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Re: Workshop Manuals

Excellent! I got a chuckle from it.

>.

This is my favorite:

Haynes: Locate ... Translation: "This photo of a hex nut is the only clue we're giving you." I don't know how many times I've run into that one.

Haynes drives me crazy with their incredibly detailed instructions on one area where any dunce could figure it out, then some statement that covers a 47 step process in one statement.

I was doing a rear brake job during the summer and after covering every little detail down to where to goop the pads, the Haynes book said "loosen parking brake adjustment at the hand brake". That's it. So, I go looking for the instructions... nothing to be found. Turns out it takes a half hour since you have to remove the console, part of the dash to get there, etc. Haynes covered it with "loosen parking brake adjustment at the hand brake".

They claim to tear down and do every job listed. If so, they must have an editor that says "you spent too much time on that book, finish it now" because they take some serious shortcuts. (Don't flame me for not buying the factory manual, I know the chance I take with a POS Haynes and I accept responsibility :-)

Reply to
Jimmy
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Then he should try using one of their lame manuals.

Reply to
Jimmy

|On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 23:30:02 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@REMOVEtxol.net (Rex B) |wrote: | |>The national sales manager for Haynes was less amused. |>"Ouch. So much for good tidings of comfort and joy......" |>I told him to lighten up ;) | |Then he should try using one of their lame manuals.

In their defense, they long ago took on a big job - documenting virtually all the repair procedures for nearly all the cars in the world. Since they made that commitment they have done a good job of keeping up, despite the explosion in brands and models. Remember Chilton, and how miserable they were? Haynes came along like a breath of fresh air and have done a remarkable job, all things considered. And you can still buy a book on YOUR car that is pretty close to a factory workshop manual -for about $10. This at a time when factory manuals are becoming more and more difficult, if not impossible, for the layman to buy. Go try to buy a factory workshop manual for a BMW Z4.

I buy a Haynes for every used car I touch. Then I acquire additional manuals as I run across them in used book stores. For my race cars I'm required to have a factory shop manual for each car. Those are expensive, so I refer to the Haynes first and only get out the shop manual on the rare occasions when Haynes doesn't help. Often in those cases the factory manual doesn't either.

Haynes is a valuable resource, but they are no more perfect than anything else available.

Rex in Fort Worth

Reply to
Rex B

snipped-for-privacy@REMOVEtxol.net (Rex B) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.txol.net:

snip

BMW stopped printing paper workshop manuals... and they also stopped issuing the TIS CD as of the last issue. Now you *have* to go online for any of the newer BMW info.

Haynes is crap.. then again so are some of the OE service manuals :)

Reply to
Death

They are a good value for the price, I agree. They still suck though. A good factory manual beats them by leaps and bounds (a good factory manual, not a bad one :-)

Reply to
Jimmy

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