynes will only produce manuals for those vehicles that are likely to be owner- maintained, and only then when a particular model has been on the road for more than five years.

Information needed by dealers is conveyed electronically. That way, it can be updated quickly, and is less likely to be copied.

Remember that dealers and manufacturers are not one and the same. Yes,manufacturers would prefer you to use a dealer, but not only for financial reasons. (Google 'zafira fire cause' for example.)

The only way to get basic information for a range of vehicles is Autodata. I'm given to understand it can be downloaded illegally, if your moral senses are OK with that.

Chris

One other option, again possibly not legitimate, is this:

Well I bought my Bentley paper manual for bmw a few years ago but not decades. Ah "manufacturers" - yes true enough.

From that I assume its £££ :-)

Thanks - will take a look.

If you could pls let me know where from I'd gladly pay the £50.

Was just reading the woes from from guy in the US who spent some $300 for two DVD's full of junk (really). He's bought what should have been good info on Bently DVD's.

There's something called erWin

Have you checked Ebay? Plenty of illicit CD copies of BMW manuals on there. So I'd guess for other makes too.

I've been looking for one for my missus' new Volvo. Hasn't appeared yet.

Bentley were always a US publication, so were never available for non-US available vehicles. The VW Caddy isn't sold in the US, so there was never going to be one.

At the end of the day, the 04-on Caddy is a Golf V. There's a Golf V Haynes manual.