GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Chilton? Haynes? Something else?

I'm not 100% sure but I thought in the past I had seen people complain about differences between certain manuals, where things were different, etc.

I believe you said your Vibe was a 2004? If so I can't be of much help BUT I'd probably look into the Helm manuals. The three volume set that I purchased for our 2009 Vibe's are nice BUT have a few errors due to them being printed so early. Certain items graphically and through explanations, are for 2008 Vibes and NOT our 2009 ones. Seeing how the 2004 models had no changes from any predecessor years, you should be safe with them.

How much do those run and where can I get them?

I know I can get a Haynes 2003 - 2009 Matrix/Vibe from Autozone for $30

edit: oh wow $200 off their web site that's too much for me right now

Here's a link to the 2003-2008 Matrix service manual. Should pretty much be the same.

https://mega.nz/#!DtRiFCoI!LB_Z0CLYsxcJ ... 1xB391Y91o

BustedVibe wrote:How much do those run and where can I get them?

Yeah .... sticker shock !!!

I got lucky because they were only $150 seven years ago when I bought my Vibe. The price went up about a year or so later

Thanks so much, I will keep this handy. Its hard to track down good working links. I still might pick up the Haynes book from Autozone though, when I have a few $$ to spare.

And yeah I don't understand why the price went up so much. I saw a set on ebay for like $399, INSANE

Chilton? Haynes?

Both of these company's have consumer and professional grade service manuals. The consumer grade are the ones that are full of misinformation and poor editing. A repair shop will always have the professional series of service manuals and the cost is well over $200.00. Like most things, you get what you pay for.

You can also sign up for on-line service info on vehicles. A lot of service shops are doing the on-line thing, which is a fee for so long of a time; month, year, and so on. The on-line service has a consumer section in that you can pick one vehicle to get info on which is cheaper. AllData is one company and here is a link:

For the pro:
http://www.alldata.com/repair

For the DIY:
http://www.alldatadiy.com/

I can get online help through our public library. Check with yours.

Buy a subscription to AllData Repair. These are straight-up factory resources. $27/year for one car.

Thanks I will consider it. The $45 for 5 years access looks like a very reasonable deal. Although it will be a pain luggin a laptop out there vs a book you can read in any level of light I guess

You should be able to just print off the information you need and take that to the car with you. Dirty/greasy hands do not get along with laptops.

It's an old laptop not really used for anything

BustedVibe wrote:Chilton? Haynes?

2X What Jolt said!
chiltondiy.com (non-professionals) $26/year. I purchased this for one of my cars a while back. On-line access to unusable FRAGMENTS of the original factory service manuals! This manual is absolutely useless. The Chilton Professional version may be better, but at $1500.00/year - it should be!