Most ridiculously inaccurate instruction in a Haynes manual?
Discussion
Been fighting my wife's Saab today to replace the alternator. Apart from the fundamental instruction missing from the Haynes Manual that would have revealed the hidden bolt I spent an hour seeking, the instruction that made me laugh maniacally the most was the rather glib instruction 7.7 on page 5A.3:
"Withdraw the alternator via the right-hand wheel arch."
f
k off, Haynes. Either your authors are reborn gynaecologists or they have clearly never tried to perform this operation themselves.
I realise that Haynes Manuals aren't what they used to be, but do I own the only Haynes Manual to be published in the 'fiction' section or are they all like this?
"Withdraw the alternator via the right-hand wheel arch."
f
k off, Haynes. Either your authors are reborn gynaecologists or they have clearly never tried to perform this operation themselves.I realise that Haynes Manuals aren't what they used to be, but do I own the only Haynes Manual to be published in the 'fiction' section or are they all like this?
ludicrous speed said:
It's the photo's that were taken in the dark on a camera without a flash that get me. 
Or the fact they focus on the screw/bolt you need to undo, and not where the actual bolt is in relation to the rest of the car. A picture of a bolt does me no good, a picture of the engine bay, with an arrow pointing to the bolt does. AcidReflux said:
Been fighting my wife's Saab today to replace the alternator. Apart from the fundamental instruction missing from the Haynes Manual that would have revealed the hidden bolt I spent an hour seeking, the instruction that made me laugh maniacally the most was the rather glib instruction 7.7 on page 5A.3:
"Withdraw the alternator via the right-hand wheel arch."
fk off, Haynes. Either your authors are reborn gynaecologists or they have clearly never tried to perform this operation themselves.
I realise that Haynes Manuals aren't what they used to be, but do I own the only Haynes Manual to be published in the 'fiction' section or are they all like this?
Not sure if it applies to your Saab, but the mechanic I use told me that on the newer ones, you have to tell the ECU it has a new alternator or it won't work. Mad I tell you, mmmad."Withdraw the alternator via the right-hand wheel arch."
f
k off, Haynes. Either your authors are reborn gynaecologists or they have clearly never tried to perform this operation themselves.I realise that Haynes Manuals aren't what they used to be, but do I own the only Haynes Manual to be published in the 'fiction' section or are they all like this?
pacman1 said:
Not sure if it applies to your Saab, but the mechanic I use told me that on the newer ones, you have to tell the ECU it has a new alternator or it won't work. Mad I tell you, mmmad.
I do hope not. This car's life is likely to be cut short soon anyway, and that'd just accelerate the decision.4mo said:
Usually find them quite good, apart from the "release by tapping with a small hammer", which invariably means drowned in WD40, heat to glowing red and hit as hard as you can with the biggest hammer you can find 
They must hate Saab owners, I bought one for my current shape 9-3 ready to do the clutch, the section on the Clutch was missing totally, they sent a replacement and that didnt have it either ! inordinate ammount of arsing about to get a new one, they finally sent a third one that had the missing bit.
Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff