Has anyone tried these repair manual cds being sold on Ebay for $11

[Nox]

Sounds a little too good to be true, but since the Fordcds.com free manuals site has been shut down, it looks tempting.
Have a look:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-WINDSTA...#ht_2173wt_905

That is unless anyone knows something that I dont about where to get free manuals. Or, I could be the stone tablet books from ebay for $60-$80.

Would appreciate your thoughts.

[wiswind]

I don't have any information to pass along about those CDs.
I do like the information that I got through Alldatadiy......a online subscription to factory service manuals.
Also includes Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs)...which are updated constantly as they come out.

[tempfixit]

I did get one similiar off of ebay for my 98 and later bought a paperback edition service manual and it does not have some of the info the paperback does. Have you looked for a paperback on ebay??? Wiswind's suggestion might be the best route.

[Nox]

Yeah, I know I can get hard copies from ebay as I said for ~$80
I personally have used Alldatadiy for about 2 years and I think it is terrible. Very poor layout, hard to find what you want and it is missing items and lacks detail. I have used "real" manuals and they are typically much better for major work especially.

Although I have to admit I have used Alldatadiy successfully for some things, it just has a very poor structure...IMO

[tempfixit]

Originally Posted by Nox

Yeah, I know I can get hard copies from ebay as I said for ~$80
I personally have used Alldatadiy for about 2 years and I think it is terrible. Very poor layout, hard to find what you want and it is missing items and lacks detail. I have used "real" manuals and they are typically much better for major work especially.

Although I have to admit I have used Alldatadiy successfully for some things, it just has a very poor structure...IMO

The cd I got is helpful but does not have any info on the body of vehicle, for $11.00 I think would be helpful to have. just my opinion.

autozone.com has repair manuals that are like haynes or chiltons online just register. Your local library may also have EBSCOHOST available which has Auto Repair Reference Center in it.

[tomj76]

Ford Motorcraft offers a web based subscription service to factor service manuals, including TSB's. It's more expensive than alldiydata, but the manuals are 100% factory quality. The last time I purchased, it was about $18/month. They also offered shorted periods and yearly rates.

[paker]

I don't have the specific DVD, but the Ford Service Manual DVD's I bought were all good.

[DeltaP]

Originally Posted by tomj76

Ford Motorcraft offers a web based subscription service to factor service manuals, including TSB's. It's more expensive than alldiydata, but the manuals are 100% factory quality. The last time I purchased, it was about $18/month. They also offered shorted periods and yearly rates.

At $18/month I think I'll fumble through the Alldata version and seek out my friends and on-line friends for what they dont have.

[Windstartled]

To the driveway mechanic most shop manuals are lacking because we don't all have the knowledge and experience that the publisher expects the intended readers to have. For example they tell you where this and that part are located but don't explain how to get to it and what tools are required, because mechanics and technicians are supposed to know this already.

Also exploded views of the engine and transmission are not included in most typical shop manuals, they just refer the reader to the Essex engine manual (if you have the 3.8) and AXxx transmission manual, which makes sense but is not practical for us. This applies to many other parts as well. In my experience the most extensive reference resources are to be found in engineering manuals for a particular model, but these are hard to come by and very expensive. Even if 80% of what is written in those engineering manuals is pure gibberish to most of us, the photos, diagrams and graphics are very useful. They even have detailed views of every bolt and nut used on the vehicle.