Auto Repair For Dummies by Deanna Sclar
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Book Reviews of Auto Repair For Dummies
Book Review: Not an Auto Repair Book - Very Basic, Maybe Too Basic
Summary: 3 Stars
I put this book on my Wish List at Amazon.com. It is exactly what I need and the other reviewers give it a good rating. But HOLD THE PRESSES not so fast. I went over to the local book store and happened to see a copy, so I sat down for 10 minutes and quickly took in as much as I could.
First of all the title is misleading. It is not about car repair despite the size of the book's big 600 page thickness. It should be called
"Dummies Guide to Car Ownership".
It is like a large owners manual that comes with every new car. This book cannot be used to repair your car. You can use it to understand how the car works, when to change the oil, and what certain parts do but it is (definitely) not a car repair book. Maybe if you bought a used car and it has no manual buy this book, or you just bought your first car and you are clueless, then okay buy the book, but if you are that clueless - do not fix your car. Get help.
It is like a cartoon book on very basic things. For example one section is how to open the hood (I kid you not!). Another is how to change the tire. Another how to check your fluid levels. There are cartoons showing the suspension, the motor combustion cycle, etc. all the things that are basic. It is not a guide to repairing a serious problem or maybe even a not so serious problem in your car. There are a few interesting items in the book like PVC valves and cartoons showing how they bleed exhaust gases back into the input manifold, etc.
Okay so you want to repair your Chevy or your Honda or your VW or your Ford pickup. This is what you do. You go to a store like Autozone or similar (this is not an endorsement) and you buy a shop manual for your exact car - say a 1999 Chevy Lumina V6 3.8 L, that is for the make, the model, with the year and exact engine or the equivalent book for $25-$50. bucks. Maybe you can get it for less. Then you use the shop manual as a guide to determine what to change and how to do it, and buy the parts at an auto supply place. If that manual is too complicated, just go to a garage, or get help from a friend that has some experience.
If you know the basics about a car, skip the book.
Book Review: Some good info, too wordy, title misleading
Summary: 3 Stars
I own this book. It has some good basic info, but a much better title would be How Cars Work, With a Little Auto Repair Thrown In. Some of the actual descriptions of "repair" are of very simple things, like how to open the hood - but I guess you should expect that in a Dummies volume. She recommends going to a pro for all but the simplest repairs. Kind of defeats the purpose of the book, it seems to me. She doesn't even discuss exhaust system work, and on many cars that's a relatively simple job. I'm certainly not Joe Mechanic, but even I managed to replace my own muffler and another pipe. This book is more about maintenance than repair.
There are also too many cutesy stories and comments, and Sclar's descriptions are often much too wordy. If she had merely stuck to the facts this book could have been 50 pages shorter. For instance, Sclar tells a story about a woman who had a flat tire but refused a truck driver who offered to help. Then the woman discovered she wasn't strong enough to lift the tire onto the rim. Sclar makes sure to mention that the guy stayed there in his truck to enjoy her helplessness, then goes into an explanation, complete with illustrations, of how to build a ramp to ROLL the spare up to the rim. Who's going to do that, and then lug the thing around in their trunk? Not many, I expect. Hey, here's a thought - when someone graciously offers help, why not just accept it?
That said, the book does have some good general info that should at least enable you to talk to your mechanic more intelligently and might help you avoid getting ripped off. But if you're looking for a book that will actually help you do a variety of repairs on your car, you probably ought to look elsewhere.
Book Review: Every teen should have this book
Summary: 3 Stars
This isn't much of an auto repair book, as such. For repair, I'd advise those who know what they're doing to grab themselves a Chilton manual specific to their car.
However, I think this book should be read by anyone preparing to enter the world of driving. I personally would have my child read this book before allowing them to own a car.
This book pretty much covers how a car works and simple/routine maintenance. Stuff most people who drive have no clue about. Stuff that is important to know if you're planning on navigating 2 tons of steel in three dimensions at 60mph.
This is a great present for your teen's 16th birthday (place it in the front seat of their new car!), or for anyone who has just gotten a new car (and you know they barely understand how to turn it on).
Book Review: Don't expect any miracles
Summary: 3 Stars
Hello,I had very little knowledge of cars before I've bought this book, and after reading it (well some of it - it is very long and tedious and fool with obvious "insights") I stil have very little knowledge. Maybe this book will be good for people who never heard before that cars existed because ~80% of this very l o n g b o o k is bla bla bla (how to clean your car (?!), how to select a garage (?!) - what kind of expert do U need to tell U thos kind of info ? )
another problem is that it speaks about the "classical" engines - most of the cars from year ~90 and more are not using the system as described there and are more complicated (carburator, distributor ) to handle.
Book Review: Auto Maintenance for Dummies is more like it
Summary: 3 Stars
It's not really the fault of the author, but it lacks a lot of information. You're better off buying a text book for automotive service. You can find good ideas from the local college that has classes, better yet, take their introductory class if you can.It's a good primer and goes through the systems but it recommends more often than not to seek professional help.
You're also better off just getting the service manual of your car from Chilton and Hayes if you want to fix your car. See if you can find this book in the library or bookstore and just browse through the pages in an hour or two. It's definitely not worth having in your library.