Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

Morning all,

Was a Haynes manual ever produced for your car? and if so do you use it? They sometimes come in for a bit of flak for not always being 100% accurate, but I've never really had any issue whenever I've dipped in to them, plus unlike the factory manuals they don't tend to rely on you owning dealership special tools unless absolutely necessary.

RJ
_________________
Rick - Admin
Home:https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk
Videos:https://www.youtube.com/user/oldclassiccarRJ/videos
OCC & classic car merchandise (Austin, Ford ++):
https://www.redbubble.com/people/OldClassicCar/shop

[Bitumen Boy]

I've definitely had issues. I've never had a car not covered by Haynes but I've found them to be of limited utility - though to be fair when I've seen an equivalent Autodata manual they haven't been any better, except sometimes one covers something the other doesn't.

First time I encountered issues was with changing a waterpump on a Mini. Haynes tells you to remove the bonnet, but although I did the job a few times on several examples I never found removing the bonnet to be either necessary or desirable. There were other errors and omissions, but that's the main one I remember 15 years on.

The time I really cursed Haynes was with a ratty old Fiesta bought when we were having something of a transport crisis. First the heater matrix sprang a major leak, and Haynes gave absolutely no guidance as to how it might be removed to make a proper repair. Perhaps they couldn't work it out either, we never did despite fiddling with it for most of a weekend. I bypassed the heater to get it mobile again and eventually sold the car on in high summer when the lack of a heater wasn't noticeable! Secondly the indicators packed up, I suspected the relay but couldn't find it. NO mention by Haynes about where it was hidden and eventually I had to take it to an auto electrician who knew where the relay was and sorted it in a matter of minutes. This lack of information about indicators - which are prone to go wrong on any car, in my experience - seems to be a repeated feature of Haynes manuals, look up indicators in the index and see how far you get!

Then there was the Haynes manual for the Triumph Acclaim. We had several different Acclaims over many years and eventually got to know them well. Haynes covered all sorts of esoteric jobs we never had cause to touch, but failed to cover any of the cars' few weak points. We eventually collected the Autodata and factory manuals as well, but still generally had to work it out for ourselves.

The Herald came complete with a Haynes manual, an old edition that is probably nearly the same age as the car. This one has been rather better, and I've found it a useful guide when rebuilding the engine and fron suspension. There are, however, many omissions that thorough knowledge of the car has thrown up - for instance, the proper procedure for assembling the rear suspension is missed completely. It looks like they used to be better, and if you see an old edition for your car it may be worth a punt, but the modern ones are tolerably useless.

When I got a vaguely modern car (2001 Corsa) I thought I'd better get a manual, and turned up a Haynes on fleabay, I certainly wouldn't pay full price! Due to pressure of time it goes to the local garage for most things but even so I've noticed omissions. Once again there's no mention of indicators beyond the wiring diagrams, and having carefully examined the relevant section I concluded that the column switch - a vital part of the indicator circuit, I've always found - had been missed out altogether! There's nothing about reading fault codes beyond "take it to a dealer" which, it turns out, isn't necessary at all. Thankfully, these cars are common and there's plenty of info available on the internet, which is now where I look first. Also, there's little in the way of practical guidance about lifting and supporting the car to get underneath, and having struggled with rustproofing using old drive-on ramps I'm now looking at one of those rent-a-lift places to get underneath before the salt comes out this year.

On the whole I'm pretty skeptical about Haynes manuals, and suspect they will struggle for customers going forward unless they raise their game a lot.

[Riley Blue]

I've bought Haynes manuals for cars I've never owned but been interested in such as the Porsche 914, just to find out what makes them 'tick'. I suspect that these days, with car maintenance increasingly 'plug and play', the demand for 'self service' manuals will decrease but give them their due, Haynes has diversified considerably in recent years with far more than car manuals in its list - Saturn V Owners' Workshop Manual anyone....?
_________________
David

1963 Riley 1.5
1965 Riley 1.5

[Penman]

I have used Haynes manuals but often found my car to be not quite as described.
ie I had a Volvo 440 which was halfway between models it had first series body and second series engine/G'box & running gear.
_________________
Bristols should always come in pairs.

Any 2 from:-
Straight 6
V8 V10

[peter scott]

Better than nothing. My impression (having not used one for quite a long time) is that there can be significant gaps in the items covered and over concentration on more obvious material.

Peter
_________________
https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Penman]

Hi
Considering their small size the Olyslager books were extremely helpful.
_________________
Bristols should always come in pairs.

Any 2 from:-
Straight 6
V8 V10

[Dipster]

I learned years ago that non manufacturer manuals are really only good for an overview and the odd info (tappet clearances etc.) that is essential. useful.

Years ago when I first saw an OHC Fiat engine I had to whip the head off and recut the valves. I was given a French manual (I forget the publisher) to assist. it was absolute rubbish! If I had reassembled the cam as they instructed it would never have run. They had the cam timing 180 degrees out!

So interesting reads but I would no believe everything I read. But I must say I have not found fault with the few Haynes manuals i have seen.

[Ray White]

I remember having a problem with a Haynes manual when rebuilding a Triumph GT6 gearbox. The problem was not insurmountable but a bit annoying to have to reassemble a gear cluster in a different way to the manual for it to fit.

There have been times, however, when despite their shortcomings, I have wished there was a Haynes manual for the Range Rover P38. I have the official workshop manual but it is not what one might call user friendly and being for professional use, tends to assume the reader has access to specialist equipment and is familiar with technical jargon and practices.

[colwyn500]

My Haynes for the classic Fiat 500 has always been very useful and goes into great detail.
There isn't one for my exact model of modern Citroen and I doubt that any manual could have done anything other than persuade me that trying to change the clutch myself would be a very unwise thing to do.

[ukdave2002]

I think Haynes manuals get unnecessary stick, have allways found them useful for 60's and 70's cars.

Anyone who has ever worked in a dealership will know that manufacturers are continually sending updates corrections and revisions to the factory manual, this is just not possible with a DIY manual.

Dave

[MikeEdwards]

I have conflicting experiences. For the Vauxhall I've been putting back together recently I have found myself reading the engine section carefully, and realising that I don't remember doing certain things when I last put an engine back together. The distance between the text and the related illustration(s) is causing some annoyance, though - even then I'm sure they could have mixed text and photos so that there is no need to page forward or backward several pages to find the picture.

On the other hand, I bought an Audi 100 as a runaround a few years back, and it needed a new water pump. In the Haynes manual it told me to remove the front bumper, headlights, front panel and radiator to get access to the water pump, when all that needed to come off was the power steering pump and a few covers.

[badhuis]

Haynes helped out a great deal for the first few years I started owning old cars. I have learned a lot of the Herald manual and the Imp manual, both were so much used and thumbed that I had to renew them after a few years.
I think they are excellent especially for the learner mechanic. I agree the newer versions get less interesting / thorough. Bought a new one for my new Bonneville and am not impressed.

But all in all we should be grateful to have them. It helps the british car owner a lot. I have friends with French and Italian cars and for these, useful manuals are very scarce.
_________________
a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[Rootes75]

The last time I used a Haynes manual was on my first car, a Mk1 Vauxhall Astra!
_________________
Various Rootes Vehicles.

[nickarp2000]

My 1958 MG ZB Magnette has never had a Haynes manual published for it and I rely totally on the original workshop manual (which is invaluable) and of course the vast knowledge of others on various forums.

[roverdriver]

I generally prefer the factory workshop manual for any vehicle, but unfortunately some of those are aimed at dealer's workshops where the mechanics are completely au fait with their products. Sometimes this means that exact detail is not mentioned.

I find that a Haynes (or similar) book handy as a secondary reference, and on occasions it can clarify something that the factory manual leaves vague. I see a place for both types of WSM, and I find Haynes no better nor worse than any other non-factory books.
_________________
Dane- roverdriver but not a Viking.