Online Auto Repair Manuals Review: Factory Automanuals

Website: http://www.factoryautomanuals.com/

Sometimes, you can tell how serious a business is based on its online presence. In that regard, Factory Automanuals really gave us a great first impression. The service impressed us right away with its web design, which deviated from the common e-commerce mold of other online auto repair manuals in that theirs actually had some visual appeal and had an aesthetic going on. There is some effort at typography and keeping with a unified design overall.

Of course, visuals don't make an online auto repair manual service There has to be substance beyond the style. Fortunately, Factory Automanuals has that. First off, let's get it out there that this site isn't really a true online repair manuals site. It contains a large selection of physical repair manuals that you can order. There are also vehicle-specific books that are more like reference materials instead of actual manuals. A good example of this is the book “The Ford Century” by Russ Hanham, which was made in celebration of the company's 100^th year anniversary.

Finding one for your needs is relatively easy, aided by the site's Quick Search function. Ordering is also a breeze, and prospective buyers have two options when purchasing: Add to Cart, which is pretty much self-explanatory, and Add to Wishlist. Shipping and tax are both calculated upon checkout, and there's really no other way to determine the total cost unless the customer already selected his or her delivery options. Of course, at least a partial total would have sufficed in the Cart section. It would help customers estimate the costs and the amount they need to shell out for the repair manuals.

Cadillac, Chevy, Ford, Isuzu, Toyota, Volkswagen, import cars, domestic cars, motorcycles, trucks, farm equipment—you name it, Factory Automanuals probably has it. It's this large selection of resources and manuals that gives the online service a big nod in our books. If you prefer the kind of manuals that you can flip through and store in bookshelves, you can do way worse than Factory Automanuals. It's a good site that has a solid collection, and it has a layout that's very pleasing to the eye.

The Basics of Auto Repair and Maintenance

If you’ve been watching the NBA anytime within the last decade, I’m sure you would’ve heard of someone named Tim Duncan. “Timmy,” as he is fondly called by fans of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, is also known as “The Big Fundamental.” This is because his game is so old-school, so basic, that he is more of an exception in this day and age of flashy dunks and passes that go behind players’ backs. Still, he’s won four championships with this style of play. What’s my point with this NBA analogy?

Fundamentals are important.

You can think up all of the left-field modifications you want to do on your precious vehicle, but it remains important that you have a thorough understanding of what makes your car tick. You can accomplish this by reading through your online repair manual (or if you’re rich and have surplus cash, perhaps you have many online auto repair manuals under your name).

These fundamentals involve a pool of knowledge that you can fall back on when things get nasty, or when your tasks become too complicated. It’s essential that you have a firm grasp on the basic functions and inner workings of your ride’s core systems so that you’ll have an idea what to do and where to start when something goes wrong.

Online car repair manuals contain the sort of basic information you need to handle practically any task related to auto repair, maintenance, and modification. Vehicle-specific variants are still the preferable options, but even generic ones will do. Once you understand your ride in theory, you can apply that knowledge into practice. Over time, you won’t even have to keep consulting the online repair manual just to confirm if what you think is correct. That’s how the fundamentals can help you on your everyday DIY tasks.

I'm sure "Timmy" and his four NBA championship rings will agree.

Online Auto Repair Manuals and the Issue of Comprehension

One potential roadblock to the widespread use of online car repair manuals is comprehension. Depending on the manual that you download, or the language used by the online repair manual service provider, you might encounter steps, concepts, knowledge, ideas, and other pieces of information that can be hard to understand.

The fact that you decided to undertake DIY auto repair and maintenance with the aid of an online auto repair manual, I guess, already speaks volumes about your commitment and desire to learn. If that’s the case, then there shouldn’t be a problem even if there’s a steep learning curve provided or necessitated by the kind of online repair manual service you have subscribed yourself to.

Willingness to work through it and try to really wrap your head around some issues that may seem difficult to understand is, for me, a necessary step towards improving yourself. Let’s face it—DIY auto repair and working with vehicles in general is a highly technical task. There’s really a lot of info, jargon, concepts, and processes to deal with. It’s important that you acknowledge that before you even try to dip into the pool that is DIY.

At this point, it’s all about your judgment and, in many cases, your budget. When you encounter an online repair manual that is plainly difficult to understand, you are most likely left with little to no choice on the matter—you need to consider that you had made a bad investment (in the case of a paid online subscription) on a terrible online auto repair manual service. It’s either you stay with that service that’s hard to comprehend, or you get a new one with better reviews in terms of its comprehensibility. If you pick the latter option, though, it will entail another expense and additional expenses.

Top Traits of a Bad Online Auto Repair Manual

We've always been discussing the positive side of online car repair manuals, so we here thought it was time for a change. All things have B-sides, and even these auto repair manuals can also have some negatives. Let's get right on to some of them now.

Internet Connection Required

Although the internet (especially high-speed Broadband connections) have seen widespread use in the past years, there are still some who refuse to rely on this technology to speed up processes or avail of some valuable resources and materials. Some DIY mechanics are among this group, and even some auto repair shops don't really prioritize an internet connection as an essential business tool.

Other car repair manuals may be unreliable over slower connections because of the sheer amount of data they have to fetch. Still, most are geared to be optimized even for slow connections, so make sure you check what kind of connection is required to access your online manual.

Too Technical?

Let's face it—auto repair involves a lot of technical stuff. This can be a very big obstacle for many who don't really have time to go into the nitty-gritty of automotive repair concepts. Jargon isn't a very good thing especially for people who are challenged when it comes to comprehension, so they might feel like they're not cut out for the task if they can't understand an auto repair manual.

Then again, some auto repair manuals are too technical in and of themselves. The level of detail varies from manual to manual, from provider to provider. This is a detail people need to look out for, especially when it involves a paid subscription. You wouldn't want to shell out money for something you won't be able to understand.


These are just two of the negative things one may experience when dealing with online car repair manuals, so don't hesitate to read up on reviews and look at detailed descriptions of the one you're looking to subscribe to before you enter your credit card details and commit valuable finances and other resources.

Online Auto Repair Manuals Reviews the The AutoMD App

We've already mentioned the Automd Apple device app on this blog a couple of weeks ago, when we posted about alternatives to Online Auto Repair Manuals. And we think it's now time to provide you with a full review—even though we said we wouldn't do so until the app's creators come up with a new version.

Okay, so here are the details of the app:

Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/automd-mobile/id369361977?mt=8

Description: Get “how to” repair guides, cost estimates for repairs and local shops info all from your iPhone with AutoMD Mobile – the mobile version of AutoMD.com.

• Free
• Category: Utilities
• Updated: Mar 01, 2011
• Current Version: 1.4.1
• 1.4.1
• Size: 2.6 MB
• Language: English
• Seller: US Auto Parts Network, Inc
• © AutoMD, Inc
  

Rated 4+

At first glance, the app really does offer a wide array of functions, as well as a fairly large collection of information that you can access online through the app. The estimate feature is particularly helpful, as you'll find the prices to be quite consistent. Plus, you can check if the auto repair shop you're at is overcharging for the repairs on your car.

The issue, however, starts with accuracy. If you visit the AutoMD web site, you'll find fairly accurate information on their how-to guides and their step-by-step articles. That doesn't seem to be the case with the site's app, though. Still, there are a lot articles and pieces of information that you can use when you're in need of instant help on the road.

If you want mobile access to auto repair information, the AutoMD app is an excellent start. If you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, just hook it up to a data connection or over Wi-Fi and you can find easy answers to your questions. It's free, as we said, so it's no problem if you don't like the app once you try it out.

Online Auto Repair Manuals Review: RepairSurge

I saw this site just a few days ago. I was so kept up with other stuff in the past that I never got around to seeing another online auto repair manual aside from the ones we've already tackled here. Anyway, we continue our reviews of online auto repair manuals today, and next in our lineup is RepairSurge (www.repairsurge.com).

“Never buy another repair manual.” That's the RepairSurge slogan, and you have to admit, it's a pretty lofty one. Good thing the company can back that claim to a fault.

Requirements to run the program or software aren't too demanding: a decent operating system on the computer, mostly Windows (Win 98, 2000, XP, NT, Millennium Edition, and Windows Vista); a fairly fast Internet connection, and either Paypal or a major credit card in order to pay for your purchased online repair manual.

While the coverage list seems bare, RepairSurge actually has a pretty extensive line of online repair manual information on a wide range of automakers, whether we're talking about domestic applications or import models. Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, Jeep—you name it, RepairSurge lists it.

The online auto repair manual itself functions much like other window-based programs; you have a sidebar, a menu bar, and the main content area. The items are pretty straightforward, and the UI is very intuitive—if not quite attractive or even pleasing to the eye. But hey—at the end of the day, content is still king. You can't use a pretty menu to fix that car of yours, now, can you?

Pricing is at $14.99 for the online manuals, a good $5 off CD-ROM prices and in par (if not cheaper) than most other online auto repair manuals on the Web. That pricing should help RepairSurge position itself as one of the better alternatives available on the market.

Online Auto Repair Manuals from Resellers

Getting online auto repair manuals is pretty easy. You just Google for “online repair manuals” and you'll get pages upon pages of results, each linking to some online service or another. Of course, not all of these are the online car repair manuals themselves. Instead of providers, you get resellers.

These resellers, and in many other cases the affiliates, offer online auto repair manuals indirectly—that is, they are merely middle men getting you to try or buy a new online car repair manual.

For example, if you go to 10w40.com, you'll see not one, not two, but three online auto repair manuals that are up for sale: Haynes, Alldata DIY, and Mitchell 1 DIY. (If you want reviews, we've covered all of these three services in our review section. Do check them out if you have the time. Thanks!)

What's good about these affiliates or resellers is that you can get substantial discounts off the coupons that the resellers offer. That's a big help, especially if you're still unsure that you're getting your money's worth. Additionally, you're also helping the affiliates earn money by purchasing the online auto repair manual from them. It's a win win situation for everybody.

Another example, also from 10w40.com, is how they sell RepairSurge universal repair manuals at just $13.99, a full dollar off the regular price (which is also in turn slashed from the standard $19.95 fee). The site also sells ALLDATA manuals at $24.25, from an SRP Of $26.95. This price slash is accomplished by using a coupon.

So don't be taken aback if you see another site selling another online auto repair manual service. Not all of these are spam or scams. Make sure you stay critical of everything just to avoid becoming a victim. Many of the resellers are legit, so you shouldn't have much trouble finding one.

The Best Online Auto Repair Manual Ever

Michael Jordan is the best NBA player ever. The Beatles are the best band. But what about the best online car repair manual? Well, since we've been discussing our ideal repair manual traits ever since I could remember, and we've already reviewed a wide variety of online car repair manual service providers, perhaps we've already found the best one there is. Guess what?

There is NO best online auto repair manual.

As we've said before, different people have varied needs and requirements. You know what they say, “Different strokes for different strokes.” The important thing here is to identify what your needs are and then find the best online car repair manual service that will fit that need. You have to make sure that the one you choose is always custom-fit for the stuff you have in mind. It's as much about you as it is what's included in the online repair manual's package.

If you don't have the dough to shell out for a paid subscription to the different online auto repair manuals out there, then that defines your needs and requirements. You'll have to get the best free online repair manual for your DIY tasks, and that then becomes the best one for you. The paid ones are all out of the question. You know there are a lot of free ones out there that can provide for your needs just fine.

So, to close this article, we'll leave you by saying that there may never be a Michael Jordan of online automotive repair manuals. Sure, Haynes, Alldata, and Mitchell 1 DIY, and all the rest all have their strengths, and some are more preferred compared to others, but what you need defines what's best for you. And if you find that online auto repair manual, even if it's not among the big-name brands, then good for you! 

ALLDATA Online Repair Manuals Reach 80,000-Subscriber Plateau

When it comes to mechanical auto repair information, few companies can lay claim to the kind of success that ALLDATA has reached. The California-based company announced recently that it has just reached the 80,000-subcriber mark.

ALLDATA is still increasing its market share, backed by its recent releases of the ALLDATA Collision S3500 and the ALLDATA Repair S3000 manuals just this fall. The company continues to bank on strong and innovative products and services as it maintains its position as one of the leading providers of manufacturer repair information.

ALLDATA pioneered the online auto repair manuals scene, as it introduced the first electronic auto repair manual in North America shortly after its founding back in 1986. Many subscribers have flocked to the service thanks to its reliability—since the company sources its information directly from the manufacturers without any editing or without summarizing the material, subscribers get access to accurate and usually exclusive data.

At the moment, the ALLDATA repair and service database includes an extensive line of some 22,000 units of engine-specific vehicle models covering the model years 1982 to the present. The company’s products cater to the collision repair industry as well as the mechanical industry and of course the automotive repair and maintenance industry. Even some DIY mechanics are subscribing to the service.

"We have had rapid adoption to our latest product releases because we are committed to building products that drive the market forward and more important, are critical to our customers' businesses," said Jeff Lagges, president of ALLDATA. "We are constantly researching market trends and anticipating the next generation of products to assist our customers. We have been a leader in this field since the day we sold our first unit, and we intend to remain out front. Our goal is simply to help automotive repair shops deliver excellent service with factory-correct OE information and to thrive as a result."

Manuals Wanted: Mechanics Want Access to Dealer Info

In Massachusetts, there are thousands of independent repair shops that are currently having a hard time simply because they don’t have the kind of information that dealerships are privy to. These auto shops are waiting for the passing of a state bill that will give them access to that information.

"These independent garages are investing in manuals and they are really getting the Cliff Notes version," said Art Kinsman, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition. "They can go buy manufacturer scanning tools, but without dealer codes or satellite links to the manufacturers, the tools are only partially valuable to them."

Without access to such information, Kinsman says that the auto repair shops are forced to send their potential customers to the various dealerships simply because their garage doesn’t have the capacity to access the computer codes for diagnosing different vehicle problems. The codes are displayed by scanning tools bought from the manufacturer. The sad thing is that only the dealerships know which issue some codes are associated with. Not even access to premium online repair manuals can remedy certain situations.

The bill is the answer to many of these issues that plague the shops. "The bill requires manufacturers to sell for a fair price - and make available for purchase - repair codes, information, and diagnostic tools for fixing cars,” says Kinsman. "There are a lot of good dealers out there, but if you bought the car, you ought to get it fixed where you want."

Last year, the bill was already passed in Senate. The House, however, never came to a vote on the bill. This is so even when there are already 64 co-sponsors for the bill.

Among the co-sponsors is State Representative David Linsky. "I believe that independent auto repair shops should have all the access codes and information that is necessary to fix cars," Linsky said. "People shouldn't be forced to go to a dealer and pay expensive prices to have their cars repaired. Owning and operating a car is expensive enough as it is.

If you want more info about the Right to Repair Coalition, you can go to righttorepair.org.

Practical Ecommerce Features Motor Book Store Founder

Luis Hernandez, Jr., the owner and CEO of auto repair manual provider The Motor Bookstore, was recently interviewed by Practical eCommerce as part of their “Lessons Learned” series.

Hernandez first put up The Motor Bookstore back in 1995 and the initial service was basically an electronic counterpart of a motor bike repair and restoration magazine. Using this medium, he was able to sell some motorcycle books and then this retailing aspect just grew from that starting point. Hernandez managed to break into the e-commerce part of his business in 1997.

Hernandez fondly looks back on his first sale using the then-new e-commerce platform (which was still named MotorcycleBooks.com): “I still remember setting up the site, which was fairly easy through Viaweb,”Hernandez says. “The first order came in that same day, in the evening. I sold a Ducati book — MotorcycleBooks.com was a real business.”

The DeBary, FL-Based company grew enough to accommodate automotive-related material and books as well by 2002. That was when it became TheMotorBookstore.com. An estimated gross revenue of $2.2M was hauled in by the company in 2007, at its peak. Last year, the site grossed some $1.5 million in revenue.

“When we first started the magazine online, it was me, my ex-wife and one part-time employee. It was a little challenging of course financially, but since I am the kind of person who escrows for pretty much everything, I always had enough to cover all expenses and even save some money for future projects. That's how I was able to purchase my first office.

“We kept growing and at one point we had six employees. We’re now reduced down to four. As far as management, I subscribe to the theory of hiring tough and firing easy. We are like a family, where everyone is respected and allowed to do their job. Our people contribute to our goals because they know what we're about. The golden rule I've always had is to hire nice people. We can teach anyone how to sell technical automotive books, but we cannot teach them to be nice. That's something you learn at home.”

For the full article, you can visit this link and learn more about the site. We’ll be reviewing it shortly for your convenience.

Repair Manuals Online Prays for Japan

If you haven't heard already, Japan was struck by an offshore earthquake (Magnitude 8.8 or so) and then a tsunami hit.

Seriously, if you've watched any of the Live streaming footage, you'll see the extent of the devastation and the sheer brute force of nature. We pray for the safety of the survivors and hope that nothing major happens after.

Our prayers go out to all of the Japanese people and everyone who has been affected by this tragedy. Be safe, everyone. Minna, kiwotsukete ne.

Merc C-Class and C-Class Estate Online Manuals Now Up

Mercedes-Benz is really keen on providing online resources for its patrons. The German automobile manufacturer has just launched the interactive online manuals for two of its higher-end models, the C-Class compact executive sedan and the C-Class Estate station wagon.

The current-gen (w204) C-Class and C-Class Estate (s204) get the same online manual treatment as the previously showcased SLK’s. Viewers get detailed information about the vehicle, although you need to remember that the specifications have German standards in mind.

These online manuals are useful for many car owners who may have misplaced their printed copies. Of course, Mercedes-Benz puts it out there that these online interactive manuals aren’t really sufficient replacements for the real thing. There may be some info missing in the online version or some details can only be found on the printed manual.

Still, it’s nice to see Mercedes-Benz really putting customer service at the forefront of its operations. As an added bonus, enthusiasts who may or may not be able to afford the C-Class or C-Class Estate can still ogle the online interactive manuals and perhaps one day they (we? Haha) will be able to purchase the vehicle.

If you’re an owner of these current-gen C-Class vehicles and you’ve lost or misplaced your personal copy of the manual, you can always contact or go to your Merc dealer to inquire about getting a new copy. Don’t hesitate to do so—online repair manuals are good, but the actual owner’s manual is an indispensable resource you’ll need for the times when you have to repair or service your precious car.

Anyway, enough about all of this. Head on over to this link for the C-Class (w204) online interactive owner’s manual, or click this link to view the C-Class Estate (s204) online interactive owner’s manual. We hope you’ll enjoy it!

Online Repair Manuals are Here to Stay

Everything comes and goes. Even what's popular or famous today (The Los Angeles Lakers, Google, the iPhone, Rebecca Black) can be gone tomorrow. Still, we here at Repair Manuals Online firmly believe that our favorite web-based automotive resources, these online auto repair manuals, are certainly here to stay.

Fact is, a great many people really do own cars. And another fact is, most people would really want to save money by at least being knowledgeable enough to know what's wrong with their cars and maybe even be empowered enough to do something or other about the problem (this is, in essence, the DIY spirit). And online auto repair manuals are excellent tools for that job.

Very few things can compare to the convenience of having a readily accessible resource off the Internet, especially now that fast broadband connections are becoming the norm instead of the exception. This way, it's pretty easy to access online car repair manuals anytime and anywhere (or at least anywhere with a decent Wi-Fi connection that you can connect to).

Wikipedia is popular for a reason. It has loads of information available within a click or two. The same goes for online car repair manuals. They offer specialized info for DIY mechanics, and there really aren't a lot of resources that can compare in terms of depth and coverage. It's just a matter of finding the perfect one for your vehicle.

So there you have it. We believe that our beloved online auto repair manuals are here to stay. As long as there's a person who needs to have automotive information available at his fingertips, these web-based resources will have demand. And as long as service providers are willing to serve up this demand, then we'll always have high-quality and reliable online vehicle repair manuals at our beck and call. Count on it.

Share Your Online Repair Manuals Story

We've received a couple of e-mails telling how people experienced some problems with their cars and found the solution in online auto repair manuals. We'll be bringing them out to the forefront when we post them and discuss them on a future date, but now we'd just like to tell everybody that we welcome any and all e-mails as long as you tell us about your own story involving online car repair manuals.

It can be any story—from a repair job that you've had where you consulted your trusty online car repair manual or when you opted to go for a subscription so that you can really get into the DIY mechanic mode properly. Regardless, we'll be taking a close look at it and then we'll showcase it in a post all its own just so the rest of the world will know your story.

Questions and suggestions are also welcome, so don't be shy and just fire away. We'll answer anything you want to know with everything that we have, and we'll try to give you solutions and consider any suggestions you want to give us. It's a free world, after all, and all we want to do is serve you guys better and provide you with the best possible resource when it comes to online auto repair manuals.

So don't hesitate to hit the e-mail! Or you can simply drop us a line using the comment forms on any of our posts. Don't worry—we'll make sure to reply as soon as possible so that your story gets published and your queries get answered. Here's to more online auto repair manual stories in the future!

Online Auto Repair Manuals FTW

Never take things for granted, guys. If you have a subscription to any of the premium online auto repair manuals out there, then make sure you maximize each and every kilobyte of data. Learn the ropes in and out. Study what needs to be studied. Get to know your vehicle by using the manual, so that you won't have much of a problem when a, uh, problem arises.

Mastering DIY can be a pretty challenging and not to mention daunting task. But it is certainly doable, and you can manage it easily with the help of a reliable online auto repair manual at your disposal. When something happens to your car, the online car repair manual is the one you can turn to for help. Of course, you can also consult your trusted mechanic, but it will definitely save you loads of money if you can do tasks yourself.

It doesn't even have to be a big, complicated task. You can just learn basic things like servicing and keeping your car in top condition. Preventing setbacks can be a pretty good way to maintain the good performance of your vehicle while saving some dough in the process. If you can keep your car in excellent shape, then you won't have to pay bloated fees from independent repair shops or from your dealership.

You'll be able to see the difference when you set out on a repair or maintenance task and you don't have a trusty online auto repair manual available for use. The task will definitely be much easier to perform, and you'll be more confident doing it since you know you are backed by the kind of information that even dealership mechanics sometimes don't have. It's a win-win situation for you, since you have a perfectly working vehicle while still maximizing your savings since you did the job all on your own.

Alternatives to Online Auto Repair Manuals: Mobile Apps

the AutoMD iPhone app

So you don't want to bother with online auto repair manuals, huh? We understand—sometimes the sheer unfamiliarity and the inaccessibility of the content found in these beloved resources can hinder certain DIY mechanics in terms of growth and training.

Well, the good news is that there are plenty of alternative options that you can turn to should you find auto repair manuals (especially those of the online variety) unsatisfactory or not to your liking. For example you can always turn to applications or apps that can be installed in mobile phone operating systems.

One good example of a reliable mobile app is the AutoMD app for iPhone, iPad tablet, and the iPod Touch media device. You can find the app at this link. It's a good all-around tool; there are still many quirks in the app's current version, but most of it is pretty serviceable. The app offers repair estimates, a shop finder, how-to guides that are linked to the AutoMD website, TSB and recall information, and some other stuff that you can access. It's a free app, anyway, so do give it a try if you like. We'll come up with our own review sometime. Maybe when the next version is released, to be fair.

Additionally, some automakers do provide customers with mobile apps that are focused on particular vehicle models, so you get the power of a manual in the comfort of your own mobile device. Plus, most of these are optimized to be written in a language that many will find relatively easy to understand.

If you own a vehicle, you can look up your ride's manufacturer's web site and check if they offer manual information online (like Mercedes-Benz does). You can also check your respective app store to see if the manufacturer also provides mobile apps. We'll tackle more alternative options in the future, so do stay tuned!

More Online Owner’s Manuals via Edmunds.com

Since we upped that post about the interactive online manuals for the Mercedes-Benz SLK and then the Tesla Roadster, we thought it would be nice to compile all of the online repair manuals information concerning these valuable resources.

There’s only one problem. Edmunds.com has already beat us to the punch. They already have a listing for practically every vehicle make along with the links to those makes’ respective web sites. Edmunds has also conveniently provided answers to questions like “is my car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) required?” or “do I have to pay to access these online car care manuals?” They have also provided info on which model years you’ll be able to find a manual of.

It’s really a great list, and we applaud the writers for making the effort to track down all of those sites and all of those links just to provide a comprehensive list of online manuals for a wide range of car owners.

If you’re not in the mood to use your computer when you need to find some information about a particular part or system inside your vehicle, you can always order a printed owner’s manual. Ordering information is usually provided in the manufacturer’s site, or you can get one online via car repair manual retailers.

Want to see the list? Just click here to jump on to the Edmunds index of online owner’s manuals.

Keeping Things Green with Online Auto Repair Manuals

One of the easiest and most convenient ways to help the drive to keep Mother Earth happy is to cut back on the consumption of paper products. This is largely why many companies are already shifting a lot of business processes involving packaging and documentation. Mobile phones are coming in smaller eco-friendly boxes. Many tech stuff come with virtual manuals instead of paper manuals. Heck, even auto manufacturers aren’t shying away from this practice—which is why we now have a lot of models with online manuals.

Online auto repair manuals are great because they never consume any trees (um, for paper, right?) and all they do is cause a little eye strain (although you might be able to view them using your spankin’ new laptops, netbooks or tablets or other mobile devices with fancy optimized displays that won’t cause too much strain on your precious orbs of sight).

Car owners can still purchase paper / printed manuals since sometimes there really is nothing more convenient than a book you can read through without having to rely on technology—just good old brain processing power. Still, there’s no denying the economic and ecologic impact that adoption of purely online or digital resources can bring.

Maybe you think I’ve just been watching too many reruns of An Inconvenient Truth or that special about Garbage Island, but it’s true—I think all of the little ways people and business come up with to reduce carbon footprint and encourage recycling will all add up to have a big effect. That’s just another reason why I love online auto repair manuals so much.

2008 Tesla Roadster Owner’s Manual

I was browsing random stuff and documents over at Scribd when I chanced upon an interesting find: an online owner’s manual for the BEV (battery electric vehicle) supercar, the Tesla Roadster. To be specific, it’s an online manual for the 2008 model of the car, produced by California-based Tesla Motors.

Of course, only a single model has been in production since 2008, so I guess it shouldn’t be much of a problem that I failed to find a 2009 or a 2010 edition of the owner’s manual anywhere online.

Who would’ve guessed that the Tesla Roadster was just like a normal sports car? I kid. You’ll find the usual owner’s manual stuff inside the one for the spankin’ hot electric vehicle, including intros, basic overviews of components and systems, driving basics and maintenance guidelines. There’s also a thorough section on technical specifications near the end. The whole thing is in there.

Just like your standard online auto repair manuals, here are also sections on how to clean the vehicle, how to replace certain parts, and make sure that your environmentally-friendly and emissions-free ride is always in tip-top shape. Of course, owning a Tesla Roadster, which is a fully electric vehicle that requires no constant oil changes, has no exhaust systems to speak of, and need no spark plug, hose or belt replacments, allows for easier maintenance because there are less systems and components compared to conventional cars.

The Tesla Roadster took the automotive world by storm with its epic performance numbers while running on battery power. As of early December of last year, there had already been 1,400 Roadsters delivered to customers in many countries.

Ready to take the plunge? Head on over to this link to view the 2008 Tesla Roadster owner’s manual at Scribd.