tinyurl.com/33ystm4
I know a lot of us are frustrated at Haynes' inability to publish service and repair manuals for contemporary models of cars but this is getting a bit ridiculous!
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I think it's brilliant.
I was reared on Haynes manuals and many a time I have sat reading what I had to do, because I couldn't afford to pay someone to do it for me.
I always told myself that as long as I could read I could do the job myself and it always worked.........eventually!
I wish cars were that easy to work on now, I miss it but learned a lot from my mistakes.
Always reconnect the low tension lead on a Capri
Don't over tighten a temperature sender unit on a Carlton.
You can fit a base gasket to an old GS550 without removing the engine.
Haynes manuals rank along with maps for me, good reading material.
Pat
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I'll be buying it for my 3-year-old son. He loves Roary, and has often seen me perusing the Haynes manual for my car.
A good gauge of how much trouble a "new" second-hand car was likely to be, was the presence of a well-thumbed, oily Haynes manual in the boot... But at least you knew which jobs had already been done!
Last edited by: Dave_TD {P} on Tue 17 Aug 10 at 08:09
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Haynes went downhill even during the time when they used to publish real manuals.
Originally they actually dismantled a real used car, and reported how to do it, complete with pictures of oily parts and grubby fingers. Then they degenerated to using new parts and manufacturers' stock pictures and diagrams.
Finally they gave up actually doing anything at all, and just advised you to take it to an authorised dealer.
I bet they don't advise now on how to improvise a tool for extracting gear clusters if you haven't got the proper one. Or spreading an axle casing and improvising a way of setting the bearing pre-load?
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Haynes manuals used to be good, and for me were always the second purchase after the car.
In those days they would show you a gearbox with its internals, and say "Dont do this, but if you are mad enough this is how to do it"
At least when the gearbox went you knew why before getting an exchange unit.
For the last 10 years they have been less than useless unless you manage to get an old one for an old car, They have even been stripping pages and info from reprints.
Last edited by: Zero on Tue 17 Aug 10 at 09:06
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I have Haynes to thank for keeping me mobile in my younger impoverished years, (fix it yourself or walk). I think they lost the plot when they switched from repair to service manuals. But then who is going to mess with a canbus system or common rail diesel system on the kitchen table ? I haven't done anything more adventurous than an oil and filter change or a brake pad change for many years.
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I read somewhere on their website, (i cant find it off hand) that they stopped doing the more detailed workshop manuals and concentrated on the owners service ones as it was "what the public want" (IIRC)
But i still have mine, my MK1 Astra manual proved invaluable and is very much covered in oily thumprints :-)
Last edited by: Redviper on Tue 17 Aug 10 at 09:14
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Ive got various old Haynes manuals collected over the years on my garage - including one for a Talbot Samba, as if ill ever own one of them - I wont.
As for the Roary book - ive been eyeing that one up for my 4 year old son - he loves Roary and also loves reducing any toy car to its component parts, so Im sure he will like the adult Haynes books aswell someday :-)
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I have the Haynes manuals for Mrs RR's Saxo and my Mondeo. A fair bit of the information in them is simply wrong, both missing out on parts of a stripdown or telling you to remove componants that are simply not nescessary on a particular job.
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I like Haynes. Sure they make mistakes but model specs change..
For all those who criticise them, I ask: What is the alternative?
Their instructions on changing a Yaris timing chain are more accurate than Toyota's (confirmed to me by a helpful Toyota mechanic when I had a problem as I rang them to query some issue).
Plausdits: Pinkstones Stoke on Trent: VERY helpful staff. Highly recommended.
Last edited by: madf on Tue 17 Aug 10 at 11:17
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>> For all those who criticise them, I ask: What is the alternative?
I agree, its much better than nothing, I just wish they kept the Workshop Manual versions instead of the Service and Repair
But then again on the flip side, maybe its nessersary, as everything nowadays has to be refer to "manufacture diagnostoics" which is not avaialble anywhere but a specialised dealer.
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I must apologise for underestimating the appeal of Roary the Racing Car. My children are all grown up now and so I've lost touch with such matters.
I will really have to catch up if grandchildren come along.
I still have Haynes manuals for the original Fiat Panda, Citroen ZX, Volvo 740, Ford Fiesta, Renault Megane and Fiat Cinquecento. I had manuals for the Triumph Herald, Ford Anglia, Talbot Horizon and, possibly, Peugeot 309 but can't find them now. They may still be in the loft of the house that is now in the possession of my almost ex-wife. I left her the manual for the Honda Jazz as well!
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can you ask her if she has my simon and garfunkel LP too?
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>> can you ask her if she has my simon and garfunkel LP too?
Well all my vinyl disappeared and she just says it was put in the loft but I think she chucked it all away.
I'm more upset about losing those LPs than signing over a £177,000 house!
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I think it was (much divorced) Za-Za Gabor who claimed to the a great housekeeper, because she always got to keep the house.
You have my sympathy, NDC. If it's any consolation, I've lost two that way...
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>>I've lost two that way...
To lose one is unfortunate, to lose two seems like carelessness. ;>)
Note to Rattle...............
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"my almost ex-wife"
Congrats. I recommend taking yourself and a new credit card to Prague for a couple of weeks.
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"to lose two seems like carelessness"
I had thought of quoting that myself, but I knew someone would be along with it shortly!
You and Oscar are not wrong - although the present Mrs JBJ does help make up for it.. :-)
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I just wished they had embraced technology and released DVDs showing how to demonstrations for most models. There always seemed to be bits missing from one photo to another when you hit a problem.
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I have some sympathy with the author (who is a long-serving writer for Haynes, apparently) who is doubtless getting frustrated with his day job. I hope he gets the royalties.
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Slight drift but, have you visited their museum? It's brilliant.
JH
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I feel compelled to add my two pennyworth. From around 1972 (first car) to 1985 (first company car) when I did all my own servicing and most repairs - new diffs, front struts, shockers, clutches, decokes and the like I found Haynes manuals a godsend. I had a new one for each car and they were pretty much spot on with the information. The step by step dismantling photos were helpful too.
Now that the company cars have long gone and my own cars are getting older and I'm disinclined to buy new anymore (Yes Mappy - I'm now a convert !) I have looked at Haynes Manuals again - well at least those that aren't all cellophane sealed and the detail just isn't there anymore. I haven't bought a new Haynes yet and I'm not sure I'd bother spending the money now.
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I remember seeing an ad on the back of my Metro manual for the Haynes Manual on Sex!
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Just where you need a socket set...
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ive got a haynes manual for a lancaster bomber
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>> ive got a haynes manual for a lancaster bomber
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Anyone know where I can get one for my jet fighter ?
www.fantasygaragedoors.com/
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 19 Aug 10 at 19:11
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fiction section local library? ;-)
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Want to strip your shunter down ?
tinyurl.com/37ejjlj
Ted
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Haynes-How Pointless Can It Get? - Pat
