Car Repair Manuals

There is no doubt that having your car repaired at your local garage can put a dint in your wallet, with labour charges at around £50 an hour and no guarantee of the time it will take it is no wonder that even those with limited time will consider buying a manual and doing it themselves. Not to mention a well maintained car will not need the breakdown cover patrolman as much.

So what type of manuals are there? Well to you and me the most popular would be the haynes manual with an international reputation and probably anyone in the UK, who has worked on cars will own or have used a Haynes manual ar some time.

But sometimes, these manual are not enough. Not enough photos and a description that tells you to "remove a nut" does not always help you, when that nut does not want to move and you are worried you are doing something wrong. You often need more information to reduce those breakdowns.

Some descriptions are copied from other manuals also and for me most mechanics only use these for reference, rather than detailed instruction.

Avoid Breakdown Cover Costs By Doing Some Work Yourself

However for us amateurs they can save considerable time. I once was changing the front discs on my car. I spent hours looking for a large ratchet to take off the middle nut in the spindle, only to find out, this did not need to be taken off at all. Hours lost, until I bought the manual.

Of course people change their cars and then the manual is then not needed. This means there is an abundance of old manuals in garages. You can often find these on ebay or car boot sales, so unless you are in a hurry, you can often find these much cheaper than new.

There are other manuals out there, especially for older cars, but do not have the brand name as Haynes.

Some manufacturers have there own manuals, but these are often only available to dealers of these cars to ensure their dealers have the right information to their job.

Of course there are other ways to find out information on your car, try some of the car forums which give excellent advice from people who have already done the job. You can ask a question and get an answer just a bit later on. having a reliable car should reduce your costs both on breakdown cover and unexpected repairs, so why not do it yourself?