VX Shop Manual, the hold-in-your-hand kind...

[Scott Larson]

I'm old school, maybe too old school, but I like a service manual I can hold in my greasy hands. I have the CD-ROM manual, I find it lifeless, boring, almost unreadable. Besides, who wants to give their prized disputer an 80w-90 lube-job in the midst of a teardown? That said, who actually has and uses the good-old, as-God-intended, paper service manual? I just ordered a Helm VX shop manual, $139.00 with the shipping. Am I nutz, or are there others as backwards as me? (Loaded question, I know!!)

[blacksambo]

I'm old school, maybe too old school, but I like a service manual I can hold in my greasy hands. I have the CD-ROM manual, I find it lifeless, boring, almost unreadable. Besides, who wants to give their prized disputer an 80w-90 lube-job in the midst of a teardown? That said, who actually has and uses the good-old, as-God-intended, paper service manual? I just ordered a Helm VX shop manual, $139.00 with the shipping. Am I nutz, or are there others as backwards as me? (Loaded question, I know!!)

I've got the old bible version as well....good midnite reading.

[Triathlete]

printer!

[Scott Larson]

printer!

OMG!! How many reams of paper is that, how many days to copy? Oh dear Lord!! (1000+ pages...)

I'm bettin' the ink alone would be "One Meeelion Dollars"...Mwa-ha-ha...

[Scott Larson]

I've got the old bible version as well....good midnite reading.

Awesome reading "on the throne"...

[VxSport]

I need the paper book in front of me to bleed on. I printed our own 800 page manual off of the cdrom disk. I even bound each section in their own wire & cardboard (office depot) binders.
To make it more difficult, its even double sided. Didn't like having the laptop in the engine comparment.

[Scott Larson]

I'm witcha on dat point, dat's my point!!

[johnnyapollo]

I use my 3 volumes plus the single volume parts manual. To be complete you'll also want the Electrical Troubleshooting Manual for your model year (there's a 1999 and separate 2000 versions).

Of course the reason I use them is because the CD no longer works on my system for some reason.

-- John

[eternal21]

I just ordered a Helm VX shop manual, $139.00 with the shipping. Am I nutz, or are there others as backwards as me? (Loaded question, I know!!)

OMG!! How many reams of paper is that, how many days to copy? Oh dear Lord!! (1000+ pages...)

I'm bettin' the ink alone would be "One Meeelion Dollars"...Mwa-ha-ha...

I'd have to say:
1) It's probably the same amount of pages as the stock manual,
2) printing it via printer is probably cheaper than the $139 you just paid for the hard copy....just sayin' . And when you bleed on the page/get it dirty, you can just print another and replace it
3) This is the kind of print job you run @ work when everyone has gone home for the day

[tom4bren]

I'd have to say:
1) It's probably the same amount of pages as the stock manual,
2) printing it via printer is probably cheaper than the $139 you just paid for the hard copy....just sayin' . And when you bleed on the page/get it dirty, you can just print another and replace it
3) This is the kind of print job you run @ work when everyone has gone home for the day

Amen!

I just print the apropo pages for any given job ... then toss the greasy/bled on paper in the trash when done.

Electrons are our friends! (maybe because they are related to PROTONs!!!)

[Scott Larson]

The nice thing about having the paper manual is that you can have it with you when you need it the most, away from home...

[JAMAS]

The nice thing about having the paper manual is that you can have it with you when you need it the most, away from home...

I have it on my iPad

[Scott Larson]

Oh heck, I don't even own a cell phone! I've only had a disputer for 4 years... I think I'm what is referred to as a luddite.

[VX KAT]

My first Wells Moab trail guide book had the hard spine, pain to keep it open...so I took it to a print shop and for like $6 they sprial bound it...I'd think they could do the same for a 1000 loose pages maybe??

[Scott Larson]

The UPS man was just here and dropped off a box. In it was 10 pounds of VX service manual. Three volumes, over three and a half inches thick; HOLY CRAP! I knew it was over a thousand pages, but I guess I didn't realize just how much that was. I can't even begin to guess how many ink cartridges that would have taken to print on my printer, but I'm guessing it would have cost me almost as much in ink and paper to print it myself; I'm glad I didn't start...Very high quality work and nicely bound too. With the right tools and that manual, there isn't much you couldn't fix on the VX yourself! Yes I know, the CD-ROM version has the same stuff in it, but it's not so handy when you're away from the comfort of your own garage and I don't travel with my laptop. I seem to be able to find what I'm looking for alot quicker with a paper manual verses a CD-ROM too. Well worth the 133 bucks IMHO. Anybody interested, I ordered it online from HELM at helminc.com. and it is the actual US version Isuzu VX service manual as was available from the dealer. Helm produced the originals back in the day and these are reproductions of those. I tried to get an original from various service manual specialty outlets online as well as e-bay, but to no avail. Now, where did I put my reading glasses?