Customer Reviews

Mazda MX-5 Miata 1.8: Enthuasiast Workshop Manual (Enthusiast's Workshop Manual Series)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you have a Mazda Miata with a 1.8L motor and you plan to work on the car yourself this book is a must have and priceless. Let me tell you how this book helped me. I'm a 51-year-old parts changer. I do the basics Brakes, Exhaust, Tune Ups, Water Pumps. I needed to change the water pump in the Miata. Lucky for me I had this book. Changing the water pump involved removing the timing belt and pulleys, which I've never done before. When I got to the point where I realized that this is not a basic water pump job I took out the book. The book walked me through the job with informative step-by-step text and photos. I'm happy to say the car started right up and is running better than ever. I'm now so confident with the technical support I receive from this book that I would not hesitate to tackle any job on this car. This book covers it all.

I do a lot of DIY maintenance and repairs. I recently purchased a 2000 Mazda Miata along with the model-specific Factory Workshop Manual. While Grainger's ...1.8: Enthusiasts Workshop Manual is intended for the earlier model, pre-1999, most of the guidance can be applied to the 1999-2000 with patience and ingenuity. I found that this manual, when combined with the Mazda Factory Workshop Manual and online resources, provide complete guidance for most tasks including major service. I particularly liked that Grainger included personal insight and tips & tricks that are helpful to a non-professional mechanic. The only issues I have with the Manual's presentation is that the small text is hard to read and the photos are small and some lack clarity. The last issue, which is not totally objectionable, is that the Manual is written with the "right and left" references from the perspective of someone standing behind the car looking forward (this takes some getting used to) - I took a red marker and wrote "left & right" to clarify these references. I would recommend this manual to any Miata owner that does his/her own work.

I spend way to much time on [...] I've long heard "the manual" (meaning the Mazda factory workshop manual) referred to as though it were the only thing worth having. I now own both the factory workshop manual and this The Enthuasiast Workshop Manual by Rod Grainger. I'm very pleasantly surprised at this manual. It's far easier to read than the factory manual and is vastly more through than a Haynes manual. Its also much cheaper. The factory manual new-- if you can find it (it recently went out of print) costs $100.00. While I'm sure that this manual does not cover every minute detail that the factory manual does, it is quite through and well organized. I'll not be reaching for the factory manual when working on my miatas. I can't imagine that I'll need it now that I have this. Very nice and an absolute bargain.

I think I've got a copy of every Miata manual and workshop book, and this is simply the best.
If I could only keep one of them, this is the one.

Excellent book, well worth the price. Shows everything you need to repair and car for your Miata.

I needed a book on how to rebuild a Miata transmission. This was the one. I read reviews before buying and one review stated "Too much info in book. How many garage mechanics need to know how to rebuild transmission and engine." ANSWER: "I do." I'd rather get too much info than not enough. This is a must have book for any Miata "garage" mechanic. An excellent addition to your Miata library.

If you own an older Miata and like to do some of the routine,and even more intense projects this book covers pretty much everything.
I had looked at some other publications,and this one is far more detailed then anything else that I found.Even has some great pictures to help along with whatever project you may undertake,and some you may have thought you might not want to attempt.This book I believe has already paid for itself,gotta love that!
Steve

This is a great manual with many photos. Good info on how to do many of the everyday repairs and some of the more complex and in de0pth ones.
I like this one much better than the ones sold in the auto parts stores. Haynes, Chilton ect.

This book came highly recommended; it was a great buy, arrived quickly and in great condition; I'm very pleased

A well written book, BUT, many of the halftone pictures (photographs) too small,light, or busy to be useful. The author could probably delete the engine and transmission overhaul information as I doubt that many home repair mechanics will attempt these procedures. It does give enough information to identify those jobs best given to a specialty shop or dealer. Worth the $30 cost but not much more.