Workshop manuals are a type of automotive booklet originally used by the car company who manufactured your car so the dealership has a complete guide of how to repair that car. However once cars are out of their regular service life (duration of the car warranty and agreed servicing period) these manuals often end up being taken on by third party companies who republish them under their own name.
Hence paying for a workshop manual by a publisher is often high cost, as the company has invested time and money into converting these original dealership workshop manuals into something they can sell commercially. Many people never think of the original manuals however with the internet at its height of popularity at the moment, these are being rediscovered by people who want to maintain, service and repair their own cars.
While difficult to obtain, there is one gem that has been online for over a decade providing these original manuals free of charge to the public, this website is called www.AllCarManuals.com.
The All Car Manuals website offers a free download of the factory service manual / workshop manual your car had when it was new, dealerships once used these to repair your car, and they are now available free of charge to download and use for personal use only.
This makes them ideal for the home mechanic who likes to repair their own cars, as all the specifications, torque settings and assembly / disassembly information is 100% accurate as the manufacturer intended.
The types of topics the workshop manual covers is extensive, it ranges from basic servicing advice, to maintenance information, general repairs, advanced repairs and also complete rebuild instructions. The topics covered are often separated into three components, engine / mechanical, chassis and electrical.
Engine / Mechanical workshop manual topics cover the engine, gearbox, differential and axles including the fuel system.
The Chassis workshop manual covers all attachments to the chassis of the car, this ranges from steering and suspension to brakes, body panels, lights, bumper bars, interior fittings.
The electrical workshop manual covers the electrical wiring diagrams, electrical components, diagnostic information from the ECU and troubleshooting advice for electrical problems.
The original factory service manual is the complete guide to repairing your car, with this you can do pretty much everything yourself if you are mechanically minded, have the right tools and have patience.