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The Haynes Workshop Manuals had just hit the market and I got one for the Escort before making the attempt. A work colleague had one for his Vauxhall and it had looked very good. Looking through the pages, I could see exactly how to remove a gearbox and clutch, and then align and fit ... Read review
Advantages: Save a fortune on repairs/servicing. Disadvantages: Pictures could be clearer
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The Haynes Workshop Manuals had just hit the market and I got one for the Escort before making the attempt. A work colleague had one for his Vauxhall and it had looked very good. Looking through the pages, I could see exactly how to remove a gearbox and clutch, and then align and fit a new one. Clutch replacement in a garage was around £40 in those days (no quick fit centres), and I paid out around ten quid for the parts needed. Again ... ...now), I have bought the Haynes manual for that make and model. I do my own servicing by the book, and whilst the car does not end up with a service history to add a couple of hundred quid to the trade-in value, I think I profit more by what I save with my DIY.
One particular manual that in my opinion has saved me a fortune is the Engine Management and Fuel Injection Systems manual. The first car I owned with an engine management system ... more
Since I first passed my driving test (circa 1965), I have owned and ran every type of banger you can imagine. My first-ever car was a 1956 Hillman Minx with a slipping clutch. By careful driving I did about 1000 miles but then, when I found myself having to avoid steep hills, I thought is was time to get the clutch done, but whatever it cost in those days was a lot of money, so with the help of a friend, I set about getting the gearbox out. I knew the gearbox had to come out, but no idea how that happened. To make things worse, neither did my friend, but we knew where it was and lying on our backs under the car, set about unscrewing every nut and bolt we could see. Well, it was bound to come out sooner or later! Well it did along with a shower of smelly black oil all over our heads and clothing! You can imagine what my mum said! And my father wasn't too pleased either because now my banger was stuck on bricks in his garage. He took one look at it and it was obvious to him that neither my friend nor I would have the first idea about how to put it all back together again - so the car was sold for spares for a fiver. You didn't have top pay people to take them away in those days.
It was a few years later, when I was presented with another expensive repair on a Ford Escort. It needed a new clutch. It wasn't that I was heavy on my clutches, it's just that all I could afford in those days were cars with heavy mileage on them. Hire-purchase was never an option - my father didn't agree with it.
The Haynes Workshop Manuals had just hit the market and I got one for the Escort before making the attempt. A work colleague had one for his Vauxhall and it had looked very good. Looking through the pages, I could see exactly how to remove a gearbox and clutch, and then align and fit a new one. Clutch replacement in a garage was around £40 in those days (no quick fit centres), and I paid out around ten quid for the parts needed. Again the same friend helped me out with the gear box, but this time, within two hours I was back on the road with the car in perfect running order.
Ever since then, every time I have bought a car (they have got a lot newer now), I have bought the Haynes manual for that make and model. I do my own servicing by the book, and whilst the car does not end up with a service history to add a couple of hundred quid to the trade-in value, I think I profit more by what I save with my DIY.
One particular manual that in my opinion has saved me a fortune is the Engine Management and Fuel Injection Systems manual. The first car I owned with an engine management system was back in 1992 (a two-year-old XR3i) and soon it was running too lean and overheating because of it, and had difficult hot starting. These early systems did have problems. With the help of the manual I managed to trace the problem to a faulty mixture sensor (the air/petrol ratio was all over the place). £25 for a new sensor fixed that problems and similar sensor problems were also fixed during my long ownership of the car. Plugging the car into an analyser at the Ford garage was the only other option - I think it was £80 just for a diagnosis! I owned this car for 10 years but would have got rid of it a lot sooner if it hadn't been for Haynes.
It isn't just cars and motorbikes, that Haynes do workshop manuals for. (They have a full list on their site at www.haynes.co.uk) Other Haynes manuals I own is Washerdrier and Tumbledrier manual which covers every washerdrier from AEG to Zanussi. I have successfully fixed heating elements, pumps and valves etc. And once fixed some new brushes in the motor ( cost 70p) An engineer would have probably charged me "I-don't-know-what" for a new motor.
My latest acquisition is the Haynes computer manual, which I have used to add an extra hard drive, memory, modem, replaced my CD RW and more. I am now looking to build a super-fast hi-tech machine, just for the hell of it, and then I can make a comparison between what I have built and what it would cost me in the shops.
Coming back to my cars, I now only do servicing (oil changes etc,) and pre-MOT checks. Because of arthritis in my neck, I tend to leave other larger repairs to the local garage because it's too painful to lie under the vehicle for long periods. But one advantage I have now is that I can tell a mechanic specifically what needs doing and he knows that I know what I'm talking about. So there's no chance of having unnecessary work done - one hears about so much in the media about unscrupulous garages these days. And this is thanks to the Haynes manual.
If somebody is not very mechanically minded, Haynes now rates each job with small icons of spanners - the more spanners the higher degree of difficulty for the job. They also have a weekly checks section, routine maintenance section (for servicing including the correct oils and other lubricants needed for the model of car in question), trouble-shooting section, bodywork section, electrical section and an index. The books are compiled during a complete strip-down and reassembly of the car/motorbike/other product in question taking photographs and/or drawing explanatory diagrams at the same time.
If DIY is something that you are willing to take up with cars and/or other appliances, or you just want to learn something about these items, then I cannot fault the Haynes manuals.
Advantages: will help you save money on repairs Disadvantages: you really think ill fix my own car?
...The reason for this, the Haynes Manual that the previous owner had pruchased and passed on to me when I bought her. Being somewhat of a technical idiot I knew nothing about the section of car which is covered by the bonnet, and in all honesty would struggle to point out the oil and water filler caps. But knowing that my baby had an oil leak it was a priority to check which was which in order to keep an eye on it, now being a young female living in ... ...between £12 and £15.
Haynes also do manuals for motorbikes, pedal bikes, computer manauls, caravan books, home DIY, and even guides for travelling abroad. The range if it is as well written and containing as many pictures as this one is well worth a look for anything you might want to DIY, as I suspect if they do it then it will be one of the better options avaliable. ...
scuba_angel 29.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Haynes Workshop Manuals
Advantages: Learn a lot about your car and how it works, save a load of cash Disadvantages: Some models can be hard to find
...scattered around the country. The Haynes manual is an absolutely essential tool for anyone considering their own repairs, it is also an invaluable guide to those who even though they do not want to do their own repairs may just want to have a little keek under the bonnet and see how the old girls works.
For £14.99 you are getting a tremendously useful tool which will help you save loads of dosh and may even help you find a new hobby. I am not by ... ...you on the road and not some garage which has just screwed you out of £145 for a £25 job.
If you do decide on doing some car DIY most of all have fun take your time and get a Haynes manual you will find it a positive gem ...
donf18 24.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Haynes Workshop Manuals
Advantages: Cheap, easy to follow if you've got half a clue, saves you a fortune on labour charges. Disadvantages: Photos in black and white, could explain things in a bit more detail.
...can safely assume that a Haynes workshop manual will be able to help with any problems you come across.
Whatever car or motorbike (or boat for that matter) you own, chances are Haynes will have written a manual covering it. Just about every model from every major car manufacturer from the early sevenies to the present day has a manual dedicated to it with some earlier editions having recieved updates. Manuals for modern cars are always available ... ...these outlets or directly from Haynes using their website. Prices are roughly £12.99 for new manuals while older ones often recieve a discount to gat them off the shelves quicker. Inside the manual you will find all the technical specifications on your car in all its forms, as well as a general information section, a section on how to complete virtually every job imaginable broken down into sections (engine, transmission, electrics etc) as well as ...
rockandrollstar 01.05.2003 (12.05.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Haynes Workshop Manuals
Advantages: Save you loads! Disadvantages: Can be hard to understand.
...vehicle? Then you need a Haynes manual.
Haynes manuals have been around for 30+ years, and have provided help for mechanics and car owners alike for that time, with relatively simple step-by-step instructions on what you’re trying to do.
No matter what car or bike you own, Haynes are sure to stock a manual for it. The other manuals Haynes do (Boat, Plane etc.) are slightly more scarce, but you may get lucky!
Unfortunately, the car I own ... ...exception. The newer Haynes manuals have numbers stating how hard the job you’re trying to do is. 1 is an easy job, say doing an oil change; and 5 is a hard job, say removing your big ends. To be honest, if you don’t really have much mechanical knowledge then tackling a job like the big ends would be too much, and best left to a qualified mechanic. Haynes manuals are designed to help, but they can’t give you the same skill as someone ...
o_morris 01.10.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Haynes Workshop Manuals
Advantages: Clear instructions on how to strip most things. Disadvantages: Can be a little limited, vague pictures, pictograms needed.
The HAYNES series of manual have been with us for many years now, we have all used them. At one time they covered just cars, but now their repetoire includes caravans, decorating, washing machines, computers, bikes, and even racing engines. In fact they have one now covering "MAN - All models, shapes, sizes and colours. 120,000 BC to present day" It is number 3931 if you don't believe me!
The books are produced by Haynes publishing in Yeovil, Somerset, ... ...worth a thousand words, although Haynes uses few of these, relying on small black and white photos, which tend to be a little grainy.
The company does move with the times, and has it's own website, so you can check that the book you need is actually in production. The reason I say this, is because when a new model leaves the factory, it can take literally years to do the research needed to publish a comprehensive manual, based on a complete stripdown ...
smudgeybabes 17.12.2006 (22.05.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Haynes Workshop Manuals
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People have said it shouldn't be reved high..Not true.
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Overall the volvo has put up (mostly) with my abuse, and hasn't really been a pig to fix when things have gone wrong, as long as you've got a vaguely sensible head on your shoulders and a haynesworkshopmanual you should be able to have some very cheap, semi-quick, individual motoring for some years to come. I've just had mine MOT'd, it didnt pass first time, but nothing it failed on was particularly unreasonable, just replacing worn out parts, as you would have to with anything other than a brand new car.
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