Hi ,
what workshop manual would you guys reckon is the best ???---I've bought a Chilterns and an Idiots Guide by John Muir-- IMO they're are both a pack of rubbish--basicly comics-- is there actualy a real technical manual in existance with actual workshop drawings and specifications rather than garbled descriptions by a long karked it Yanks and indexed in both instances by autistic mental deficiants.
I'm lookin for beetle 62 thru 72 or thereabouts and have read that the Bentley is a goer????
Anyone ???
Cheers ,
:beer
Al .

I have 4 different manuals for the type 3 and the Bentleys is by far the best.

Hi Big Al.,
I like the Muir one, and think it's very good for 'starters', but if you don't like it & want something more clinical & detailed, a Bentley's is the "best" I've seen. Tell 'em you want a Bentley, for your VW... (!?)

Idiots Guide is probably the best for "how to actually do it". Over 2.3 million copies sold.

Bentley books are reprints of the original early VW factory manuals:

1958 - 2 volumes
1960 - 1 volume
1965 - 2 volumes
1966 - 1969 About 18 or 19 volumes as sections broken down into thinner manuals by section.

The Australian manuals - Scientific Publications, Gregory's etc are just edited versions of the original VW factory manuals - same text and same images.

Haynes manuals take it a step further by providing more (text) detail than any of the Australian books with many of the more common repair procedures.

Original VW factory manuals or the equivalent Bentley reproductions will provide all the information you need as they were the manuals provided to VW distriibutors. Be mindful of the fact that they were printed for the US market although some do include RHD information.

Other very good books are VOLKSWAGEN TECHNICAL MANUAL - Henry Elfrink, and the books written by Piet Olyslager - three books -VOLKSWAGEN CARS FROM 1954; 1960; and 1968.

Bentley books in Australia are very expensive (about $280 for the 65 VW factory manual). Cheaper in the USA but postage is expensive due to the weight of the book.

Original VW factory manuals (1960, 1965) do show up on eBay AU from time to to time and generally sell for less than $80 per volume.

There was a seller on eBay recently offering pirated CD editions of some the Bentley VW manuals, but it appears that the seller is NO LONGER A REGISTERED USER - maybe because of copyright infringement!

I have all the above manuals from VW factory and Bentley, but the book I refer to most is the Idiots Guide. Best VW book ever printed for the home VW mechanic.

Happy reading!!

:thumb Thanks very much for the input guys most helpfull , I'm intrigued thet nobody else finds the Idiots as truly annoying as I do, certainly the most annoying reference publication I personaly have ever come across irrespective of how many copys they've managed to con people into buying.
I notice that none of the manuals mentioned seems to refer to any Pommy ones, did they not have a RHD manual at any stage ?? VW sure sold plenty of units there and knowing the bloody poms it would be most unlike them not to have knocked up thier own if the Krauts wouldn't do it,, JUST a thought mind.
Cheers ,
:beer
Al .,

I will stick my hand up for Muir's being an essential manual as well

It is definitely not pin point accurate but i gives a great cover and understanding of things and how they work

Otherwise i have Scientific and i also find Rob & Daves web site brilliant

Haynes are English (written), aren't they?
Clymer was another earlier (mid 60's?) one, a bit like Elfrink (USA) but don't know from which country...
There was also an English one on "Super-Tuning the VW engine" or some such title...
Good to have several manuals for your model, as they are all "different"!
I also like "How to Hotrod VW Engines" by Bill Fisher as it covers many items of interest/importance, though it's not a repair manual.

Hey Al ,im with you ,i find the idiots guide just as you describe,just order a bentleys from the states and get it surface mail ,heaps cheaper:beer:beer:beer