Shop Manuals for Car Geeks

I was thumbing through my printed version of a Bentley service manual the other day and realized how important this reference guide has been to me. I’ve had shop service manuals around the garage forever, but never realized their historical importance.

This is a condensed and non-scientific version of history, but here goes:

In 1918 the Reed Electrical Manual of Starting, Lighting, Ignition was introduced. It is cited as the first service manual for the American car market. The 1920s saw newspaper publishing giant, William Randolph Hearst, create an automotive factory service manual and periodical following Reed.

Hearst’s publishing company introduced “Motor” in the late ‘20s as a service related periodical/manual for factory technicians. Mitchell began producing their version too about the same time. Chilton followed suit. Mitchell and Chilton would become the gold standard across the U.S. and beyond for anyone that needed detailed information about auto repairs. Haynes jumped in to mostly the consumer market with their version of the shop service manual in the 1960s.

I don’t know the exact year that Robert Bentley Publishing began offering service manuals and other periodicals for car enthusiasts and mechanics , but they are definitely considered the premier supplier.

The ‘40s through the ‘90s were the biggest years for printed service manuals. But things changed with the advent of the computer. As you can guess most of the information that was once only available in printed book form is now available as PDF and other digital formats. That’s not to say that printed service manuals no longer exist. They do. But nothing like those early renditions.

People say that there was a time not long ago when the “shop service manual” was worth its weight in gold. And some weighed many pounds! For anyone that wanted to dive deep into car repairs the shop service manual was always educational reading.

A printed shop service manual with its oil stains, and dog-eared pages remained an invaluable tool for any seasoned mechanic for years. Everything about a particular make/model vehicle could be found in a shop service manual. Although most shops today rely on software rather than printed books.

In their heyday these printed shop manuals were priceless. They were originally intended for auto dealerships and auto shops, but consumers soon saw the advantages to owning them. They went into excruciating detail page after page. Interestingly, after World War II sales of automotive shop manuals skyrocketed, according to online sources. Probably because that was about the time the hot-rodding culture kicked off in the U.S. and returning soldiers were ready to start wrenching on cars.

Chilton vs. Haynes vs. Bentley vs. Mitchell

Of the four popular brands in the U.S. most people agree that Haynes manuals are for DIY market. The information in a Haynes manual is limited when compared to Bentley and Chilton. While Mitchell no longer publishes printed service manuals for consumers at one time they were a powerhouse.

The landscape for service manuals has changed dramatically over the years, again because of the cost of printing and the efficiency of digital data.

What stands out with the better printed service manuals is that every last nut, washer, seal or cotter pin is typically revealed with exploding exact diagrams of the parts, and a complete count of all the hardware needed to make repairs. You can toss around a printed service manual as you do the work. I wouldn’t suggest doing the same with a laptop. Whether you work on cars at home, or you are just interested in cars, owning a shop service manual will fill your world with valuable information not found elsewhere.

With that said, all of the companies mentioned are digitizing data catalogues. Printed service manuals for newer cars will not be available. Chilton even ended its online subscription-only equivalent to the DIY guide recently. However, you can find Chilton’s printed service manuals at local libraries and schools. eBay is another source for finding old service manuals. Major auto shops also carry a limited supply of service manuals.

I’ve always purchased a printed service manual for my cars. Whether I work on them myself, or not, I want the information about a particular part or component always in reach. The better service manuals like Bentley also cover aspects of the body work, and model upgrades.