I have VCDS, I have ETKA, now all I need is a repair/workshop manual.

If you have such a thing, how did you go about it?

- eBay (possibly illegal) copies on DVD?

- Download (possibly illegal) from a torrent?

- Buy erWin access for a day and spend that whole day selecting and printing out manuals and circuit diagrams?

- Buy erWin only as and when you need it?

- Any other ideas?

(This is not a poll. I genuinely would like to own a workshop manual for my car. )

If it's a 2.0 Diesel, Haynes do a manual now.

Im after one too for my vrs (tfsi) as i intend to replace my cambelt soon & i thought about buying the mk5 golf gti haynes manual as that has the same engine.

Mine's a petrol.

Haynes have let me down in the past - still no Mk2 Ford Galaxy or Audi A4 V6 (B5).

erWin could be very cost-effective - if you have a suitably fast printer and internet connection. I'm considering going that route when I have the time (and enough printer ink cartridges and paper).

Nice one - £12 for Haynes on ebay. Halfrauds wanted £24!!!!

Wardth: Be interested to hear what you think - Apparently it's not for the VRS?? :wonder:

erWin could be very cost-effective - if you have a suitably fast printer and internet connection. I'm considering going that route when I have the time (and enough printer ink cartridges and paper).

Could you not use a pdf printer (Something like cutepdf) to improve speed and save paper?

That certainly sounds an interesting idea but would it work?

Could you not use a pdf printer (Something like cutepdf) to improve speed and save paper?

According to erWin this won't work... Might be worth a try I suppose, but a quick search on t'internet shows lots of people complaining that this doesn't work, and possible resolutions to this.

(I use doPDF.)

Edited 14 June, 201213 yr by El Dingo

I have bought access to ErWin for €24 (€20 plus VAT).

All of the documents are in .pdf format and can be downloaded to your computer. Once there, you can print them out or just read them. You will have no need to buy further access since the documents are always available from the .pdf files save to hard drive.

There are literally thousands of pages and in the various manuals applicable to the sytems, including maintanence, engine, gearbox, brakes, and especially the electrics.

I did try to print out the service manual before the 24 hours was up just in case the documents "expired" but I simply ran out of paper and ink.

The next morning, access had expired but the files are still readable.

Compared with a Hynes manual, and I have been buying them since the late seventies, I do think the erWin manuals are VERY useful and well worth the money. For example, any "use once" bolts are clearly indicated together with torque values for anything you can turn with a spaner.

I had two problems:

1 I printed out a service manual of 500 pages and some of them simply didn't print. I had to go through the printed manual page by page, note the missing page numbers and then use the Print dialog box and print them out separately. A pain but not the end of the world.

2 The interface is a bit clunky and it took me a while to realise that it was possible to save the .pdf to hard drive by use of "Right Click" on the mouse.

Anyway, shed loads of info, on .pdf, saveable to hard disk, written by VAG for twenty quid - Recommended

Im after one too for my vrs (tfsi) as i intend to replace my cambelt soon & i thought about buying the mk5 golf gti haynes manual as that has the same engine.

Does the TSFi have a cam belt, I thought it was a chain

Wardth: Be interested to hear what you think - Apparently it's not for the VRS?? :wonder:

It says that but it covers the BMN and CR engines. I guess there maybe VRS specific bits that aren't covered but at least the manual will put you in the general direction of what to do.

Does the TSFi have a cam belt, I thought it was a chain

TFSI has a belt,the newer TSI has a chain.

Many thanks 'Friendly Fire' - that answers my questions.

Off to Erwin and download some pdf's.

So i have a 2014 2.o diesel superb, im guessing that the haynes octavia manual will cover most tbings like oil change etc. Tried a elsawin disc tvat hangs after 26% extracting so loathe to throw good money afer bad

Cheers

Edited 16 February, 20188 yr by BigDave982
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