Why Factory Service Manuals Are A Better Repair Resource Than Commercial Workshop Manuals

Repairing your car can be quite costly. You have to take the car to a mechanic’s workshop or call one out to your own home to do repair. On average, a technician can charge anything between $60 and $100 an hour depending on their scope of work. This is just labor, as parts will have their own price. A lot of people pay for their cars to be repaired without really knowing why they are being charged a certain amount. There are a couple of mechanical factors that affect the pricing for car repairs: 

#1. Save Money on Labor

The important things you need to know is that you aren’t just paying a technician for their time but for their expertise. An experienced mechanic with a particular specialization will be worth more than a mechanic who is new and just starting out or someone who does general work. But you don’t always need to know the nitty-gritties of your car’s engine in order to do your own repairs. It’s a good idea to take your car to a specialist if you are completely clueless.

#2. Car problems

The defects or problems with your car, play a big role in pricing. You might want to take your car to a professional if you have no clue or are not technically inclined or you have a problem that s just beyond you, a mechanic might be the best option for you.

#3. Parts and supplies

Car mechanics might have to replace parts to fix your particular problem. Some buy brand new parts or they procure used parts. Parts and supplies also include other things that they use on your car like oil, other fluids and other things that might seem mundane but matter to a mechanic’s bottom line like rags and cleaning solutions.

The price of repairing your car can be costly so much so that a lot of car owners are trying their hand at DIY repairs. This saves money but it also gives the car owner a chance to know more about their cars. There are two important manuals or guides you should have if you are considering the DIY option: Factory Service and commercial repair manuals. Let’s look at the different types of manuals:

Factory Service Manual

These are written by the car manufacturer and often come with the car when you buy and take ownership of it. The information comes directly from the manufacturer, compiled specifically for your car’s make and model. Car factory service manuals contain all the intricate details for your particular car.

Commercial Manuals

And as mentioned before, commercial repairs, are generic and the information in them might be more relevant.  These may ne not cover the scope of work that needs to be done.  Commercials on

The only interest of a commercial manual is to analyze your car and create a manual with an intention to sell it in the market. You may find different types of repairs and procedures in this type of manual, but sometimes it may miss some important information. On the other hand, a factory service manual is available for each model of their car as per its manufacturing year. Unlike commercial manuals, factory car service manuals talk about intricate details of that car model only.

In Summary

A factory service manual is better for car repair than commercial manuals because they are more specific instead of being generic. They are also issued by the manufacturer, but you can still download some online manuals from sites like allmanuals.com. Commercial car repair manuals might end up being generic guides on how to fix your car. They glossed over a range of problems for different manufacturers and models going as far back as a couple of decades. They put more emphasis on things that are easy to fix and this is where cover a wide range of car models manufactured in different years. So, it can become difficult to find specific details about your particular car make and model. On the other hand, factory service manuals have in-depth details about repairing your own car model only. These manuals have step- by-step instructions to repair a particular part or problem in your car.

If you lose your factory annual, you may have to buy one from the many online sources like All Car Manuals. However, a word of Caution: You need careful of third-party books. Read the foreword, see how they have put the book together.  Check the author’s credentials and don’t buy any manual, there are a couple of manuals that have been printed since the 1900s, check reviews posted online and on automobiles sites. There are a lot of gems and a lot of resources that have been compiled by leading authorities in car repairs.