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maintenance manuals

Discussion in 'DIY (Do-It-Yourself)' started by boqron, Oct 27, 2008.

    boqron guest

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    I'm looking for a good maintenance & repair manual, preferably in CD ROM. Any good suggestions? This would be for a 2004 3 series.

    Jeron guest

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    The best reasonably priced manual is the Bentley. Dunno about getting it on CD or PDF.
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    johnh

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    The Bentley manual is the way to go - available online from club advertisers and book sources.
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    • Technical Service Advisor

    mooseheadm5

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    CD ROM manuals seem like a good idea, unless you use them a lot and have a laptop. It is nice to be able to carry the manual to the car. If you don't do tons of stuff, then it is OK to just print stuff out, but think about how much you will be using it.

    Jeron guest

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    I have a both a E36 Bentley book and a PDF of the book. The PDF is very handy for answering questions when at one of my PC's. I wish I had a E46 PDF but havent found one yet. I cant bring myself to cut my E46 book so I can scan it.

    mac townsend guest

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    the CD manuals I have bought for my E30 are useless.

    Jeron guest

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    Why are they worthless?

    Sorry, I mean useless.

    mac townsend guest

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    I find the one I have (BMW TIS/ETK) less than useful because:

    a) although I've been deeply involved with computers for over 25 years, I think it is usually faster to find something in a printed manual.

    for grins, I've just spent about 20 minutes trying to find something about the rear window defogger in the "TIS" manual program. still no luck.

    b) I don''t have, or really want, a computer in my shop where there is no climate control (or electrical outlets, for that).

    c) Written for dealership types, it relies a lot on special tools and equipments.

    d) my car is an 84 325E. it is much more useful to have specific info on an E30, at least, than the "all models" even though the program requires one to key in the vin at the beginning.

    Jeron guest

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    Ahhh, you have the TIS and ETK.

    There is some useful info in there but they are not really repair guides. They are more like supplemental information. There should be a parts catalog on there with good diagrams, but you can get that on realoem.com.

    jonathonlorek guest

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    is there a bentley manual for the e60?

    Is there a bentley manual for the e60? Any ideas of where i might find it?

    Jon

    Jeron guest

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    jonathonlorek guest

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    Ok, well hopefully it is in process. Thanks for the info.
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    johnh

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    not sure about your model, but you can check out bentley offerings at www.bentleypublishers.com
    they're widely available from CCA advertisers and online

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