# Repair Manuals **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Tags:** repair\ **Created:** [March 28, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-manuals/63077 "2011-03-28T02:38:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![\_Deleted\_User1111116](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/ac91a4/32.png) [@\_Deleted\_User1111116](https://community.cartalk.com/u/_Deleted_User1111116)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-manuals/63077/1 "2011-03-28T02:38:39Z")
Haynes or Chiltons. Which gets your vote? ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 10:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-manuals/63077/2 "2011-03-28T10:36:25Z")
Factory manuals are best, but I also use Haynes. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 10:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-manuals/63077/3 "2011-03-28T10:43:06Z")
I would rate them about the same. The winner is the factory manual that are often Bently. ---
**Author:** ![markkw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@markkw](https://community.cartalk.com/u/markkw)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 11:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-manuals/63077/4 "2011-03-28T11:09:34Z")
Chilton is typically more worthless than Haynes which isn’t worth the paper let alone the ink. AllData is the best aftermarket product, sometimes even better than factory - depends on which one is most complete concerning TSB’s. ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 11:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-manuals/63077/5 "2011-03-28T11:50:13Z")
If you search you’ll find more than one discussion of this. It actually matters very little since Haynes bought Chilton’s quite a while ago, so both of those now come from the same company. I own Haynes for my 2 current vehicles only b/c they’re the only ones sold in the AP stores in my area. But I have given up on them. They are terrible. From now on I’m just going to drop the $$ on a factory manual. ---
**Author:** ![Whitey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/whitey/32/24680_2.png) [@Whitey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Whitey)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 12:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-manuals/63077/6 "2011-03-28T12:38:03Z")
Agreed. Haynes and Chilton are shadows of their former selves. Both are the same substandard product. ---
**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 1:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-manuals/63077/7 "2011-03-28T13:05:18Z")
I Don’t Waste My Money. Good Manuals Don’t Cost, They Pay. With Every Car I Buy, Factory Service Manuals & Spare (Inside The House Copy) Owner’s Manuals Are Purchased Immediately. I consider the manuals a part of the car purchase, like all-season floor mats or winter tires, etcetera. The manuals pay for themselves in short order. I have never regretted paying the $150 - $200 per order ($150 = SM, $25 = OM, + S&H) . If I can’t afford that then I can’t afford to be working on my own vehicles or driving one, for that matter. Cars have become more complex. My old factory Fiero manuals are about an inch thick. My latest GM service manuals each come in three thick volumes, several thousand pages, and several pounds in weight. There’s a lot of work that goes into producing them and I never feel I’m being overcharged. For decades I’ve received excellent service from Helm Inc. They’ve been expanding the car manufacturers for which they stock and sell manuals. They’ve got GM, Ford, Honda, and now Toyota. I see they even list Hyundai, Isuzu, and Mitsubishi and a couple others. These manuals are the tools I always reach for first. CSA ---
**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-manuals/63077/8 "2011-03-28T14:10:20Z")
I use AllData. I carry a Haynes in each of my vehicles just in case. It’s a good repair manual just not great. I have never liked Chiltons. ---
**Author:** ![kresso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@kresso](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kresso)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-manuals/63077/9 "2011-03-28T14:13:11Z")
I fully agree with all the comments on the Factory Service manual. I got mine used on ebay for 35 dollars and after having them I would not hesitate to buy new ones at 125 dollars if I needed to. Additionally my library has AllData for free and if I help other people I will usually go there and print off the pages I need. AllData seems really good to me, but I like having the book. ---
**Author:** ![dagosa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dagosa/32/9837_2.png) [@dagosa](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dagosa)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-manuals/63077/10 "2011-03-28T16:12:32Z")
You can get as much info as you should delve into online and with “specific to your car” forum reference help. I don’t bother anymore. ---
**Author:** ![\_Deleted\_User1111116](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/ac91a4/32.png) [@\_Deleted\_User1111116](https://community.cartalk.com/u/_Deleted_User1111116)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/repair-manuals/63077/11 "2011-03-28T16:30:58Z")
Great Help. Thanks Guys