Volkswagen Truck Reviews

Volkswagen Beetle is a really good book.If you want to know about old or new volkswagen beetle you should get this book.There are great pictures.

Wonderful content. I have owned multiple volkswagons and their repair manuals are exceptional. Being able to do my own repairs saves me money making the manual well worth the price. There is even a troubleshooting section where if you don't know exactly what is wrong with your car you can narrow it down based on the conditions you are experiencing. The book points you in the right direction. The diagrams of the components are clear and easy to read.

Can't find a altenator for a V.W Rabbit DL. without air, no up shift light. I believe its a motorrola or a bosch

IN A NUT SHELL , BENTLEY BOOKS ARE THE HANDS DOWN BEST AUTO REPAIR BOOKS THERE ARE!OTHER BOOKS GET YOU HALFWAY THROUGH A JOB AND LEAVE YOU HANGING. BENTLEY IS A TRUE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE. BENTLEY GUIDES ARE DEFINITLY WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY!

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.

Having just recently finished rebuilding a 1200 engine, my experience with Wilson's book was frustrating. Not only are key details about the 1200 engine omitted but issues such as compression ration/deck height are poorly explained and the uninformed reader is left to guess. This is fatal when considering the composition of modern, lead replacement fuels which require a lower compression ratio. Other important issues not covered are - how to get the timing right when inserting distributor gear shaft (which should be done after crankcase assembly), lubrication details (using white grease for assembly as he recommends clogs oil galleries), checking bearing crush for big end bearings, as well as adjusting rocker arm geometry. Having said all this this happens to be the only book which deals with rebuilding in this depth, so it is useful but think for yourself! Another important aspect is the cost of a rebuild and the number of hours required - expect to spend thousands of dollars and hundred of hours of time. Although the book claims to make rebuilding easy, without the proper machinery and tools rebuilding is time consuming, costly and annoying. Expect to either buy or borrow specialised tools such as large sockets, micrometers, depth gauges, etc and to pay for machining work such as regrinding values, crank, etc. Rebuilding can end up being merely a reassembly task of work completed by a machine shop.

Tom Wilson's book brings the mystique of engine rebuilding down to a level that your average backyard mechanic can understand. It is as easy to use as John Muir's book when is comes to rebuilding a VW engine. It does not take hundreds of hours to do nor does it take thousand of dollars. Rebuild kits with cylinders, pistons, etc are relatively cheap and, if these parts are servicable, a gasket kit and rings will be well under a hundred dollars. I rebuilt my engine for about three hundred dollars and it runs like a charm. It took one week to do part time; about twenty hours. Little in the way of specialized equipment is needed. Machining, if needed, is usually minimal and not costly. I only have the usual range of socket wrenches and stuff and no specialized equipment. Muir's book even tells you how to make inexpensive substitutes that work excedingly well. Wilson's book cuts to the chase and tells yo what you need to know. If you have an average level of mechanical ability you can do this.

If you are planning on rebuilding your VW or Porsche 914 engine, or are even just curious about what's involved, then this is the book for you. The book is broken down into several excellent sections: engine removal, teardown, parts interchange, reconditioning, assembly, and burnin. Detailed B&W photos document every step involved. This is by far one of the best how-to books out there, and is almost all you need to rebuild your engine (factory manuals would help to supplement the book too).... it's a great buy, and definitely worth purchasing even if you're not going to rebuild your motor, but want to know what's involved, or why your mechanic is charging you so much. I'm currently writing a similar book on rebuilding the Porsche 911 engine, and I'm modeling it after this one.

This is not a book for illegal street racers where anything goes, it is specific to cars running in legitimate closed-course competition. I dinged this book a couple of stars, because it did not include anything about performance rallying, or GTI Cup preparation, areas I am most interested in. Racing technology moves so fast that a book like this is partially out of date before it is printed. The "hot tire" last week is only good for a course marker this week. That said, Volkswagen Sport Tuning for Street and Competition does take you through the right stuff, and does a good job for autocrossers, solo, and time-trialists. A current rule-book and Bentley Repair manual is enough information to get you on the track - it's worth the money as a single source of information and a philosophy for preparation.

I was involved with motor sports in the mid-seventies and ran out of money before I learned an important lesson - all the basic stuff has to be right before you start looking for performance modifications. I wish I had a book like this back then. No amount of chromed/polished/anodized bolt-on performance modifications will offset a worn-out motor, soft-motor-mounts, and a bad clutch. That kind of thing is basic to high performance driving. Of course when you're a kid, who can make you believe money spent on a new clutch is better than a 290degree unobtanium camshaft

Overall I felt Volkswagen Sport Tuning for Street and Competition was money well spent and I would buy the book again if I lost it.

This book was supposed to be the new version of a lot of old VW "tuner" books. The front cover was a rip off of European Car's(EC)article about EIP Tuning's VR6 Turbo system. That peeks big interest for those in the know. Upon finally picking up this book from New Dimensions($30 after tax, ouch), I rushed home and opened the book and found a whole lot of common knowledge. Nothing shocking here. No little horsepower secrets found by moi. Basically, if you read EC, you will probably know about 90% of the basics covered by this book. The book tends to lean toward autocrossing in every way. Nothing wrong with that, but it wears on ya. For a novice autocrosser, this is decent knowledge. But, you can find all this info and more on the web for FREE! So, don't waste the money on this book, spend quality time reading newsgroups and looking at web sites. First on my list is the Corrado Club site. Then the GTI-VR6 Online site. You can link your way around cyberspace, investigating sources of knowlegde, while getting feedback from other racers/drivers. Just about everyone will share the knowledge about what parts work, and what do not(based on their own experience). Spend the $30 on something else, like a new set of Bosch spark plugs. In closing, I want everyone to know that this book has some good info, but just doesn't cover the point spread. Great for beginning water-cooled drivers who are not aware of the basic modifications to improve power, braking, and handling. Those with the earlier A1/A2 chassis cars, will benefit the most. If you drive a Corrado like me, it would behoove you to have a friend with an A1/A2 car actually purchase the book. Then you can simply look over their shoulder and pick up a bit here or there, without the mistake of making an investment yourself.

As a relative newcomer to VW 'hot rodding', I found the information in this book to be very useful. Unlike some books that concentrate on the powerplant alone, this book covers all aspects of sport tuning VWs, from ignition to suspension and tires. The book does have a heavy slant towards preparing VWs for autocross competition, but also has modifications for spec racer and plain old street performance. Most modifications have crossover potential between all three classes, limited only by racecar preparation rules (or the law for street vehicles). I especially liked the section on recommended modifications given a set budget. I would definitely recommend this book to people who want to get started tuning VWs.

Since our VW dealership is uncapable of working on our Jetta and most all VW's, this book has helped us tremendously. Many other people have run into the same problems when dealing with a VW dealership. So, like most others, we have decided to work on our own VW. It is a must have for any VW owner! We were very dissatisfied with the shipping and had to wait forever for this book. But, you can't beat the price and it is worth the wait.

I am not an "auto mechanic" by any means, so I was pleasantly surprised when I recently ordered this book and used it to remove and replace the exhaust manifold gasket on my '94 Jetta. The book gave very detailed and easy to understand instructions to aid me in my task. The book has also helped me with other various tasks, including a complete front and back brake job and a complete tune-up. The book has already saved me hundreds of dollars & I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking about working on their own water cooled Volkswagen.

This book is the bible for third generation Jetta, Golf and Cabrio maintenance and repairs. With hundreds of pages covering a wide variety of topics, it is definitely well worth the money. It has already saved me big $$$ since I got it. If you use this manual and buy your parts online (from auction sites for example), I'm sure that you will be able to save a lot of money as well!

I found Vw Beetle Performance Handbook by Keith Seume the perfect book for a beginner. It has valuable information on all aspects of building a car Suspension, Brakes, Transmission, and Engine. I will definetly use much of the upgrades he described. Yet I find many of his engine modifications dangerous. What I mean by this is he says for the ultimate motor. Get an 84x94 engine, 44x37.5 heads, MSD 6AL, merged header with turbo muffler, and Weber 48 IDA's. This is all in all good advice yet he completely neglects valvetrain geometry and connecting rods. Without strengthening the valvetrain you will most likely suck a valve putting a piston through the case and wrecking the rod. Without stengthening the rod the most likely reaction to this would be a snapped connecting-rod effectivley wrecking you crank, head, and case. His vague descriptions could ultimately wreck YOUR case, connecting rods, piston, heads, and your bone-stock valvetrain geometry. In summation a good beginner book but his vague descriptions could paint you into a corner. I would definetly recomend you read a more specified book like VW Interchange Manual before attempting any major modifications.

I found VW Beetle Performance Handbook a very informative book especially for a beginner. It had musch usefull information that I will surely apply to my car. Yet I feel this book lacks in description. It lays out the preliminary knowledge but in no way talks about wether larger carbs or cams will affect driveability. It's engine enhancements advice are definetly dangerous for example it tells you for the ultimate motor an 84x94, 48 Weber IDA, 44x37.5 heads, large cam, MSD 6al ignition, and merger header with a turbo. He left out such important things such as the valvetrain geometry and the connecting rods. With this combination an engine could easily make 3 times its original output yet with no modifications to increase the valvetrain strength the most likely recourse would be for your engine to suck a valve and shoot a piston through the case effectively wrecking the piston, rods, head, and maybe even the case. So in summation good information yet a little vague I would suggest this book to gain a preliminary knowledge but consult something a little descriptive like the VW Interchange Manual.

This book is great, it deals with most of the issues surounding Beetle perfomance. There are a lot of books around detailing how to uprate your engine, but this book also deals with suspension and more importantly braking systems!