Jetta service manual

[Doug Tatham]

An FYI for weekend mechanic like myself.
I was looking for a Catalytic converter on ebay and found a service manual listed, item 190166528168.
I have the CDrom version of the service manual already, but it sounds good. I paid $110 for mine from the dealer. The current bid is $24.

[denisond3]

Thanks for the info. I would bid on it, but I avoid paypal. I have two 1990 Jettas that I plan to use for daily drivers; same 1.8L injected engine, auto tranny, and electrically identical. I have the Bentley manual, but it doesnt have the correct diagram for the specific fuse/relay panel in my Jettas. Also one of mine needs its transmission rebuilt (which I plan to undertake) and the Bentley manual doesnt help with that.

[Doug Tatham]

The dealer service manual goes into it in detail. I'd offer mine, but until I win the Lottery I need it. You have to jump through a lot of hoops getting the license working which makes it more trouble than it's worth to try to pirate. If I had it to do over again, I think I might buy the printed version. I have the printed version for my Mazda and both types have their advantages. I've found that the dealer service manuals are worth the expense.

[EatonZ]

Doug, have you used the Bentley service manual? If so how does that compare to the dealership manuals?

[Doug Tatham]

I had the Bentley and the Childers (?) for the Jetta. I bought the Childers since the Bentley didn't include the diesel version of the Jetta. Both are OK for most repairs, but I threw them out after buying the Service manual. The Service manual is far more complete. It does assume you know how to do a lot of things already, so for an inexperienced mechanic the Bentley is a better choice. When it comes to troubleshooting and more complicated tasks, the service manual is a must have.

[EatonZ]

Thanks for the info Doug.