Bentley manual is the way things ought to be.
 

I got it last week and have been reading through several of the procedures. This manual is written the way I wish all auto repair manuals were. Here are the things I believe make this manual stand out from others:

1) A full "familiarization" section for all model years. I learned a lot about the Boxster from this section. Most other manuals just have a car famiarization area that has nothing to do with the specific model. :rolleyes:

2) Step-by-step instructions with pictures (photos, not illustrations) of each procedure. :cool:

3) Torque values printed next to the procedure so you don't have to go searching through tables and remember what they called that bolt. :dance:
4) Complete (and I mean COMPLETE) service procedures including all of the checks that should be done. :eek:

5) Arrows pointing to the bolts/fasteners that are removed in each step. No more searching. :)

6) Full A/C repair instructions. Most companies leave this out because you must have a license to work on them (they want to avoid a lawsuit because if you do it anyway). This manual warns that you must have a license and gives you the instructions. The license is easy to get, a short test online, but it only covers refridgerant recovery and processing with no training on systems at all. Nice to have both now.

7) Instructions in PLAIN ENGLISH. They know I'm not a mechanic by trade. :D

The only drawback I have seen so far is I wish it was split into two manuals. It's pretty big and heavy to have to carry around under the car. I would also love it if they started offering .pdf versions so I could print the section I'm working on and not worry about how greasy it gets.

If you can't tell, I love this manual and really wish they had one for our 928, Intrepid and Civic. I have the factory manuals for the 928 (9 volumes worth) and they are not as good as the Bentley manual. They are written for someone who's been to P-car school, not your average weekend mechanic, but they cost nearly 10 times as much. This is probably the best $60 I could ever spend on the Boxster. :cheers:

John,

I agree that's it's a good addition for anyone contemplating thier own work, or even scheduled Maintenance.

But, it's not all-encompassing. There are many procedures which are not detailed such as Oil Separator replacement, Engine Compartment Cooling Fan, Soft Top replacement, or even the size of the Wiper Blades to name just a few. Also, the exploded views aren't included in every procedure and invariably will be missing from the one you're doing.

That said, no Book or Manual is Perfect. If used in conjunction with a PET CD, you're in really good shape, add the Factory Manuals and you're really good to go - only other thing you'd need is a PST2! BTW, the Factory Manual is available as a .pdf CD for under $75 the set. PM me for contact details if interested.

I agree with you that the Torque Values are nice to have right in the procedure, but Part#s would have been nice too. All-in-all, a good resource for the Money, especially if you went with Amazon...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

True that with the perfect.


So true.

I did look up the oil separator when I first got it to see if I missed anything when I did it, but as you said it wasn't in there. That would be one of the other lacking points I forgot about.

I agree PET is a necessity. Especially since Porsche changes part numbers when they update them or fix a previous problem. I would imagine they don't list part numbers in the manual because of this and also because it covers so many model years, though it would be a very handy addition.

A PST2 would be great, but how much is that thing? I thought they were in the $10K range. Do you know somewhere to get one for a reasonable price? That sure would be nice to have around. Then the Boxster would never have to see a mechanic.

One thing I left out as a plus was the socket sizes are called out in many of the procedures (though not all). That's very handy when you're going to be on your back underneath and can't take the whole set with you.

It's not a PST2 but they claim they can reset some codes like the airbag light.

http://www.durametric.com/index.php

It's not cheap at $387. Anyone else hear anything about this? I saw this posted at the Boxster racing forum. There's also a thread over at renntech.org on this:

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7592&hl=durametric

Hope it pans out.

Hi,

I am aware of it. I'm sure it performs as they state, but the problem for me is that it's not complete.

My Luck, I pay the $387 and the tasks I need it for will lie outside their software's capability and so, in adition to spending the $387, I'm back at the Dealer's PST2 anyway.

That said, I am keeping my eye on it. They will probably improve it and enhance it's capabilities with time. Or, someone else will...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

I thought it was common knowledge that there are PST2 clones on a standard notebook.

Hi,

If you re-check Durametrics site, you'll see that they've dropped their price from $387 to $197. They are also now offering it on eBay for just a Buy It Now price of $197.

That's a significant drop. Perhaps, and this is sheer speculation, I wonder if it's not selling too well? Maybe their MSRP was set too high to begin with?

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

I think I may get one of these for my Boxster and for my A4 quattro. The one for the Boxster is 600 pages but the one for the A4 is 1500. And you thought the Boxster one was big and cumbersome. :eek:

I found this funny: Amazon.com had this message show up on the Bentley Audi A4 manual...

"This item is not eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping; this may be due to the item's unusual shipping weight of 6.0 pounds. A shipping surcharge of $1.40 applies to this product."

I could beat someone to death with that thing. :D