General Automotive Reviews

I found this book to be helpful in taking on small tasks such as doing your own brakes. In all, I would estimate this book saved me a few hundred dollars in repairs this year versus what I would have spent at the dealership or the local repair shop. (I was really upset when I found out how SIMPLE it is to replace disc brake pads) However, I would not use this manual for serious work, such as engine overhauls. In essence, this book is great for doing brakes, belts, spark plugs and minor troubleshooting. I would not depend on it for anything beyond such activities. Some of the chapters discuss engine overhauls and replacing struts. These are two pretty dangerous activities that the book sort of glazes over. They should have just left those things to the logic of "let somebody else seriously injure themselves doing this stuff".

It would have been nice for Haynes to include the Cadillac engine computer trouble codes, but you have to buy a seperate Haynes manual to get those.

Haynes says this book is a documented total rebuild of one of these cars, specifically, a 1988 Buick SkyHawk Custom equipped with the Chevy 2.0L engine. If you're looking for information and directions on rebuilding one of these cars, don't look at this book.

The coverage of 'special' things is limited or nil, especially the Chevrolet 2.0L 4Cyl turbocharged engine that was installed in the SkyHawk Sports. They briefly cover only the fuel rails, and don't even mention the turbocharger itself. But if you need a crash course in repairing the 2.0L 4Cyl, or working on the rest of the car, you won't find an easier to use book. :)

Almost every over-sized page contains a full-color photo of a great truck. Truck lovers will enjoy learning about army trucks, tractor trailers,tankers, and a variety of trucks from around the world. A must-buy for your truck lover. He/she will be reading it again and again.

I have read well over 15 books in the last year on the history of Harley Davidson. This book in particular broke the mold in comparision to the others because the author went over and above the call of duty in his research. Rather than simply recite the corporate timeline and Harley's non-asscociation with outlaw biker gangs, Wright chose to speculate on some very real issues facing the Motor Company today. Problems like an aging customer base, continued invasion from foreign manufacturers and a strong emphasis on where the company must set it's sights in order to overcome these issues.
Besides that he actually speaks in detail about everyone's greatest fear-the retirement of Willie G. The rest as they say is history. Definately a great read. If you're like me and have read a great deal of books of this nature, then you will truly appreciate this book. Throughout my time spent, I probably only didn't read a total of 10 pages of the entire book. Enjoy!

This is more of a restoration book than just a book on preparing and painting a car body.

The section on welding equipment was especially useful to me. There are colour pictures of carburizing, neutral and oxidizing flames which I had always found confusing.

The painting section has useful information on paints, safety and common paint defects.

A very useful short series of photos is included on how to build a 'copy' mould for fibreglass parts.

The book is short but contains condensed information on almost everything a person restoring or painting a car will run into. Obviously, when you strip down a car for painting you will notice all the rusted areas and you will have to deal with them.

There are lots of good books out there with more detail on painting, welding and composites but I don't regret getting this book as I refer to it often. If you're just starting and need basic information for your project then this is a good buy but remember this is NOT a metalworking book. It won't teach you how to use an English wheel or weld aluminium if thats what you're after. There is information on these subjects in other books.

If you are the lucky (?) owner of a 504 Diesel, you need this book! It is (as usual with repair manuals from Haynes) very thorough, as it was made by picking the car apart bit by bit, and putting it back together. The Peugeot 504 is not the easiest car to maintain, as any owner would admit, but with this book, your life becomes easier. I found it to be very helpful in locating a difficult to find oil leak, and also to overhaul the diesel pump, not the easiest task. But even if you're not comfortable with any big repairs, you can save money on knowing your car, by doing routine maintainance yourself. This book will help you find what parts need maintainance,how often it needs to be done and how to do it. An unfortunate thing with Peugeot engines, is that they require several special tools. The book tells you what kind of special tools you'll need, but also in some instances how to make them yourself.

As a long-time Peugeot owner, I have saved thousands of dollars using Haynes repair manuals to guide me through repairs on my cars. I strongly recommend this book for all Peugeot 504 Diesel owners!

I found this manual a great resource when replacing the front fender on my 1979 p125x. Though some of the technical names for the simplest of parts was slightly difficult to decifer, the pictures and helpful hints the manual gave led me through this first-time disassembly of my Vespa. A great buy ...

---One of several possible ways to read Laurie Jasinski's HILL COUNTRY BACKROADS is as a straightforward biography of her maternal grandfather, Joe Sanders. And very good biography it is, of the "life and times variety." Joe Sanders was 14 in 1909 when a driver stopped the first car (a 1904 Oldsmobile) he had ever seen in front of his family's farm outside Ottoville in northwestern Ohio. That day began a lifelong romance with automobiling. A few years later, having had first typhoid fever and then pneumonia, young Joe followed his doctor's advice and went south for his health. After a few months in the seat of Comal County, Texas, New Braunfels, he enlisted in the army for World War I. Once mustered out, he returned to New Braunfels and went to work for decades as a chauffeur and mechanic for the wealthy German-American Hippolyt Dittlinger. He married the author's grandmother and began exploring by car and on foot the nearby limestone Hill Country above New Braunfels.

---The author sets her grandfather's life and achievements against times when the automobile was new, the Hill Country was still wild and woolly, tourism was just starting up and unwary travelers frequently got lost for lack of any signs on the back roads indicating where they were or how far from the next town. Joe Sanders made it a personal mission to help stranded tourists. He enlisted others to help him place sign posts throughout the back country. Between 1933 and 1960 he compiled data for a series of accurate, increasingly detailed and colorful maps of Comal County and the sights no visitor should miss. These included sweeping mountain vistas, caverns, rivers, streams, ranches, wildlife and on and on. He also took hundreds of photographs converted by himself and friends into postcards to attract more tourists to the Hill Country.

--The well researhed book sketches the evolution of American motoring, tourism, techniques for building roads and the benefits maps can bring to a community eager to make itself known. A simple story of American caring and getting things done.

To my knowledge, this is the only book ever written strictly about a comprehensive history of the electric auctomobile. The author does a credible job, including both the technical and business sides. Unfortunately, however, I found many typos and at least a few demonstrably incorrect facts. It appears that the book was rushed into print for some reason. Future historians reading this book should take care to check anything drawn from it. The book is quite readable. It includes an index and a listing of electric vehicle manufacturers. Unfortunately, Wakefield does not include production figures for the manufacturers.

A well-illustrated, well written "his life and work", of arguably the most accomplished custom car builder in the US today. Showcases his best known and lesser known projects, plus some work in prgress at the time of publication. A must for custom car aficionados anywhere.