Indeed. The service manual for my VW GTI isn’t a manual at all, it’s accessed electronically, and it’s thousands for a single license. OTOH, I’ve watched videos on timing chain replacement–my model year had recalls due to a faulty tensioner–and it’s easily a 3-4 hour job for a professional VW mechanic in a full shop.
The flip side is that having it online makes it easier to show things that you would have a hard time seeing in a single thumbnail sized B&W photo in the old-style of service manual.
You’d be surprised how hard it is to find manuals these days.
Manufacturers have taken to:
Not printing them at all
Hiding them behind paywalls with exorbitant prices
Indeed. The service manual for my VW GTI isn’t a manual at all, it’s accessed electronically, and it’s thousands for a single license. OTOH, I’ve watched videos on timing chain replacement–my model year had recalls due to a faulty tensioner–and it’s easily a 3-4 hour job for a professional VW mechanic in a full shop.
The flip side is that having it online makes it easier to show things that you would have a hard time seeing in a single thumbnail sized B&W photo in the old-style of service manual.