The Best Things in Life aren’t Free

We know; the saying actually goes “the best things in life are free.” The fact is, that’s not true a lot of times. When you consider the context of online auto repair manuals, it can hold true for some, and not for others.

Sometimes, it depends on how diligent and crafty you can get when it comes to your Google search terms. Sometimes, it depends on how lucky you are that someone somewhere decided to scan his or her copy of an automotive manual or a car repair guide and uploaded it to the Internet. Sometimes, you won’t even have to go through all that trouble because your good ol’ local library has auto repair manuals (whether it’s a book or a CD-ROM) in their catalog. Sometimes, your trusted mechanic will have all the answers and—if you’re really lucky and friendly—he might give you the info and advice for free.

Still, there are times when you just won’t be able to find free online repair manuals for your particular vehicle, or the one you find just doesn’t explain your current troubles and issues. In such cases, the best recourse is to just buy the repair or service manuals off licensed retailers or from online repair manual providers.

Subscriptions to or orders for online car repair manuals are worth the investment, though—especially if you see your vehicle as more than just a vehicle. The price you’ll pay for a book or an annual subscription to an online repair manual is definitely small compared to the hefty repair and maintenance fees you might have to pay if you don’t want to do such tasks on your own.

So, yeah, sometimes the best things in life simply aren’t free. That doesn’t mean they’re not worth spending on, however. If you’ve got enough left on your car budget and you really want to save on mechanic fees, try checking out your online repair manual options now and hopefully come to a decision on which one to subscribe to.

Online Repair Manuals: Bikes and ATVs

Cars, SUVs and trucks aren’t the only ones that have online repair manuals. If you own a bike or an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) or a utility terrain vehicle (UTV), you can also avail of many online vehicle repair manuals for your specific machine.

While online repair manuals for motorcycles and ATVs may not seem as common as those of their more illustrious counterparts, but the truth is that there are many sites out there that you can use to gain information on various topics relating to the repair and servicing of your bike or quad.

Just like with automobiles, you can also find free online repair manuals for your motorcycle. These bike repair manuals and ATV repair manuals offer a good resource for your DIY and repair efforts, and the best part is you don’t have to pay a single cent to access the manuals via subscription or to download PDF files of actual manuals. An example here again is a web site that we’ve discussed before: FixYa, which has a motorcycle category.

While bikes and quads may have systems that are less complicated compared to cars, some issues can still be tricky to figure out and solve. That’s where online manuals come in. Just grab your laptop or turn on your PC, then log on to the Internet and you’ll have ready access to troubleshooting procedures and suggested fixes.

Whether you’re driving a top-of-the-line Harley or going off-road on your ATV, getting an online repair manual is a great way to ensure that any future repair or maintenance tasks can be accomplished easier, faster and with less hassle. With reliable workshop manuals and repair manuals to guide you and help you in tough situations, going the DIY route can prove to be much more fun and fulfilling. Plus, you get to shave off all those expensive repair costs by doing tasks yourself.

Online Auto Repair Manual Reviews: Mitchell 1 DIY

One of the newer online auto repair manuals available is Mitchell 1 DIY. The service is running on its sixth year now, and it has built up quite a sizeable database of online repair manuals over that short span of time.

Here are some of the pros: Mitchell 1 DIY contains a wide range of information, and the database covers nearly all domestic and import cars with model years from 1983 to 2009. You get general repair information such as basic troubleshooting and resetting procedures, along with more detailed instructions for electrical, engine or transmission work. Maintenance information such as lubrication, inspection and servicing schedules are also part of the service.

Mitchell 1 DIY also has a lot of credentials to back its claims up. It was given the Blue Seal of Excellence award by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (otherwise known as the ASE), which also provides certifications for auto repair and service professionals. In addition, the editorial staff for the Mitchell 1 auto repair manuals includes Master Technicians and Quadruple Master Technicians also certified by the ASE. Now that’s what people mean when they look for credentials.

Subscriptions start at $10.49 for a week-long subscription. Now, that can be a bit pricey especially if you can get access to other vehicle-specific manuals at $14.95 for a whole month’s access. Mitchell 1 costs $16.99 for one month, and its annual subscription will cost you $29.99 (compared to Chilton’s $24.95 annual fee). Of course, for the excess cash, you’ll be getting material backed by certified professionals. Paypal and major credit cards are accepted forms of payment.

With an extensive coverage in terms of vehicle year, make and model as well as comprehensive information, Mitchell 1 DIY is an excellent option for auto enthusiasts that are willing to shell out some money for a reliable and certified resource. If you have the money, do try it out.

FixYa: Free Online Tool for Automotive Repair

Sometimes, it can be a hassle for consumers to contact customer support, especially when it involves some sort of issue or problem involving the product. This can be especially difficult when cars are involved, because of the sheer expense one has to incur for this investment. If you’ve encountered this sort of hassle when troubleshooting problems for your car, you might want to check out FixYa.

FixYa is basically an online community that revolves around the collection of resources and data, especially those that deal with troubleshooting, product tips and technical information.

The site covers a broad range of categories, and Cars is one of them. You can find all sorts of data on a wide variety of vehicle makes and models. There are rundowns of common problems per car, along with the suggested solutions for those issues. It provides what many car owners need when faced with a problem: the information to fix whatever is wrong with their rides.

Since it’s a community, other users can also chime in and share their know-how, their experiences, their expertise and their suggestions. It functions much like a forum does, except there is a bit more organization to the information. The site really encourages individuals to repair their stuff when possible, and even manufacturers are reaping benefits because the information is handed to the customer firsthand.

Other FixYa categories include consumer electronics, computers, toys and health, among others. If you’re all out of good places to hunt for information, you should definitely take FixYa out for a spin. With over 20 million people visiting the site and with over a million items covered in the site’s database, it really is a treasure trove of customer support and technical information. Who knows, you might even get to like the community and end up staying there even after finding the solutions to your particular problem.

November Post Roundup

It’s already December! It’ll be Christmas in a few weeks, and we hope you’re already starting to get accustomed to the chilly weather and that you’ve begun preparations to make the season warmer. Anyway, since it’s a new month, let’s have a roundup of our previous posts this past month, just in case you’ve missed some of our tidbits about online auto repair manuals.

Auto Repair is Made Easy Thanks to Online Auto Repair Manuals

This post basically outlines how online car repair manuals, especially those free manuals, can really help make auto repair easier for car enthusiasts and DIY beginners

Online Auto Repair Manuals Save the Day

How my friend Jerome encountered a relatively baffling issue from his Nissan Pathfinder’s AC blower—and how searching for a free online auto repair manual saved the day. There’s a lesson here somewhere about how being specific on your searches can lead to great results.


Online Repair Manuals: Google Tips

In this post, we give a few tips and tricks on how to refine your search and modify the results to suit your needs, as well as how to get better resources out of each Google search.

Online Auto Repair Manual Reviews: Haynes and Online Auto Repair Manual Reviews: Chilton

Take a look at Repair Manuals Online’s take on a couple of the more prominent online car repair manuals. We’re hoping to get more reviews done in the next month, so watch out for those as well!



We’ve got loads more waiting for you in December, so make sure to bookmark the blog and check back often. Additionally, if your partner loves cars and wants to start working on his or her ride, then you can always subscribe him or her to an online repair manual for Christmas. Now that’s a unique gift idea!

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.

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.