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!