Personally I would rather spend a few bucks to receive the best possible information and know at least my time and effort was heading in the right direction. Let me give you a quick example of this scenario.

Free auto repair information forums

I use to go to the popular automotive forums and try to help people with their auto repair questions. I noticed a common trend about these free car forums. A lot of people dispensing advice may mean well, but in some cases, the advice was very poor and in some instances harmful to the vehicle.

It was also very hard for the Diy auto mechanic who posted the specific question to pick out a quality answer from the massive amount of responses. The problem with using this method is that the people responding to your car repair questions may not actually be knowledgeable about the subject at hand.

But what if you did not need outside help because you had in front of you the best possible source of information about your vehicle. You can now have access to the same factory auto repair manual that your dealership level auto mechanic uses.

These online programs only supply free auto repair information in the demonstration area.  But if your vehicle is on the random demo your in luck. You can check out the All-Data Free Demo Here.

This web-based system allows for a constantly updated source of auto repair information. The automobile can be a complex and troublesome mechanical device. Certain vehicles may develop similar problems as the vehicle continues to get older. This is why the online car repair manual is far superior to even the best-printed materials.

Inherent problems come to the surface and are documented in technical service bulletins and posted by the factory. The only way to have access to this information is either through the dealership or a repair manual company that offers an updateable database. All-Data is not the only one.

But it is one that I can show you since they offer a demo. I made a video that walks you through a common car repair so you can see just how useful these auto repair manuals can be.

If you repair your own automobile, you can assure that only the work that is needed will be performed. You can also have the advantage of factory insider information in the form of technical service bulletins. Often these documents tell you exactly what is wrong with your car by symptom or complaint.

These Vehicle specific TSB’s can help you learn from the path traveled by many other professional mechanics before you. Addressing the exact same car problem you are having. The idea being that this information helps you work smarter and just might prevent you from replacing a car part that was not needed.

Even though your goal may be to find free auto repair information take a minute to think about the larger goal. Fixing your car right the first time, for less money with increased reliability might be a better value.

I have a lot to say on this car repair subject. See the other posts in this catogory by visiting the auto repair information section of this blog.

Auto repair manual questions and answers. These next couple of posts will address some frequently asked questions about why I recommend using online car repair manuals. This next question is actually from a Diy car mechanic.

This driveway warrior and site visitor would like to know what brand I recommend and why. He also would like some information on auto scan tools. He asks what is a good choice for home car repairs. The actual conversation is posted below for you to review.

Auto repair manual questions

Question and Comment: I found your Great car site recently. I believe it was linked off somewhere else or found it off a search engine regarding OBD or auto repair information but can’t remember. I have read many of your pages and gave it a bookmark. You can be sure I will return to read the rest soon.

A car question for you; on one page you talk about and link to the Mitchell e Auto Repair online manuals, and on your Auto Repair Manuals page, you advocate All-Data repair diagrams website.

I have not used either one and my question is which do you like better from the aspect of a non professional but reasonably accomplished Diy car repair mechanic? I did auto mechanic work professionally till about 1981.

I then went to work for the Government in other non automotive specialty areas. I have not done major car repairs since, but have performed most of the minor repair work on my own vehicles when time permitted. I have not really kept up with the OBD II or electronic management systems which were just coming to fruition when I quit the automotive profession.

I am also interested in your take on OBD Scan tools which have the “enhanced code” capabilities and whether they are at all necessary or really useful for todays DIY enthusiast. Thanks for the site and in advance for your time in responding to my thoughts. Keep up the good work!

Auto repair answers

Hello George: Thanks for the auto repair questions. When it comes to Mitchells and All-data online manuals both programs are well done and I use both. A good analogy would be some people like Ford trucks and some people like Chevrolet trucks. Both are good vehicles and will carry plywood to a job site!

Currently I use the All-Data auto repair information program at work and the Mitchells Eautorepair for home use. I would give the edge to All-Data because their search function returns more accurate results. This means you can spend less time digging for information and more time fixing cars!

As far as OBD II scanners I am currently recommending the Actron cp9180. It is great for diy car repair and inexpensive as well. Of course it is not as powerful as lets say an OTC genesis but it also doesn’t cost $3,500. The Actron 9180 gets me through most of my check engine light repairs at home for less than $140. It also reads enhanced diagnostic trouble codes and has a useful snap shot mode. To me this car scan tool is a good value. By the way online auto repair manuals and scan tools work well together to solve many car problems.

Auto Mechanic

This was an auto repair information blog when I started it two years ago. Things stayed on topic, but changed a little when gas prices started to climb in early 2008. This is also when I purchased the water 4 gas systems and decided to share the details of my project with visitors. In today’s post I wanted to return to the original reason I started this blog. And that was to supply auto repair information for people that like to fix their own cars.

After fielding many questions over the last couple years on my car repair help page I have noticed one very common piece of advice that I continue to dispense. It also happens to be the first step in almost all of my automotive diagnosis procedures that I personally use. And this is the visual inspection. It is very common that I will uncover the cause of the car problem by simply performing a thorough visual inspection.

Auto repair visual inspections

I’m going to provide some examples of what to look for, and some of the most common things that I have found. It would seem that a visual inspection during these winter months are more important then in the summer. But regardless, I perform this procedure as a quick first step in automotive diagnosis no matter what the weather is like.

My first example actually happened yesterday and got me thinking about how I should share this with website visitors. I was working on a 2006 Chevrolet 3500 series van. The driver’s complaint was the check engine light was on.

I scanned the vehicle and found a map sensor code. The first thing I did was perform a visual inspection of the map sensor, the connector and its wiring harness. The first thing I noticed was little black chips of plastic that were laying on the intake manifold. These were obviously pieces from the conduit that protects the map sensor wiring harness.

I followed the harness back and found a spot where a rodent had chewed through not only the protective conduit, but also completely through the ground wire for the map sensor. There was no need for any scientific check engine light diagnosis because it turned out just to be a quick repair of a single wire.

Auto repair diagnosis

Another example of diy car repair diagnosis. My nephew called me from up north and said that he had an ABS light on. I live in Florida now, so I was not able to work on his vehicle. But I did notice in the news that they had recently gone through an ice and snowstorm. So I walked him through some simple steps to do a visual inspection on his own car.

I explained to him where the wheel speed sensors and wiring harnesses were located. When he poked his head around the wheel, he noticed a 15-pound ice burg was stuck and pulling on the wiring harness to his left front wheel speed sensor. Since my nephew is not very mechanically inclined, he was forced to take it in for repair.

But he was armed with the information to provide the service center that saved him Diagnostic time, and also the down time of his vehicle. The weight from the ice and snow that collected on the wiring harness broke the wires where they attach to the sensor head.

Auto repair safety

My nephew would have liked to continue to drive around with the ABS light on as opposed to spending the money on car repairs. In fact, I had to talk to his mother to force the repair to be completed. Antilock brake systems are a fantastic safety feature. During winter weather with ice and snow a properly operating ABS system may save your life or at least prevent damage to your vehicle or other drivers.

In closing I would recommend that when ever you have a warning light on your dash fix it. Either using do it yourself auto repair techniques or a car repair shop. And take a few minutes to perform a thorough visual inspection that is related to your problem. External damage by rodents and road debris can be highly visible and solve your car problems.