Online Auto Repair Manual Reviews: Freeonlineautorepair.com

We’ve already provided a bunch of reviews centered on some of the preeminent paid or premium online car repair manual services on the world wide web, along with some posts pointing to a couple of free online repair manuals. Today, we’ll be setting our sights on a free online auto repair manual site, the aptly named Free Online Auto Repair web site over at http://www.freeonlineautorepair.com/.

The one positive that stood out for us is that the information at freeonlineautorepair.com is organized in a variety of ways. You can browse through listings like Common Diagnostic & Repair Topics, Quick Tips for cars and trucks, and an alphabetically arranged Repair Directory.

The Repair Directory is perhaps the most useful for many who are looking for something close to a repair manual specific to particular makes and models. Just click on the link to your vehicle’s make and you’ll be taken to a page that lists all the site’s entries featuring that automobile manufacturer. There are some active links for certain vehicle models, although it’s more of a hit or miss thing here. You can also find some pieces of general reference material that you can use, like tip and tricks for general automotive care and maintenance and a fancy online PDF glossary of car-related terms.

Perhaps the biggest drawback even with the seemingly numerous listings is that the information can be really limited. The coverage isn’t very comprehensive, with only a few entries included for some makes. Well, what can you do? It’s a free site. You’re in luck if you can find what you need in their listings.

When push comes to shove, freeonlineautorepair.com is not the best automotive repair resource on the Internet, and it certainly won’t be an alternative for premium auto repair manuals that you can use for comprehensive data. Still, there are some features on the site that you can use, albeit only a very limited amount.

Mitchell 1 DIY Offers Discounts for the New Year

There are always great deals in store every Christmas season, including sales and promos for gadgets, gaming consoles, computers, furniture and even clothing. New Year also brings inventory clearance sales and price drops. But did you know that you can also get premium online auto repair manuals at a cheaper price during this season? That’s just what Mitchell 1 DIY has in mind.

Here’s the official word on the Mitchell 1 DIY home page:

“Mitchell 1 DIY would like to help you keep that New Year's Resolution to repair the things on your vehicle that you have been putting off. That's why we're offering our One Week Subscription, regularly priced at $11.99 for $10.49.

Mitchell 1 DIY Online repair information features over 16,000 vehicles with more than 19,000 repair articles and thousands of technical service bulletins, including recalls, and millions of supporting graphics.”

Of course, this offer has been in place for quite some time now, and granted, it’s just $1.50 off. But hey! We’re not the kind to spurn any discount or slashed price. $1.50 off quality premium online car repair manuals is still a very good offer.

Also, if you haven’t done so already, you can check out our overview of the Mitchell 1 DIY service over at this link. And the pricing there is even updated to reflect the current discounted rate. Now is your chance to avail of detailed repair manuals online, with an extensive coverage when it comes to model years and vehicle makes.

What better way to spend some of that excess Christmas bonus money than to get a reliable online repair manual for you or your enthusiast friends? Plus, it’s discounted, too! Now that’s better value for your hard-earned moolah.

Happy Holidays!

Preventive Maintenance through Online Repair Manuals

If your vehicle has ever broken down on you while you sped through the highway, then you know how much hassle that entails. Basically, there’s only one proven way to prevent that from happening to you—the key is preventive maintenance, and you can accomplish this with any reliable online auto repair manual.

You’ll be able to find a wide selection of online car repair manuals that will give you the necessary information that you’ll need to carry out monthly inspections on your car. Spending a small amount of time under your ride’s hood each month is guaranteed to reduce the chances that your vehicle will break down on you some time or another. In fact, some repair manuals even say that as much as 70 percent of highway breakdown causes can be prevented by simply taking a mere 15 minutes to check up under the hood of your vehicle.

You have to check components that lose vital fluid, lose air, come loose or get damaged after some time in use. When the level of fluids like oil, coolant, brake fluid and others start to get dangerously low, you should refill the fluid back to their operational levels.

Make sure to inspect such components as your car’s radiator, the drive belts, the accessory belts, the air filter and even the car battery. Inspect the different hoses that you find under the hood as well. All of the electrical wiring should also be checked every month to guarantee proper function out of your ride’s various electrically-powered components. Lastly, make sure your ride’s tires are in good condition.

Once you’re done with your monthly vehicle inspection, you’ll be able to have peace of mind knowing that there is little chance your car will break down on you when you go out for a drive. You’ll also effectively prolong the service life of your vehicle’s parts and spare yourself the hassle of fixing your vehicle in the middle of the highway.

Haynes: Our Online Auto Repair Manual of the Year

Since 2010 is coming to a close, I guess it is high time to give credit where credit is due. Thus, we present our 2010 Online Auto Repair Manual of the Year award to none other than Haynes Online. Although yes, you could make the case that Haynes is more like online ordering for actual auto repair manuals, it’s still an online service and we treat it as such.


We’re really impressed with the reach and the system implemented by Haynes. The company offers not just repair manuals for cars but also techbooks, ATV and motorcycle manuals as well as manuals in Spanish. Of course, what we really like the most is the process of actually producing the manual. Haynes tears down an entire vehicle (!!!) before rebuilding it.

This system allows for a thorough understanding of every system and component in the vehicle, as well as 100-percent accuracy when it comes to diagrams, layouts, positions and other particular pieces of information relating to a certain car model. These also help give users photos and illustrations of the actual car they need to work on. Of course, the drawback is that there has to be sufficient demand in order to make the manual you need available, but the Haynes coverage is pretty extensive anyway.

Of course, there were other strong contenders in 2010, as online repair manual services shored up their catalogs and even slashed prices on subscriptions. But then, you know what they say: there can be only one. This time, it’s Haynes. Who knows, next year maybe we’ll be able to see a different online auto repair manual service wearing the crown. There’s a lot of promise coming from some services, and maybe they’ll be able to break through in 2011.

Additionally, if you want more information about Haynes, you can go visit our review article on Haynes Online by clicking on this link.

Diagram Illustrations: How Important are they?

In our previous entries about looking for the right kind of online auto repair manuals, we stated that there has to be some illustrations included to help the DIY mechanic do his or her task. When you talk about the bottom line, however, are illustrations really all that important for people?

This argument comes up because there are already detailed step by step instructions that come with practically all online car repair manuals. These texts are quite easy to understand, so people will be able to follow them without much of a hitch. Then again, sometimes even the most carefully stated thoughts can be a bit confusing to other people. That’s when illustrations are needed.

Sometimes, it’s just hard to know if you’re handling the correct part in a particular system. A clear picture provided in the manual will dispel any doubts you have, and you can approach the task with more confidence since you know you’re not removing the wrong part.

Besides, thanks to an influx of computer software, rendering high-quality illustrations is now a cinch for many publishers. Readers now get very accurate diagrams as well as clearly-illustrated depictions of systems and processes. Pictures now are more detailed, more graphic and easily more eye-catching. Some even provide 3D images or animated gif files that really show how something works. These come in handy when you find yourself uncertain about something.

Illustrations are found in our everyday lives. From the newspaper to the television, we are barraged with a wide variety of visual stimuli. That’s because the human brain can understand and internalize things easier with the use. The same goes for online car repair manuals. All of that exclusive jargon, complicated processes and the concepts that are seemingly hard to understand simply become clearer thanks to visual aids included in the manuals.

Generic Online Auto Repair Manuals

Sometimes, people don't really need information that is too detailed for their own good. This holds true for automotive repair as well, particularly when getting a new online auto repair manual. There are instances where you simply need a repair manual that offers an overview or a general approach.

When would such a type of online repair manual be useful? One situation I can think if is when you’re just starting out in the world of DIY automotive repair and maintenance. After all, you’ll need some time to learn the ropes and know all of the basics when it comes to cars and what makes them work. Having a good grasp of the fundamentals is an important part of any endeavor, so that’s where the general online repair manual comes in.

When I was just dipping my toes into the pool of DIY auto repair, there were books that helped me get on the right track. Things like Auto Repair for Dummies and even the Complete Car Care Manual from Popular Mechanics may not be as in-depth as many would like, but they do offer a complete overview that can help you understand the basics.

For me, the best thing about such manuals is that they are really intended to be read by beginners or those with low levels of automotive repair skill. That means the information is organized very well, the language is quite plain, and the step by step procedures are easy to understand overall. This way, they can provide an adequate stepping stone before you move up to the more detailed online auto repair manuals that are specific to the cars you work on.

Detailed, model-specific information is very useful, especially for unique models that don’t really match the systems or configurations of common vehicles. Still, if you want to first know all about the basics, it won’t hurt to go the general auto repair manual route.

Things to Look for in Online Auto Repair Manuals Part 2

In a previous post a couple of days back, we’ve already provided some aspects that we think should be major factors in your decision to go for one online auto repair manual service over the others. Of course, three aspects don’t make a full online car repair manual, right? So we’ve decided to add to the list of things and features you should consider when you finally get your own paid subscription to an online vehicle repair manual. Here they are:

Ease of Use

Make sure you check if there are any available reviews about your prospective online auto repair manuals. This way, you can find out if that particular service or program or site is easy enough to use. It’s not so much the system requirements as it is the way the user interface is designed. If the online repair manual is easy to navigate, you’ll be able to get your desired information much faster.


Clarity of Information

Without a doubt, all paid online repair manuals aim to provide as comprehensive a coverage as possible. Sometimes, though, the language they use to present that information just isn’t understandable enough for common folk and for DIY beginners. That can be a roadblock for some, since they won’t be able to use something they can’t understand.


Cost

This is a major factor that we didn’t include in the previous list, but it is definitely a major, major aspect of purchasing an online car repair manual. All of the other aspects figure into this consideration, because the more features the manual program or site has, the better value you’ll get for the cost. One online repair manual may be more expensive than another, but if the additional features and coverage you’ll get is extensive, then it might be worth shelling out a few more bucks.