Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Online Auto Repair Manuals: Empowering the DIY Beginner

Having a reliable set of online auto repair manuals to guide you is a surefire way to make DIY car repair much, much easier. If you look at the big picture, you’ll see that these online auto repair manuals, particularly the free online repair manuals, are perhaps the primary tool that empowers the novice DIYer. How so?

Looking at things closely, you’ll find that online car repair manuals are like the elementary school books for DIYers; they teach about the ABCs of automotive repair. It may seem easy to many experienced mechanics and enthusiasts, but not all people have a clear grasp of the various concepts and the technical know how you’ll need when tackling automotive repair.

There are many who struggle with anything but the most basic of maintenance or servicing tasks. That’s not to belittle or demean anyone who’s like that. That is why things like free online auto repair manuals exist—in order to give the common man the knowledge necessary to perform particular car repair, maintenance and service tasks on his or her own.

Others may argue that many, if not most, of the available online repair manuals are still too technical for many people. Well, it just depends on which repair manual service you subscribe to. There are different services one can use, and one should be aware of his or her preferences when choosing which service to patronize. There are online manuals that offer the kind of content that is easily understandable by most people. It’s all a matter of assessing the services and features as well as reading up on testimonials and reviews.

These online repair manuals, more specifically the free ones, really are great tools that give power to the DIY beginner. Everyone has to start somewhere, and if you’re just getting your feet wet in automotive repair and customization, getting a reliable car repair manual is a great place to start.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

When in Doubt, Consult an Online Repair Manual

Stock knowledge can be a very powerful thing. You’ll be able to remember trivia and facts in an instant, and you won’t have to constantly review stuff you’ve learned or consult sources just to verify if some piece of information is correct or accurate. Still, there are times when your vault of stock knowledge can fail, and this is disastrous for anyone working on an automobile. After all, getting the wrong specs or performing the incorrect procedure on a car can lead to disastrous and expensive results.

When you don’t really have the answer for anything related to auto repair, that’s your cue to log on to the Internet and get your trusty online auto repair manual. It’s all about getting fast and easy access to the sort of information you require to work on your ride and finish important repair or maintenance tasks.

There are also manuals that provide schedule and specification info, so if you’re not sure how much torque this bolt requires or how often you need to service that component, you can always check using the manuals you are able to get your hands on.

And remember the best thing about the World Wide Web: you can get a lot of information for free. You don’t really have to spend a cent (well, except for paying your Internet service provider) just to get reliable information and accurate online repair manuals.

So, when in doubt, don’t hesitate to consult an online car repair manual. We can’t always count on stock knowledge to carry us through the day, and sometimes it is definitely best if we have a reliable resource to confirm if our stock knowledge is accurate as well. Start finding good online repair manuals immediately and build up your collection. You’ll never know when you will need information, so you should at least have a few manuals on hand.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Online Repair Manuals: Google Tips

In this post, we’ll be offering you more tips on how you can easily search for good online auto repair manuals. One good way to facilitate searches is to make sure that the search terms are well-defined and strategic enough to get relevant pages. All it takes is a little crafty search engine know-how in order to get the results you want. Google is your friend, and here are some ways to refine your searches.

Use quotation marks

Enclosing your search term with quotation marks will net results that are exact matches to what you searched for. This will allow you to filter through pages that contain your keywords, except they occur separately, so it’s not really what you want.

Limit your search terms

You need to know exactly what you want to look for. If you’re looking for a generic repair manual, indicate it in your search. If you want a diagram for a particular component or system, make sure you type that in your search query. Don’t be too conservative with your search. Don’t say “Porsche Repair Manual” if you really wanted to look for a “Porsche 911 Service and Maintenance Schedule.”

Use the “Search within results” function

Once you’ve already gotten an initial page of results, you can still search through those results! Neat, huh? This is a good way to look for particular content using only the results you already have, instead of searching through the whole World Wide Web.

The * Wildcard Can be Really Helpful

Not many use the * character in their Google searches, but it can be quite useful. The * will stand for any term, so if you are unsure about what should be part of your search keywords, you can use this to help look for viable results. For example, if you don’t remember the full name of a certain part, you can let the * do the trick.


These are just a few tips when working with Google searches to look for free online repair manuals. As we’ve discussed previously, there are still many other avenues through which you can find reliable online car repair manuals, and we’ll save the tips and tricks for those for a later post.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Getting Some Free Online Auto Repair Manuals

Last time, we touched on how you can look for free downloadable online auto repair manuals. We mentioned the benefits of being able to cut down on repair expenses since you'll be doing the jobs yourself instead of paying your auto mechanic by the hour. In this post, we'll try to provide some more pointers and we'll even add a few links to get you started.

There are blogs that offer a wide array of different online repair manuals, auto repair guides, and just general information on various vehicle makes and models from all sorts of model years. You can find general specification manuals, schedules for periodic maintenance and service of various auto parts and systems, general repair manuals for particular vehicle models, installation instructions for specific vehicle components and accessories, and a load of stuff related to car repair.

Here are some good examples of sites that compile auto repair manual information, and they also have the added benefit of providing download links for a wide variety of manuals all in PDF format. The first one is http://www.freeautorepairmanualz.com, with its blog-style entries per manual. The good thing is that they are all sorted out by make in the sidebar, so you can use that to filter through their stuff. You can also use the search button above the sidebar to check if they have what you need. The other site is http://www.autozmagz.com/, which functions basically like the site discussed above. The difference is that you'll download the PDF file right away when you click the Download link.

There are many other sources for free auto repair manuals and free general car repair information. All you have to do is look for what you need specifically, including your vehicle's make and model in order to make sure that the results you get are relevant.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Looking for Car Repair Manuals Online

Most people usually just go to the mechanic to get their cars fix when problems start to arise. Well, not everyone can afford costly repair jobs all the time, and there is a lot of money that you can save by simply getting a reliable auto repair manual and performing repair and maintenance tasks on your own.

You don't even have to go out and actually buy your own personal car repair manual. There is always the Internet, which you can use to gain access to free online car repair manuals. All it takes are a few well-placed searches and some well-defined keywords and you can find the solution to your automotive problems.

There are many download routes you can choose to find your online car repair manuals. For example, some forums use file-sharing sites like MegaUpload, 4Shared or Rapidshare to share Pdfs or scanned manuals to other owners and enthusiasts. This is a great way to get free information, since all you have to do is download the files.

You can also search blogs that share that kind of information about auto repair. Some of them also offer download links to car repair manuals and how-to books. There are even some that provide sections of actual vehicle technical manuals.In some cases, you can also find a few auto repair manuals shared via peer-to-peer applications and even in torrent form.

The key is to know what you are looking for. After all, if you don't know the search terms or how to limit your search to get the best results, you could end up in a wild goose chase for that elusive auto repair manual. We will cover tips and tricks in searching for online auto repair manuals in a future post, so make sure you watch out for that.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Online Auto Repair Manuals Save the Day

Here's a story: My friend was having some problems with his '03 Nissan Pathfinder. See, the air conditioning system on his old (well, relatively old) SUV was usually acting up. The AC was turning on and the blower was also on, so we suspected something was up with the fans.

I asked him if he still had his ride's user manual so that we can check the layout and possible troubleshooting info. The bad thing is, he had misplaced or lost the darned manual when he moved to our town a couple of years back.

So I took my laptop and got my browser open, and we proceeded to search for some information on his car's air conditioning system. We Googled and Googled until we came across this site with a lot of vehicle-specific manuals in PDF document form. Some even addressed specific issues or had particular system information.

Right there, smack on the first page, was information on the fan control amplifier of a 2003 Nissan Pathfinder. While we still didn't know if the fan control amplifier was at fault, it was a start. We can start performing some diagnostic tests on the system to find out what was causing the AC trouble.

Since we passed the first check concerning the blower motor, we knew we had the proper manual. So we started checking the fan control amplifier's power supply, proceeded to check the body ground circuit, then checked if there was proper voltage going to the amplifier itself. Turns out there were some busted harnesses, and we just swapped them out right after to restore proper AC function.

The Internet is really an excellent source of information if you just know where to look. If you search hard enough, there are online repair manuals that you can find for your specific vehicle make and model.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Online Auto Repair Manual Reviews: Haynes

Welcome to another installment of our reviews on online auto repair manuals. This time, we’ll be putting Haynes Manuals under the microscope. Technically, Haynes isn’t an online car repair manual service, but it’s an auto repair manual service that you can access online. The manuals are actual published books rather than digital ones.

Haynes already has a massive collection of vehicle-specific manuals, and you can simply search for one using the Haynes site [http://www.haynes.com/]. On the top bar, you just input the year, make and model of your ride to see what your options are. You can also browse through the catalog on their site and see the lists and cross-references to check if your ride is covered.

If, however, you want a manual for a vehicle that isn’t in their database yet, you will have to wait 5 months to get your manual. That’s because the company has a “complete teardown and rebuild” system. They actually get a car (or a few cars) of a particular make and model and tear it down piece by piece to better understand the systems and components.

It’s a really cool system, because you know that you’re getting as accurate bits of information as possible. That’s also an excellent source for all of the detailed photos, diagrams and repair/service procedures that you’ll find in each manual.

Aside from automotive repair manuals, Haynes also publishes techbooks and guides for bikes and ATVs. You can also avail of Spanish repair manuals.

If you’re the type who prefers something tangible that you can actually see and flip through, Haynes Manuals are excellent for your car repair needs. Plus, you don’t have to pay annual subscription costs because your purchase is a one-time deal. You don’t get the instant access and searchable topics of online car repair manuals, but you get something that you can consult even when you don’t have access to a computer and the Internet.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Online Auto Repair Manual Reviews: Chilton

“Where smart enthusiasts click for service information”—that’s the tag line that Chilton DIY Online Auto Repair Manuals. In this post, we’ll be taking a quick look to see if it stays true to that promise.

Chilton DIY screenshot
Chilton DIY is made by Cengage Learning, a Singapore-based provider of modern learning solutions for both traditional and virtual learning environments. On the whole, Chilton DIY offers a healthy mix of features. You get detailed spec sheets that also contain corresponding maintenance schedules, illustrated step-by-step procedures for servicing and repairing your ride, troubleshooting vacuum and wiring diagrams, and access to certified mechanics that can answer questions (at a small price, of course). There are also videos and animations that can make it easier to learn and understand certain procedures.

All you need to access the manual is to make sure your computer complies with the minimum requirements, though you most probably will be able to use it as long as you have a decent computer or laptop by current standards. System requirements are Adobe Flash and Shockwave players, Windows XP or Vista operating system, Internet Explorer 6 or higher or Mozilla Firefox 2 or higher, and a high-speed connection.

Now let’s go to another important factor: cost. A Chilton DIY subscription will cost you $24.95 annually, with a 30-day option for $14.95. If you’re getting one, might as well take the 12 months because you get better value that way. That’s good for registering one vehicle. The price is right about the cost of an actual vehicle-specific manual from other sites like Haynes, with the difference being this is all online. If you’re not too keen on paying monthly or annually, you can opt for more generic Chilton DIY Total Car Care CD-Roms, which fetch for $19.95 each.

Overall, Chilton DIY is a good online repair manual alternative. If you’re willing to pay the yearly fee, the complete set of information in a manual for a particular vehicle make and model should be well worth the price.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Auto Repair is Made Easy Thanks to Online Auto Repair Manuals

Perhaps you’ve encountered a problem with your car and didn’t know how to fix it, or you might not even know what caused the problem in the first place. So you go to your nearest mechanic and pay a fine sum to get your car fixed. If you want to do repair jobs on your own, don’t worry—there are always online auto repair manuals that you can use to give you the lowdown on what to do and how to do it.

With online car repair manuals, fixing your car’s problems and performing maintenance jobs become much easier. Plus, you get your ride back in excellent working condition without having to spend more money to get professional mechanics to work on the vehicle. The first thing you’ll need to have, of course, is the willingness to learn and to be able to do these tasks on your own.

These online repair manuals cover practically all aspects of auto repair, from maintenance to diagnosis and troubleshooting to the actual process of fixing particular issues. What makes it easier even for DIY beginners is that there are step-by-step instructions that are quite easy to understand. Never mind if you only have a basic or shallow grasp of automotive components and systems; manuals also provide explanations on what a certain part does and what its role is in the overall operation of your vehicle.

So, what are you waiting for? Get started working on your car by yourself. After all, with online repair manuals, auto repair becomes easier. All you need is to arm yourself with the information you’ll need to understand and solve the problem at hand. As a mid-80s cartoon used to say, “Knowing is half the battle.” When it comes to fixing your car, online auto repair manuals can provide that knowledge that will get you through any battle.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Online Auto Repair Manuals versus Paper Manuals: And the Winner is…

We’ve said that there is a shift in the preferences of both manufacturers and consumers towards digital manuals. In this post, we’ll see which type is actually better: online auto repair manuals or printed paper car repair manuals. Let’s start the slugfest right now!

Digital versus Paper

We need to conserve natural resources and care for our environment. Among the green initiative manufacturers are employing is to use less paper so that trees can be spared. We can advocate that as well, and we can do this by using paperless means to help us in auto repair. This involves using digital manuals. Printed manuals, naturally, make use of paper. Go figure. Winner: online auto repair manuals

Accessibility


A vast majority of people can access the Internet in this day and age. That makes online repair manuals very easy to consult; just turn your computer or laptop on, connect to the web, and search for whatever it is you need to do. While that is generally the case, what happens when there’s a power outage or your Internet provider is having problems involving your connection? You won’t be able to get to your online car repair manual. For printed versions, you can just get it from your bookshelf and thumb through the pages anytime you want. Winner: Tie

Content

When it comes to printed car repair manuals, the depth of the information you’ll be getting varies depending on which one you purchased. You can even get specialized ones meant for particular vehicle makes and models. With online auto repair manuals, however, you get all the content you’ll need in just a single site or database. Winner: online auto repair manuals

Cost

There are free auto repair manuals. Enough said. Winner: online auto repair manuals

Well, that’s it for our head-to-head comparison—for now. It looks like online car repair manuals have the decided advantage. Make sure you try one if you haven’t already, just so you can see for yourself if online manuals are perfect for you.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Some Benefits of Using Online Auto Repair Manuals

Did you know that many manufacturers from different industries are switching to digital manuals? Even those fancy and glossy PlayStation 3 game manuals are disappearing into the void in favor of manuals that you can access online and in the game itself. Even manuals for auto repair are becoming quite obsolete, and we have the internet to thank. Online auto repair manuals are the “in” thing right now, mainly because of the ease and speed of access they offer.

Using online manuals provides mechanics and DIY enthusiasts like you with a wide range of information that you can access within a few clicks of the mouse. You won't need to flip through page upon page or filter through a load of text just to find what you need to know. After all, you can just browse through various sites that offer a boatload of auto repair information and even manuals in different document formats.

Aside from online content, there are online auto repair manuals in program form that you can download. These programs contain a treasure trove of auto repair information, including databases of problems, diagnostics and actual procedures. With a collection of content and a user-friendly interface, even the most un-tech-savvy will be able to maneuver through the menus and dialog boxes to find their desired how-to advice. Of course, make sure you do download one with a manageable interface.

Auto repair can be difficult for many people, especially those who are only starting out doing their own repairs or maintenance tasks. With the help of online auto repair manuals, however, things will definitely get easy enough that you can perform any task on your ride without having to go to your mechanic. You save on repair costs this way, and you also won’t need to spend on expensive auto repair books.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Best Reasons Why Online Auto Repair Manuals are a Worthwhile Investment for DIYAuto Mechanics

Before you try to tear your vehicle apart, make sure you find out the fundamentals of automobile repair, which you can get from online auto repair manuals. Without online auto repair manuals to help you through the process, you will be in for problems and large expenses. Lots of online auto repair manuals are yours for the taking, so why don't you obtain some online auto repair manuals?

When you're clueless about how to fix an issue in your car, online auto repair manuals come in handy. That is why online auto repair manuals exist: they are made to help you comprehend quickly how to repair certain damage in your car.

The Pros of Using Online Auto Repair Manuals


You might be wondering why there's a need for online auto repair manuals. Printed auto repair manuals are quickly becoming a thing of the past, while online auto repair manuals are in demand these days. It's no wonder because the Internet is the in thing these days, and online auto repair manuals cater to car owners who would rather fix their car on their own than spend a fortune in auto repair shops. Do you think you're one of those people who are in need of online auto repair manuals?

The benefit of downloading online auto repair manuals is that you can have access to online auto repair manuals at lightning speed and use them right after. It won't take you long to find the site that contains a database of online auto repair manuals and download them thereafter. Rather than checking multiple pages of printed repair manuals, you can save more time by just clicking through different links to find and download online auto repair manuals. If you always have a stressful schedule, then you will find online auto repair manuals the perfect DIY repair companion. For people who hates wasting away even just minutes of their life, easily downloadable online auto repair manuals are just perfect. If you make online auto repair manuals your friends, they will defnitely take care of your DIY repair needs.

If you're looking for convenience, then online auto repair manuals will never disapppoint. For example, you can have your online auto repair manuals printed so that you can take them with you as you fix your car in your car port. When you can't understand, for instance, how a wiring goes into a certain electrical system in your car, then the ability to print online auto repair manuals proves to be very useful.

On top of that, online auto repair manuals are less costly than printed repair manuals. With online auto repair manuals in your garage, you won't need to hire an auto technician to do the repairs for you. Finding it hard to choose between going to the local repair shop and getting online auto repair manuals for DIY projects? Listen, pal. Using online auto repair manuals is certainly the better option.

When you browse the Internet for online auto repair manuals, you can find online auto repair manuals in various formats such as ebook, PDF, audio, and video. If your online auto repair manuals are in either ebook or PDF format, then you can immediately print them for quick reference. Simply put, online auto repair manuals give you flexible options.

In addition, a lot of online auto repair manuals include location diagrams to help you visualize the various systems in your vehicle. What's more, online auto repair manuals include the most commonly occuring problem in cars with the same year, make, and model as yours. Up-to-date information in terms of diagnosing, fixing, and repairning cars is extermely important. That is what online auto repair manuals can offer. Suffice it to say that all these advantages are unique to online auto repair manuals; rarely would you find them in printed auto repair manuals.

Online auto repair manuals are indeed excellent substitutes for printed auto repair manuals. Aren't online auto repair manuals simply helpful?

Where to Download Online Auto Repair Manuals


You need not worry about locating online auto repair manuals. Why is that so? Because the Internet is teeming with plenty of online auto repair manuals to pick from. It's simple: you just go to a search engine, key in the year, make, and model of your car plus the word "manual" and off you go to find online auto repair manuals. Afterwards, the search results will show you the links to different sites that cater to car owners who are looking for online auto repair manuals. These online auto repair manuals may be available at no cost or for a certain fee.

To make your search for online auto repair manuals a lot easier, you can narrow it down so that you won't have to browse through lots of results pages showing links to online auto repair manuals. What if you need online auto repair manuals that focus on brake problems of 1995 Ford Mustangs? Simply type in the following search terms: year, make, and model + repair manual + brake issues so that you can get specific search results on online auto repair manuals that you need.

How to Determine the Best Online Auto Repair Manuals


There are numerous forms of online auto repair manuals. You should make sure that the online auto repair manuals you choose is made specifically for the year, make, and model of your vehicle. Otherwise, you'll just waste your money for auto repair information that's not suitable to your car anyway; that's why you need online auto repair manuals.

You also need to take into account only those online auto repair manuals made with accuracy in mind. In doing so, you'll be confident about doing the right repairs. You need to pick only reputable brands with almost perfect content so that you can ensure that you will get accurate online auto repair manuals. In case you find obvious errors in the content, don't bother reading those online auto repair manuals anymore and start looking for other manuals on the Internet.

Comprehensive and detailed information is also a quality of good online auto repair manuals. Details are the foundation of all online auto repair manuals, and without them, DIY repairs will be pointless. As a novice auto repair DIYer, you need easy-to-understand steps on repairing certain vehicle problems. Look for user-friendly and direct-to-the-point online auto repair manuals. How do you exactly do that? It is important to look at the ease of navigation of the online auto repair manuals. That way, you ensure that you can easily understand the methods stated in the online auto repair manuals. An intuitive search feature is a bonus point when you're looking for online auto repair manuals. This feature makes it a lot easy for you to look for any information you need in a jiffy.

A number of online auto repair manuals come in monthly or annual subscriptions. You get to save a lot of money for an investment that can last for a long time. As explained earlier, online auto repair manuals are less expensive than printed manuals. Because you want the best care for your car, you deserve nothing but the best guidance that high-quality online auto repair manuals offer.

Get yourself some online auto repair manuals to take out the guesswork in car repair and steer clear of costly repair bills. And when you finally get hold of online auto repair manuals, you can start that challenging yet satisfying and money-saving job called DIY auto repair. So, are you ready to take on the difficult task with the guidance of your online auto repair manuals? Enjoy worry-free DIY repairs wth online auto repair manuals that are within your reach.