HAynes Manual

boristhespie · Post by **boristhespie** » 10 Dec 2010, 13:41

I want to try and do stuff on my car myself. I have no car knowledege. But have just got a Lexia so am serious.

I have changed filters, bulbs etc and would like to do oil but live on a street with no lift facilities obviously. Anyway I want to do brakes and disks next.

Just fed up with garage costs and wan o learn.

Can you tell me.

Are Haynes eg C5 manuals any use?

For example someone tells me about a solenoid, will it help me find it?

If I am looking for leaks in vacuums will it point to which pipes?

(PS> UNRELATED but Ebay has loads of MAF for sale... are these too risky, I heard many are fakes)

jmd · Post by **jmd** » 10 Dec 2010, 13:45

Anytime I change my car I also buy a Haynes Manual for that car. I consider a Haynes Manual is essential if you are doing any repairs

cachaciero · Post by **cachaciero** » 10 Dec 2010, 14:31

There was a time when the first thing I purchased after the car was a Haynes manual, last time I did that was for the XM and frankly I considered it largely a waste of money very dumbed down, plain inaccurate in places and lacking anything meaningful in a major area of the car viz:- electrics. I doubt that the C5 version is any better and I hear that the version for the C5 is also pretty poor quality at a print level.

I didn't / havn't purchased one for the C5 and havn't missed it one bit.

There are available on E-Bay CD /DVD copies of Citroens own documentation as supplied to their dealers. These are ripped of copies sometimes a little old but new enough to cover C5 1 & 2 and installation on a PC can be a bit of a pain but worth doing, much better IMHO. (you will need I.E6 and a couple of Gigs of spare disk space for installation)

Yes vacuum checks are important but in addition to your Lexia you will need some kind of vacuum gauge to measure it plus some odd lengths of suitable sized plastic pipe and a few plastic joiners small size as used for aquarium aeration or micro bore watering systems, got mine in B&Q

cachaciero

dnsey · Post by **dnsey** » 10 Dec 2010, 17:04

The C5 manual isn't really up to much, like most current BOLs, but worth having for torque figures and such. Otherwise, the stuff you really want to know is usually missing.

As far as accuracy is concerned, you'll find references to spark plugs in connection with Diesel engines, shock absorbers and springs on HP suspension etc, plus many more subtle errors. Most of these are obvious if you have some experience, but could be very misleading if you're looking for guidance as a beginner. These days, manufacturers often make quite major revisions during production of a single model variant, which Haynes, understandably, don't document, and which can be quite confusing.

As far as diagnosis and repairs are concerned, you're better off trying to understand the function of each component and how they interact. Haynes don't even attempt a serious fault-finding guide these days.

There was a time when Haynes clearly were based on an actual strip and rebuild, and contained a wealth of useful details (as did Autobooks), but sadly no longer.

In short, by all means buy a BOL for an overview of the car and any jobs you're considering, but don't expect to rely on it for details.

Edit: Check your local library - they might have a copy for loan.

HDI · Post by **HDI** » 10 Dec 2010, 17:22

Can't speak for the C5 from experience but it won't be any surprise to me if it's worse than the Pains manual for my Xantia HDI. It's certainly no workshop manual and the stuff you really need to know is never included.
Will be of some use for basic jobs like brakes but anything serious forget it. They are also full of errors and lead you up blind alleys when different versions are involved.
You will certainly save some serious bucks by going DIY on basic service work. One tip I can highly recommend is to do a weekly inspection under the bonnet and even what you can see of the underside, easier on a hydro Cit ! This will alert you early to potential probs, possibly before they become serious.

JamesQB · Post by **JamesQB** » 10 Dec 2010, 18:39

Must concur re: haynes manuals. Although it's nice having torque settings, I found torque values were missing for some of the bolts on the latest job I did. More and more seems to be missing from the manuals lately, and what is present is vague or inaccurate.

I've recently changed the alternator on the Megane. It said, for my engine code, that it was easier to remove it from underneath, and went through all the steps for jacking car up, removing wheel, etc. In fact it was impossible from underneath with subframe and radiator in the way, and a doddle from above, taking me about 3 minutes with nothing in the way at all!

Just one example of many I've come across in the latest haynes manuals.

VertVega · Post by **VertVega** » 10 Dec 2010, 18:46

I have a Haynes Manual for Xantia and it is a good to have item if you want to learn about basic issues
but as the "nick name" BoL tells I don't trust it

completely.

Best answers to the questions and best solutions to problems always came from the forum!

Just out of interest I have read Haynes BX - good one with lots of useful information.
Also I read Haynes C5 recently - better and sharper pictures compared to Haynes Xantia

.
If I owned a C5 I would definetely buy as a reference ready on the shelf but I would trust
FCF forum wisdom more than any Haynes manual

Post by **myglaren** » 10 Dec 2010, 21:07

Have to agree with the general consensus. Haynes manuals used to be excellent but are barely more than comics now.

Chlorate · Post by **Chlorate** » 10 Dec 2010, 21:17

In my experience; Haynes can be a good reference for some things, but there's been a number of times where it has got things completely and utterly wrong.

Seems that a lot of things are copied and pasted out of other manuals and not edited.

andy5 · Post by **andy5** » 11 Dec 2010, 12:15

how to change the Xantia's front fog lamp bulbs, according to Haynes:

take the car to the main dealer

addo · Post by **addo** » 11 Dec 2010, 12:40

I followed the Haynes torque figures for cam caps on the Mi16. They seemed a little high, but I trusted them.

Wrong!

Several sheared while being cranked down.

Still, they are definitely better than nothing for basic information if you are starting at square one. Boris will likely be up for a few quid in tools shortly, so that's the other place where a bit of info helps.

VertVega · Post by **VertVega** » 11 Dec 2010, 14:02

andy5 wrote:how to change the Xantia's front fog lamp bulbs, according to Haynes:

take the car to the main dealer

andy5, I think I have read this in Xantia Owner's Manual but anyway that gave me a big laugh then

Gammy leg · Post by **Gammy leg** » 11 Dec 2010, 19:29

boristhespie wrote:I want to try and do stuff on my car myself. I have no car knowledege.

Quite a statement for someone with 496 posts!!!

Gammy

andy5 · Post by **andy5** » 11 Dec 2010, 20:44

VertVega wrote:
andy5 wrote:how to change the Xantia's front fog lamp bulbs, according to Haynes:

take the car to the main dealer
andy5, I think I have read this in Xantia Owner's Manual but anyway that gave me a big laugh then

you're right and I've probably given myself false memory syndrome

just desperately looking for Haynes now ...

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