Which maintenance manual

[rogert]

I recently bought a 08 PT with 24K miles on it. Running great (right now) but intime things break. What is the best maintenance manual to buy for the money. I have bought several of them in the past & most were of very little help.
Roger

[CREWZIN]

The cheap ones aren't available for your model year but a lot of things didn't change throughout the years so a Haynes or Chilton paperback manual might help you with a lot of things. They were made for the 2001-2003 including turbo models. For a more complete manual, check the back of your Owners manual for publications that you can send for through Chrysler.

[Matt42]

Originally Posted by rogert

I recently bought a 08 PT with 24K miles on it. Running great (right now) but intime things break. What is the best maintenance manual to buy for the money. I have bought several of them in the past & most were of very little help.
Roger

I've always found the factory manual to be worth the extra expense. I have a library full of them dating back to 1971. I wish I had kept them as far back as 1966. The Chrysler-AMC-Rambler-Nash-Jeep manuals are, in my opinion, the best and easiest to use. When possible, I buy both the paper and CD versions. That way, I can print the necessary pages to use under the car, and not worry if I get them greasy. GM manuals, are in my opinion, a lot like software manuals: they assume that you already know everything. I have no experience with Ford manuals. Mazda manuals were always pretty good, but I have no post-1982 experience.

As for aftermarket manuals, I have found the Clymer and Haynes manuals to be the best. Chiltons tended to be, in my opinion, a waste of money.

[rogert]

Thanks for the replys. It sounds like "bite the bullet" & pay the manufactures price & get a good manual. So many times I have bought the "after market" manuals & found that nothing looked the same as under the hood. I do have some experience working on cars, but I was looking for something like "PT Cruiser maintenance for dummies".
Roger

[CREWZIN]

Well, that's about what the paper back version of the Haynes and Chilton manuals are good for with plenty of pictures and step by step directions. The only problem is that, as I said, they only cover 2001 to 2003. I've helped countless owners out on this forum using them. The big difference in models is that Chrysler moved some parts around (Crankshaft sensor in 2004), (low side A/C fill port in 2004) and changed the underhood fuse box and called it the Power Distribution Center in the 06+ cruisers.

Maybe that's enough where yo wold want to get the manual from Chrysler.

[rogert]

I just checked out the Chrysler website & their maintenance manual (CD) is 199.95. I'm thinking maybe I'll just buy a Haynes & write the PT forum when I have a question.
Roger

[Matt42]

Check eBay from time to time. Used copies occasionally show up. Having said that, saving the cost of one major repair per car has always paid back the price of the factory manual.

Low end was $7 for a 1966 Rambler.
High end was $250 for a 2003 Saturn Vue. The service manual on that #@%& car, when it showed me the indescribably stoopid way the V6 engine was was designed, saved me much money by helping me convince my spouse to get rid of the car.