Volkswagen Reviews

I love the Volkswagen story. My family had nothing but Volkswagens growing up. It was my first car like so many others. I have a collection of Volkswagen books that are lovely pictorial salutes to the cars. And I loved reading another book, Small Wonder, about the Beetle from conception to about 1970. Kiley does a very good job of covering ground that has been gone over before in order to get you to the early 70s when the company really began to fall apart. Then, he is the first to really go into inner workings of the company from that point on to where the company almost went out of business in the early 1990s. And then into the fabulous comeback more recently. I work in the marketing field, and have been a student of VW's marketing story. So, besides loving the subject, I learned a lot here too. Extremely worthwhile book for VW lovers as well as for anyone with something to sell to the public.

I'm an avid VW driver, and when I saw this book I had to read it. It's great! The VW story is incredible, I never would have guessed that there was so much interesting history there.

The references to the advertising brought back some good memories. I remember each ad and how great they were.

A dfinite must read!

J.

I'm a die hard VW loyalist now. So when I saw this book I had to see what it was all about. Incredible story! Very well written!

It was incredible to read about all the things that went on within and without the company, it helps to understand the car a lot better :) If you're at all interested in VW's or car company history in general, this is a must read.

Just what I was looking for, and then some. This book starts at the very beggining, with the Beetle's mentor and VW's founder Dr. Porsche. (Did you know he was Czeck?)
It follow's the company's history (which is to say, the car's history) with just the right amount of coverage to its amazing journey from WWII to the car's EOP (end of production) in Puebla, Mexico. The cronology of this book is excellent. Worthdly of a movie script, this book is extremely enganging. As you read its history, names like Ford, Peugeot, Renault amongst others keep poping up narrating each one's influence on the company's history. (Did you know H. Ford II was offered the factory, for free?)
The only thing that I'd wish from this book was to have the author do either a follow up or a revised update. This book finishes with the beetle's last production car, but the company has certantly not. I wish I could get more info from the company's developement from that point forward, including the launch of the new beetle among other superb new VWs...

In 1969, after I had purchased a new VW, the dealer sent me "Small Wonder" by Walter Nelson. I have just finished reading this book once again, 22 years later, and the book is as applicable in todays society as it was back when it was first published. This book is not only about the Volkswagon car. It contains a good deal of history surrounding pre-war Germany, the rise of Hitler to power, WWII, and reconstruction of the bombed out factory with American assitance following the war. Any person considering a sales career should read and study this book.

On of the world`s most informative and well resourced books on the VW history.Gives an insight to the early vehicle development,political hurdles that had to be overcome as well as the generic industrial resistence that was present.H.Nelson, a gifted author,not only writes about the "first row" people but also about production personnel and production techniques.
Sales and marketing development & especially how the U.S. market was won not only fascinates the VW buff but everyone who ever had anything to do with the automotive industry.

This book gives an excellent history of the New Beetle, from conception to competition. A must read for New Beetle fans.

Great Book, from concept 1 till 1.8T. Shame there are no pictures of the new beetle in different colours. Red an Grey are mainly used for the pictures which are from great quality. As I am not good in English ( I'm from Belgium ) the book was easy to read. I'm sure, if I have my new beetle I'll hug it (or her). One of the best car-books I've ever read. You can see that Matt Delorenzo (the author) really loves the new bug.

After having followed the New Beetle from its first concept I wanted to know the full story. This books tells it all and it has some great pictures of the various prototypes and special models. There's even a picture of a NB in Herby style (by Neuspeed). I recommend this book for everyone who wants to know the full NB story.

At first I was weary that this book was simply trying to capitalize on the recent renewal of popularity of the bug, but I was pleasantly surprised. The pieces are well written, many of them downright hilarious. If you are a fan of the car, or of sincerely humorous writing, this is a good book for you.

Hey, if you like Bugs as much as I do, then this book is for YOU! The great pictures gave me some ideas to customize my machine. It should be ready by summer so I can hit VA beach in style and pick up all the ladies I can carry- just like last summer! Later 'yall.

All who have owned and love VW Beetle cars will find this a fine keepsake: a celebration of the bug which packs in photos with memoirs and a fun set of recollections of owners. My Bug will appeal to any with a fond memory of their 'bug years' as well as new fans of the model.

Habermas' answer to ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE, this work is likely to redefine the meaning of praxis for social theorists.

I have only read to page 1042 so I do not yet know how it ends, but regardless, Pensky has rendered a limpid translation of Habermas's "Volkswagen Quantum Official Factory Repair Manual: 1982-1988, Gasoline and Turbo Diesel, Including Wagon and Syncro." This is one of those translations that appears to speak more profoundly than the original, and with the expanded appendix, the full color map, and the inclusion of new chapters on both "Wagons and Syncros" this text will spend more time on my nightstand than on the shelf.

A long-awaited application of the theory of communicative action to issues of automobile maintenance. While I haven't read the book myself, I certainly plan to assign it in all of my upcoming courses on the mechanics of the public sphere.

This is a great book i dont like to read books and i love this one the author does a great job wrighting this book and does a great job keeping you hoked. This is the first book i have read in a long time my dad asked if it was good because he hasent seen me ever not put a book down i love this author and i am looking for more books by her. This book is about a young 15 year old girl who wants her dads old puple vw bug that he has put in the there ice house she works on it all summer and gets it up to shape to drive the one day her and her friend billy are driving it and and the find oil all over the ground she finds out later that there is a split in the crank case and it will have to be replaced so for christmas her parents and her buy a new one so now the beetle is all fine. Her friend Billy has graduated and doesnt have a car to drive and is in love with Daisy and wants to marry her but she doesnt know if she feels the same way and as a present the him she gives him the beetle on loan till she is 16 and can drive it, this is how the book ends and i am kinda wanting there to be another book after this one but thats just me.
sincerly Charity Summerlin

Karen Romano Young's novel about 15-year-old Daisy Pandolfi will have you smiling, thinking, wondering, and -- on the last page -- crying. It's about a girl's love for her parents' old VW Beetle, but it's also about life. (I never thought I'd care this much about a book about cars, but then again, I didn't expect to love "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," but it was one of the best books I read in college!) "The Beetle and Me" should be given away by VW dealerships to everyone who test-drives a new Beetle. They'd buy one for sure! Read this book. You'll remember it always.

this was a great book, this is the first book i have read in a long time my dad asked if it was good and i said yes and he said it must be becuase i never read and i never put this one down. I found this book after asking the librarian what some good books are and he handed me this book i thought it was going to be dumb but it wasnt. This book is about a 15 year old girl who is becoming a freshmen and doesnt have a car everyone in her family are mechanics and she wants to rebuild her dads old puple VW bug and he doesnt think it is a great idea because it had been sitting in their ice house for so long but he gave in and let her take it out and work on it she spent her whole summer working on this car but then when the school year starts she and her friend billy take it out for a spin and something happens and there is oil everywhere and she doesnt know whats wrong and she doesnt want anyhelp from anyone so she finaly lets Billy look at it and he finds out that their is a crack in her crankcase and she will have to get a new one so for christmas her parents buy her a new one and the car is fine and runs so on christmas eve after church Billy comes over and she gives him the bug on loan till she turns 16 because when Billy was little his dad left them and doesnt send money so he cant go to college and works at his moms garden shop for christmas to sell trees. This was a great book and i would like to read more of her books...

I think this book is a must-have for anybody who pokes around the inside of their Jetta (or Golf or GTI). Not only does it contain the standard tear-down diagrams, but outlines tests on the car's systems and has charts for diagnosing trouble. (What's that noise?) It's all written in very plain English and is almost always very detailed (although its does have a few lapses). It saved me a pile of money I would have otherwise given to my dealer.

This book is great for the "do-it-yourselfer"...even for the novice who wants to save [the] per hour shop fee and do some basic repairs on your VW, this book will guide you through it. It also provides very handy diagrams and pictures.

I own a 1990 German built Jetta and have tried the Haynes manual for '75 through '92 models with little help. The Haynes is based on a complete teardown and rebuild of an older, gasoline vehicle. It doesn't discuss Diesel or Turbo Diesel, and it omits features found in later models, such as cruise control, and does not provide and explanation of determining what model you have. This book, published by Bentley Publishers, is more extensive and has far better illustrations and wire diagrams. My advice: if you want to save money fixing your VW yourself, skip the Haynes manuals and get this book.

Anyone who sets out to buy an old Volkswagen will hear this book mentioned again and again, usually with great reverence and a tremendous amount of enthusiasm. Well folks, it is simply not all that. Don't get me wrong -- I'm happy I bought this book, and I refer to it often -- but like other reviewers here have pointed out, it's awfully overrated within VW circles. The instructions are biased towards pre-68 cars and often gloss over details; it's very hard to track down specific solutions when all you know are the symptoms; and the diagrams, though extremely well-drawn, aren't always as effective as real photographs of the car and its parts. When I'm trying to learn how to repair something on my Beetle, I read this book first to get a friendly introduction to the work involved... but the other manuals are the ones I actually take outside to the car.

So if you've just bought a "new" Beetle or Bus that needs a lot of repair, buy this book -- but get the Bentley shop manual for your model and year at the same time as you will need to refer to it a lot. I recommend the Haynes manuals, too; they give the same procedures but in a highly effective "steps + pictures" format.

I have owned 5 VW's in my life time and wouldn't be with out this book. I have overhauled several bug engines and a bus engines following this book with great success. I have had everything from a '63 bus to a '75 bus with a few bugs in between (a friend and I even put together a 2 cylinder bug engine) with each vehicle I would purchase a copy of " How to Keep your VW Alive" and when I sold the Vehicle I would offer the book to the new owner. I have given copies of the book to friends with VWs and a copy to my son when he bought a '74 bug several years ago. In the summer 1973 my sister, her child of 5, and husband left the USA for a tour of Europe by VW bus. I gave them a copy of Muirs book and it helped keep them "Keep on Trucking" on thier merry way.

A must have for all air cooled vw owners.....

Very thorough, gives instructions on all types of repairs and tells you when you shouldn't attempt the repair as an ameture. Useful for sounding smart to service pros too. My only complaint is that it could use a better index. You might consider checking out a chilton's book as a cross reference, it might explin some things better, though it wont give you the depth and volume.

I have been curious about automotive repair since I own a rabbit with 303,000 miles and counting. I needed to replace the rear struts and wheel bearings, glow plugs, lights, and oil pump. The book covers all areas well with very good details and drawings. However, for the glow plugs it says something stupid as "it's like changing a spark plug" and that was it. No it's not. It's pure hell. You have to remove the injector lines and hoses and the first 2 injectors to have some work space and replace the heat shields on the first 2 injectors when putting it back. Other that I have really enjoyed this book.

I picked up my copy of Volkswagen Rabbitt/Jetta Diesel Service Manual Including Pickup Truck and Turbo-Diesel 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 used in an Albuquerque, New Mexico junkyard. I knew little more than how to put gas in, but since my purchase I have replaced or repaired the radiator, brake servo vacuum pump, hoses, window cranks and battery. All I needed to make the car run great was the parts and this book. Perfect for those brave souls willing to get grease under their nails.

I Own a copy of this book and have read it Cover to Cover many times, It is not so much a technical book, but more set around Showing you what can be done and what has been done with the VW beetle, If you are starting out a resto Project This is definitly the book for you.

This book will definitley get the creative juices flowing when you are trying to decide how you want your beetle restoration to turn out. It covers all the popular "looks", from the ageless Cal-look to the modern german look, as well as buggies, bajas and replicas.

A definite must have for a beetle fan.

This is a must have for the VW fan. I was at a car show in Effingham, Il. where Keith Seume was signing books I didnt get a chance to meet him but did order two books from Amazon, The VW Beetle "The New Custom Handbook" and the "VW Performance Handbook". Both these books have a wealth of information and he loves VW!!! He has given me some great information for my current projects and some redo ideas for my Cal-look 71. Both of these books have great pictures as well!