HI!
So I bought a real nice older (2005) GMC Sierra the other day. I was wondering what you people prefer when it comes to service manuals... Haynes or Chilton.

Thanks!

I don't spend a lot of time pulling wrenches but when I need to do a repair on one of my vehicles YouTube is my first go to.

Used to be that Haynes would acquire the same vehicle as the intended manual. Tear it down and reassemble it together with coming up with alternatives to the factory tools needed for repair or maintenance.

I would prefer a Haynes over Chilton, found too many errors in Chilton. But IMO your best bet is the factory manuals.

www.alldatadiy.com

I just get a subscription for the factory shop manual. The Haynes I got for my pickup was worthless.

Both are junk, in my opinion.

If you're willing to spend the coin, get the Factory Shop Manual. Otherwise, best go YouTube or join a specific discussion board for the vehicle.

Last time I bought a FSM, it was for my 2003 Corvette Z06. Manual was about $200 but worth every penny.

Factory is definitely the way to go, if you don't mind spending the coin.
(It's all about the details)

Otherwise, pick one.

Haynes all day long. Very detailed. I have used them for several decades now. Way before YouTube. Never haven’t been able to do a repair. And they have been accurate with ft/lbs, measurements and tools needed. Great instruction s and photos. Never did like Chiltons.

Nowadays I do use Haynes/YouTube and forums. But only the Haynes can sit right next to you with instructions and pics. It doesn’t lag, go to sleep or need to be paused or scrolled through a lot of response from folks that don’t really now want they are doing.

Definitely factory. When I used to restore and rebuild muscle cars, I was led astray several times by the two publications you brought up. Threw them in the trash.

Another vote for factory. And as an aside they can often be found online for download free for models a few years old.

Youtube all day, and twice on Sunday. I'm a visual learner....

Factory
Haynes



Chilton

In that order, at least for the old cars and trucks I've had.

I'd prefer the online, individual vehicle subscription to Alldata or Mitchell On-Demand to either book, especially if you need something like a wiring diagram. They are basically duplicates of the original shop manual.

Factory all the way. Through the years I have found way too much inaccurate information in Chilton/Haynes.

I usually get the factory service manuals (depending on the year can run up to $300 plus for a set) and also an online subscription to Alldata diy. Sometimes I have not found what I needed in Alldata but it is always in the factory TM's.

I get my factory manuals from here:

https://www.helminc.com/helm/homepage.asp?r=

Check Ebay for used factory manuals. If you're not in a hurry you can get quite good deals on paper manuals although you may have to wade through the idiots that overprice them. I recently picked up a set of manuals for my Expedition which consists of two large volumes and a smaller for wiring diagrams. All three books in good condition were $35 shipped. When I first started looking the sets were averaging about $60-70 but a couple weeks later the deal popped up.

quote:

Originally posted by Audioholic:
Check Ebay for used factory manuals. If you're not in a hurry you can get quite good deals on paper manuals although you may have to wade through the idiots that overprice them. I recently picked up a set of manuals for my Expedition which consists of two large volumes and a smaller for wiring diagrams. All three books in good condition were $35 shipped. When I first started looking the sets were averaging about $60-70 but a couple weeks later the deal popped up.

AMAZON is another good source for finding them cheap sometimes also.

Factory shop manual on DVD ROM.

I found the manual for my truck for $35. I leave it in my desktop all the time. If I have any questions or something happens, I can remotely access the desktop from my phone and read the shop manual anywhere.

Looking up differential oil viscosity, camber settings, factory part numbers, component locations, wiring harness pinouts, etc... at any time is almost like cheating. Plus if something needs to be fixed while I am away? It should come in handy for that too.

great idea, just found the CD on Amazon for $35 and ordered it for my 03 Eff Juan Fiddy...

Factory + Google + YouTube + SigForum (in no particular order) always works for me.

To answer your question (you're welcome), Haynes for me. Always liked the in-depth data for hardware torque, viscosities, pictures, etc. plus they have always had (at least) semi-functional wiring diagrams.

Factory Service Manual worth every penny.