The moment it rolled in the driveway, the white Camaro became an object of fixation. I wanted to know everything about it: how it sounded, what it felt like, how it drove…everything. All of which was much to the annoyance of every adult in the house at the time who was afraid that the kid was going to create a repeat performance of the stunt he had just pulled involving a “borrowed” Mustang not long before. Every time I found the keys, I could be found sitting in the car, sitting in that searing red interior, wishing that I could be out on the open road cruising along. Somewhere my cousin Vance had one of his more brilliant ideas and managed to curb the enthusiasm slightly without killing it altogether: he introduced me to Haynes manuals. Photographs and pictures of a full teardown and rebuild of the car. It would be years before I’d appreciate the technical help that they would provide, but back then the coolest thing about them was the cutaway view that was on the cover that, in my opinion, they should’ve kept instead of taking one beauty shot.
It was announced earlier this week that Haynes will no longer be making hard copies for new models. For models already in print, they will continue to remain in print. But anything newer and you will be out of luck, and in a way, that is a bit sad. I remember when we made the jump from hard-copy “TM” manuals to laptops when it came to working on the helicopters in my Army days and by and large, that move sucked. Having the library of books at the ready was one of the highlights of the garage. I’ve got Haynes manuals, Chilton manuals, and factory service manuals for several models of car in my shop and I have found each and every one indispensable.
But it’s not like technology can hurt, right? What are your thoughts here?
Yes. I don’t have a computer in my garage. And I don’t have a smart phone. I can only imagine what brake fluid would do to either of those. I may join the 21st century someday.
I keep factory service manuals for all of my antiques. If I had a paper factory service manual for my 2 modern daily drivers I would. I also do not have a computer in my shop, but I do have a smart phone. It is nice to have a service manual laying open on the bench to look back to quickly without having to fiddle with keeping the phone screen open.
I subscribed to one of those online repair manual services for two newer vehicles I have and my biggest problem is the size of the pictures… they are like postage stamp size!! I haven’t found a way to enlarge them on the screen… maybe I just am not computer savvy enough… I just want to fix my car! Give me printed manuals any day!
PRINT!! Computer information is great but my printed manuals work every time I open them they never need a password or have a Wi-Fi connection problems or amazingly with the print version the batteries last forever which is great because I do not have a single charging cord for any of my books. You know we will eventually loose this battle so collect all you can. I was just given paint chip books starting from the 60s through the mid 80s from a local hot rod builder who is moving. Collect and pass down to the next gen!
Paper please , dog eared, oil stained and probably wavy from some unexpected soaking. Tech is fine and useful but paper is tactile- like working on your project. I do use online manuals but find forums where people have done it more helpful. Here’s to hands on!
Nothing is as quick and easy as opening a paper manual. Paper copy please!
For sure print. Print anything is better in most cases than in a computer screen. Way easier to use. But Hayes manuals are usually way to basic. I prefer the factory manual, then Motor manual, then Chilton, then Hayes as a last resort.
I swear by OEM paper manuals for all my cars/trucks. I hated that I could only get a (really crappy) DVD OEM manual for my 2013.
From an over the counter parts man’s perspective I prefer a paper manual over a computer because it’s easier to share with the customer, however when an order is initiated it’s hard to beat the pick list and other options afforded by a computer. Saves a lot of writing.
At home in the shop the manuals, catalogs and magazines were always close at hand, that was the reference.
I’ve got more I’d like to say on this subject, but it’s basically saying that I miss Car Craft, and the irony of the techno-access I was given in exchange for my still in effect subscription was that I had no idea (and very little interest in) knowing how to use it.
Print is dead, long live Print.
Well how many of us are really going to be working on cars built 2020 onwards? If they keep printing the existing books then don’t cry too much!
Definitely a print person. Trying to use a phone or tablet with greasy oily hands just doesn’t work.
I like having a PDF version. I study what I need to do at my desk, then print the pages I need. And because I can print again anytime I need I don’t need to worry about keeping the page prestine
I’m willing to make do with PDF for that reason although I prefer paper. What I hate is when they “helpfully” set up a program that grants you access on their terms, often without the ability to enlarge or print.
Paper!
I definitely want a paper copy. It’s a lot easier to deal with in a garage situation than a smart phone or computer. There have been times I’ve printed sections out of Alldata to work on a car when I didn’t have a printed manual handy.
PRINT version every time for me. How do you tag a page, highlight a step, make notes in the margins, etc. on a computer screen? Plus the computer seems to time out just about the time you need to go back to review instructions, and the tiny, tiny photos and print are useless, certainly on a cell phone size screen. I have not always been satisfied with Haynes anyways as too much of their information is standard boilerplate information that is not vehicle specific. It seems that they could cut down on the unnecessary boilerplate and provide printed information for specific vehicles and models.