Chilton or Haynes?

[Dwayne1m]

Gonna buy a repair manual for a 2006 Beetle. I would like a Bentley but they are WAY to expensive, so that leaves me with getting either a Chilton or Haynes. Which is better?

[TDCTDI]

For use as a door stop or using as toilet paper?

I'll give you a brief synopsis of either one:
Step one) park car on level surface.
Step two) chock wheels.
Step three) disconnect battery.
Step four) for all other repairs take to dealer or certified repair facility.

Do you use either one for your aircooled car? If you do, whatever you find lacking when using them for it only gets worse the more complex the vehicle gets.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[Dwayne1m]

I just find it hard to swallow $100+ for a manual. I have the Bentley for my 74 & 78 and rarely use it, except for when I'm learning the FI system, otherwise it mostly stays on the shelf. I'm not going to be overhauling a motor or tranny on this car so I'm just looking for general info about the car. As far as the Bentley, I am not a fan of their electrical wiring schematics. I'm more of a "visual" & "hands on" person anyway. I learn much more by watching and doing and there are plenty of visual aids out there for the older Bugs, just not sure how much is out there for the Gen 2 Bug. Also, I'm very curious as to why the Bentley Gen 2 manual is so much more expensive then their Gen 1 manual. Maybe if I could get my hands on a Gen 2 manual and see what's inside I might feel it's worth the investment, but blindly buying a $100 manual........

[TDCTDI]

Gen 1 beetle wiring consisted of 1 page, gen 2 beetle covers about 300 pages with two diagrams front & back for each page. There's more wiring in & to the drivers door than in all of an air cooled beetle (mildly exaggerated, but not by much.).
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[ps2375]

You aren't going to fix much on that car w/o a Bently and VAG-Com. GL

[Dwayne1m]

What's the difference between VAG and something like the Autel MaxiDas DS708?

[Butcher]

Buy a Bentley and a Ross-tech VCDS. If you cannot afford that, when the Beetle breaks, go to a shop to have it fixed. Then you'll find out it's cheap. Make a cardboard sign [Need Money to Buy Bentley and Ross-tech] and stand on the side of the road a few days, you'll get enough money to buy them. It's Christmas time, people are more generous.

There are places to save money, diagnostic tools are not one of them. By the time you search the forums and replace a bunch of parts that were not needed, you could buy the tools.

[ps2375]

[Dwayne1m]

[Butcher]

Everyone copies Ross-tech. Like someone said before, it's as good as the factory tester. Copies just lock up and do not nearly perform as well. I do this for a living and if I have any doubts in my tools, I start second guessing. Customer do not like paying for second guessing and wasting money on wrong parts.

Again, if you can't afford good diagnostic tools, make a sign.

[kamzcab86]

[Dwayne1m]

I have no problem spending money on quality stuff. I would just like to see what I'm buying before I lay down the cash. Just hard for me to spend $100+ on a book where all I can see is the cover.

[Butcher]

When diagnosing, information is extremely important. A cheap OBD2 tester may give you a glimpse of what the issue is. An expensive OBD2 tester will give you so much information you're head will spin.

The original question was Chilton or Haynes because Bentley was too expensive. I think by now, the recommendation is that the Bentley is worth the money in the long run [if you really want to do everything]. To work on today's cars, you need to tap into the computer. An extremely reliable tester is the Ross-tech. Reliability is what you want when you are testing. Consistent readings allow for consistent results. With the right tester and the right book, you can pretty much fix anything.

Maybe Santa will send you something in your stocking?

[Dwayne1m]

I just looked thru my 70-79 Bentley and there is nothing in there about the convertible top. Is there anything about the convertible top in the new Beetle Bentley? I am also assuming the new Bentley covers how to repair the rear window problem. Does it try to persuade you to buy a Ross tech type tool to assist in repairs?

[ps2375]

[Dwayne1m]

I broke down and bought the Bentley. Good grief this is a huge book. Hardcover too. Thing weighs 7 lbs. Going to take some time to read thru this thing.

[ps2375]

Now you get to see all the things you may need the VAG-Com for. It's more than just a scanner, as it is an integral part of diagnostics for some things, since many functions in today's cars are ecu controlled and monitored.

[Stanagon]

The Bentley New Beetle manual lists for $150 now. I think it is well worth it if you are doing any real service work. The Bentley manual has many things the Chilton or Haynes manual will not have, including factory wiring diagrams.

Here is the table of contents page from the BentleyPublishers web site.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/33407013/Volkswagen-New-Beetle-Repair-Manual-1998-2010-Table-of-Contents

Perhaps that will help. FYI, Bentley is constantly updating and editing their service manuals (I worked there for 14 years). Therefore, it always worth it to buy the latest edition of any Bentley manual. IF you buy it from Bentley directly, you will be assured of getting the latest edition.
_________________
Stan's Classic Service, specializing in air-cooled VWs:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=614073

www.stanagon.com


My '61 Mango bus thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=110367
My '64 vert thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=386344
My '71 squareback thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=637709