Quote:
Originally Posted by cn90
Serious question....
Since I have fixed my own cars for so long, maybe > 30 years...
I usually look at forums for DIYs etc.
Forum DIYs are not perfect, they have their own issues but at least it is real-world experience,
rusty bolts, broken this and that, tips/tricks, certain ghetto tools etc., stuff you won't find in the Service Manuals.
So, in the modern world of forums and DIYs, is there any need for Bentley or Haynes or Chilton manuals?
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Absolutely. I always use them in conjunction as some DIYs won't provide torque specs or other necessary (in my eyes) information. But, I always take the workshop manual with a grain of salt as well. For example, TIS will ROUTINELY have you do work that is unnecessary or can be worked around fairly easily.
Besides that, many of the "in the weeds" jobs will not have been covered by a DIY because of their difficulty and tool requirements. For example, replacing the transmission in our E70 diesel. I made a walk through for that kind of... but very few are going to be following in my footsteps to do that job.
When doing a specific job I find the best course of action to consult DIYs if I can find some, YouTube vids, and TIS to come up with my plan of attack.
Unfortunately, forums are a dying form of information sharing for a multitude of reasons. I have been a member on more than one that has folded due to owners closing shop. And I refuse to have a Facebook, IG, Twitter, etc account.
