When it comes to DIY auto repair manuals, simple and straightforward is the name of the game. For those drivers who don’t have a clue about the parts of their vehicles, the Auto Repair For Dummies book is ideal. Online repair manuals are an excellent alternative, but your Internet access can be down–this means you must rely on the tried-and-tested printed repair manual. And it doesn’t hurt to go the old-fashioned route!
It covers a wide range of topics, ranging from the how an internal combustion engine works to regular car maintenance. Once you read each chapter, you’ll get a basic understanding on how the different automotive systems work together. To help get the point across, the book relies on illustrations and diagrams to help explain automotive concepts. The latest edition of Auto Repair For Dummies is revamped and updated to include the common repairs on modern vehicles, with specific information on alternative fuel engines and hybrids. Unlike previous editions, carburetors are not included anymore. More than just car repair, there are also topics on how to drive more efficiently to lessen the impact of wear-and-tear on some automotive components. Of course, this book will also teach how to troubleshoot problems before they get out of hand, and when to call in professional help for tough jobs.
When it comes to car repair, having the right knowledge can help you a lot even if you don’t have previous experience tinkering with automotive parts. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to handle basic maintenance and repairs with ease. You can save a considerable amount of money when you opt to do repairs yourself. When you consider the rising fuel prices these days, the savings you can make doesn’t sound too bad at all! And because you’re working on your own vehicle, you’re more likely to do a more quality repair compared to a hired mechanic. While not all mechanics are out to shortchange you, they are focused on making profit by trying to finish repairs quickly. Sometimes, this leads to lower-quality repairs that force you to return your vehicle to the repair shop again.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Online Auto Repair Manuals Review: Factory Automanuals
Sometimes, you can tell how serious a business is based on its online presence. In that regard, Factory Automanuals really gave us a great first impression. The service impressed us right away with its web design, which deviated from the common e-commerce mold of other online auto repair manuals in that theirs actually had some visual appeal and had an aesthetic going on. There is some effort at typography and keeping with a unified design overall.
Finding one for your needs is relatively easy, aided by the site's Quick Search function. Ordering is also a breeze, and prospective buyers have two options when purchasing: Add to Cart, which is pretty much self-explanatory, and Add to Wishlist. Shipping and tax are both calculated upon checkout, and there's really no other way to determine the total cost unless the customer already selected his or her delivery options. Of course, at least a partial total would have sufficed in the Cart section. It would help customers estimate the costs and the amount they need to shell out for the repair manuals.
Cadillac, Chevy, Ford, Isuzu, Toyota, Volkswagen, import cars, domestic cars, motorcycles, trucks, farm equipment—you name it, Factory Automanuals probably has it. It's this large selection of resources and manuals that gives the online service a big nod in our books. If you prefer the kind of manuals that you can flip through and store in bookshelves, you can do way worse than Factory Automanuals. It's a good site that has a solid collection, and it has a layout that's very pleasing to the eye.
Friday, March 25, 2011
The Basics of Auto Repair and Maintenance
Fundamentals are important.
You can think up all of the left-field modifications you want to do on your precious vehicle, but it remains important that you have a thorough understanding of what makes your car tick. You can accomplish this by reading through your online repair manual (or if you’re rich and have surplus cash, perhaps you have many online auto repair manuals under your name).
These fundamentals involve a pool of knowledge that you can fall back on when things get nasty, or when your tasks become too complicated. It’s essential that you have a firm grasp on the basic functions and inner workings of your ride’s core systems so that you’ll have an idea what to do and where to start when something goes wrong.
Online car repair manuals contain the sort of basic information you need to handle practically any task related to auto repair, maintenance, and modification. Vehicle-specific variants are still the preferable options, but even generic ones will do. Once you understand your ride in theory, you can apply that knowledge into practice. Over time, you won’t even have to keep consulting the online repair manual just to confirm if what you think is correct. That’s how the fundamentals can help you on your everyday DIY tasks.
I'm sure "Timmy" and his four NBA championship rings will agree.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Online Auto Repair Manuals and the Issue of Comprehension
One potential roadblock to the widespread use of online car repair manuals is comprehension. Depending on the manual that you download, or the language used by the online repair manual service provider, you might encounter steps, concepts, knowledge, ideas, and other pieces of information that can be hard to understand.
The fact that you decided to undertake DIY auto repair and maintenance with the aid of an online auto repair manual, I guess, already speaks volumes about your commitment and desire to learn. If that’s the case, then there shouldn’t be a problem even if there’s a steep learning curve provided or necessitated by the kind of online repair manual service you have subscribed yourself to.
Willingness to work through it and try to really wrap your head around some issues that may seem difficult to understand is, for me, a necessary step towards improving yourself. Let’s face it—DIY auto repair and working with vehicles in general is a highly technical task. There’s really a lot of info, jargon, concepts, and processes to deal with. It’s important that you acknowledge that before you even try to dip into the pool that is DIY.
At this point, it’s all about your judgment and, in many cases, your budget. When you encounter an online repair manual that is plainly difficult to understand, you are most likely left with little to no choice on the matter—you need to consider that you had made a bad investment (in the case of a paid online subscription) on a terrible online auto repair manual service. It’s either you stay with that service that’s hard to comprehend, or you get a new one with better reviews in terms of its comprehensibility. If you pick the latter option, though, it will entail another expense and additional expenses.
The fact that you decided to undertake DIY auto repair and maintenance with the aid of an online auto repair manual, I guess, already speaks volumes about your commitment and desire to learn. If that’s the case, then there shouldn’t be a problem even if there’s a steep learning curve provided or necessitated by the kind of online repair manual service you have subscribed yourself to.
Willingness to work through it and try to really wrap your head around some issues that may seem difficult to understand is, for me, a necessary step towards improving yourself. Let’s face it—DIY auto repair and working with vehicles in general is a highly technical task. There’s really a lot of info, jargon, concepts, and processes to deal with. It’s important that you acknowledge that before you even try to dip into the pool that is DIY.
At this point, it’s all about your judgment and, in many cases, your budget. When you encounter an online repair manual that is plainly difficult to understand, you are most likely left with little to no choice on the matter—you need to consider that you had made a bad investment (in the case of a paid online subscription) on a terrible online auto repair manual service. It’s either you stay with that service that’s hard to comprehend, or you get a new one with better reviews in terms of its comprehensibility. If you pick the latter option, though, it will entail another expense and additional expenses.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Top Traits of a Bad Online Auto Repair Manual
We've always been discussing the positive side of online car repair manuals, so we here thought it was time for a change. All things have B-sides, and even these auto repair manuals can also have some negatives. Let's get right on to some of them now.
Internet Connection Required
Although the internet (especially high-speed Broadband connections) have seen widespread use in the past years, there are still some who refuse to rely on this technology to speed up processes or avail of some valuable resources and materials. Some DIY mechanics are among this group, and even some auto repair shops don't really prioritize an internet connection as an essential business tool.
Other car repair manuals may be unreliable over slower connections because of the sheer amount of data they have to fetch. Still, most are geared to be optimized even for slow connections, so make sure you check what kind of connection is required to access your online manual.
Too Technical?
Let's face it—auto repair involves a lot of technical stuff. This can be a very big obstacle for many who don't really have time to go into the nitty-gritty of automotive repair concepts. Jargon isn't a very good thing especially for people who are challenged when it comes to comprehension, so they might feel like they're not cut out for the task if they can't understand an auto repair manual.
Then again, some auto repair manuals are too technical in and of themselves. The level of detail varies from manual to manual, from provider to provider. This is a detail people need to look out for, especially when it involves a paid subscription. You wouldn't want to shell out money for something you won't be able to understand.
These are just two of the negative things one may experience when dealing with online car repair manuals, so don't hesitate to read up on reviews and look at detailed descriptions of the one you're looking to subscribe to before you enter your credit card details and commit valuable finances and other resources.
Internet Connection Required
Although the internet (especially high-speed Broadband connections) have seen widespread use in the past years, there are still some who refuse to rely on this technology to speed up processes or avail of some valuable resources and materials. Some DIY mechanics are among this group, and even some auto repair shops don't really prioritize an internet connection as an essential business tool.
Other car repair manuals may be unreliable over slower connections because of the sheer amount of data they have to fetch. Still, most are geared to be optimized even for slow connections, so make sure you check what kind of connection is required to access your online manual.
Too Technical?
Let's face it—auto repair involves a lot of technical stuff. This can be a very big obstacle for many who don't really have time to go into the nitty-gritty of automotive repair concepts. Jargon isn't a very good thing especially for people who are challenged when it comes to comprehension, so they might feel like they're not cut out for the task if they can't understand an auto repair manual.
Then again, some auto repair manuals are too technical in and of themselves. The level of detail varies from manual to manual, from provider to provider. This is a detail people need to look out for, especially when it involves a paid subscription. You wouldn't want to shell out money for something you won't be able to understand.
These are just two of the negative things one may experience when dealing with online car repair manuals, so don't hesitate to read up on reviews and look at detailed descriptions of the one you're looking to subscribe to before you enter your credit card details and commit valuable finances and other resources.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Online Auto Repair Manuals Reviews the The AutoMD App
We've already mentioned the Automd Apple device app on this blog a couple of weeks ago, when we posted about alternatives to Online Auto Repair Manuals. And we think it's now time to provide you with a full review—even though we said we wouldn't do so until the app's creators come up with a new version.
Okay, so here are the details of the app:
Description: Get “how to” repair guides, cost estimates for repairs and local shops info all from your iPhone with AutoMD Mobile – the mobile version of AutoMD.com.
- Free
- Category: Utilities
- Updated: Mar 01, 2011
- Current Version: 1.4.1
- 1.4.1
- Size: 2.6 MB
- Language: English
- Seller: US Auto Parts Network, Inc
- © AutoMD, Inc
At first glance, the app really does offer a wide array of functions, as well as a fairly large collection of information that you can access online through the app. The estimate feature is particularly helpful, as you'll find the prices to be quite consistent. Plus, you can check if the auto repair shop you're at is overcharging for the repairs on your car.
The issue, however, starts with accuracy. If you visit the AutoMD web site, you'll find fairly accurate information on their how-to guides and their step-by-step articles. That doesn't seem to be the case with the site's app, though. Still, there are a lot articles and pieces of information that you can use when you're in need of instant help on the road.
If you want mobile access to auto repair information, the AutoMD app is an excellent start. If you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, just hook it up to a data connection or over Wi-Fi and you can find easy answers to your questions. It's free, as we said, so it's no problem if you don't like the app once you try it out.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Online Auto Repair Manuals Review: RepairSurge
I saw this site just a few days ago. I was so kept up with other stuff in the past that I never got around to seeing another online auto repair manual aside from the ones we've already tackled here. Anyway, we continue our reviews of online auto repair manuals today, and next in our lineup is RepairSurge (www.repairsurge.com).
“Never buy another repair manual.” That's the RepairSurge slogan, and you have to admit, it's a pretty lofty one. Good thing the company can back that claim to a fault.
Requirements to run the program or software aren't too demanding: a decent operating system on the computer, mostly Windows (Win 98, 2000, XP, NT, Millennium Edition, and Windows Vista); a fairly fast Internet connection, and either Paypal or a major credit card in order to pay for your purchased online repair manual.
While the coverage list seems bare, RepairSurge actually has a pretty extensive line of online repair manual information on a wide range of automakers, whether we're talking about domestic applications or import models. Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, Jeep—you name it, RepairSurge lists it.
The online auto repair manual itself functions much like other window-based programs; you have a sidebar, a menu bar, and the main content area. The items are pretty straightforward, and the UI is very intuitive—if not quite attractive or even pleasing to the eye. But hey—at the end of the day, content is still king. You can't use a pretty menu to fix that car of yours, now, can you?Pricing is at $14.99 for the online manuals, a good $5 off CD-ROM prices and in par (if not cheaper) than most other online auto repair manuals on the Web. That pricing should help RepairSurge position itself as one of the better alternatives available on the market.
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