Just wondering what the consensus is here for technical references. Would an alldata diy subscription work for a home mechanic/hobbyist? Or is a factory service manual better?
I like the factory manuals and was able to get both factory manuals on ebay w/ shipping for $40. They are much better than the Haynes, although it's a nice quick reference and has some general advice that is handy. Not sure what version the alldata is at my bro-in-law's shop, but it's handy for the pros (which I'm not).
It depends on what you want and what you're going to be doing. Anything more involved, I'll spend $20 for three days of access to the same information that GM dealerships use. All the bulletins there are as up to date as is available from any source. If you want something ongoing, something like ALLDATA is probably better from a cost perspective. I've never been crazy about their system because of how it's organized, some difficulty in locating information because of how I'm used to seeing it organized and some information that doesn't seem available at all. Again, it all depends on what you want. Most of my past projects have involved taking options from other GM vehicles and installing them into my car(s). With the $20/3 days, I can access ALL GM's vehicles so this helps my research and project success enormously. With the other online services (ALLDATA, etc), you get access to one make/model/year and any others are an addition fee per vehicle.
I always consider the information available to GM dealers and technicians to be the 'Gold' standard, however this standard is not always necessary.
Thanks, I'll go with both but start with ALLDATA b/c I can have some new info to soak up upon subscribing. I agree with the Haynes manuals not being useful. I've had a few over the years and cannot imagine them being of any use for a modern Caddy. The first reference to Chilton/Haynes I saw on here was a member telling anther to use them to soak up spilled fluids. A good thing I wasn't eating or drinking anything when I read that or I would have choked :histeric:
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