ok so.........
while google is your friend and the innernetz is your friend, there are some good reasons to invest in a good shop manual, the type made by
Haynes, Chilton, etc
A couple reasons:
Most, if not all the information and instruction the enthusiast will need to do basic maintenance and repair on his car
Everything explained and illustrated in a
Haynes manual was actually done before putting it in print, so you are not at the whim and fancy of google 'experts', red herrings of sarcastic twits (such as I) and inaccurate / unreliable advice from strangers on a forum
Pics and step-by-step descriptions of procedures
Torque data, tolerances, gaps etc all in one neat package
Good list of tools you will need to keep in your toolbox
Tricks for repairs unique to your car...for example, draining, refilling and bleeding the coolant system on the MINI requires removal of the air box, battery box, ECU and thermostat. There are special bleeder valves to play with as well...
The
Haynes manual was invalubale in getting me thru that process
The one thing it didn't tell me was there is wiring harness that traps the thermostat so it takes some doing, and that the clip that holds the harness in place will be corroded and snap off in my hands, not to mention the factory cable ties will all be brittle and need to be replaced
I have found these manuals invaluable in the garage, and bought one for the MGB, MINI, Corolla, Mazda B1600 pickup, and Peugeot 206
For those who may have not seen a repair manual, here's some shots from the one I got for my wife's AE111 Corolla
Basic maintenance
Vital info
Torque specs, gaps etc
Repairs by category
Great photo sequences to help you along
Some of the drawbacks include:
Not so useful for frankensteins
Don't always cover JDMs etc
Even the 206 manual does not cover the engine on the 206SW variant we have, so I had to order a 307 manual just for that
Sometimes there may be an easier method than outlined in
Haynes, but usually they give the best option
They don't always make it clear how damn hard something is to loosen (especially suspension bits)
When they say 'reassembly is reverse of disassembly, sometimes it's a wee bit harder
At the end of the day, these manuals save time, guessing and costly mistakes, and they give an overview of a job so you can decide if it's within your limits
It's also a good check to know if the mechanic is really bullshitting you
I order directly from
Haynes, but Amazon is a good bet too
and at about TT$200 - 250, u can't go wrong
