Customer Reviews

Pontiac Fiero '84'88 (Haynes Manuals)

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As our Fieros are all getting rather old, I appreciate having as much information as possible. While not perfect,I prefer this book to the Chilton manual as it contains photos and instructions from an actual repair. The Chilton book mostly bases its information on the Pontiac shop manuals. Over the years (I have owned Fieros since 1984) I have used both this book and Chilton, as neither one has all the information required. So the best solution may be to get both books....

This book is a disaster. The author seems to cover only what is easily explainable and leaves the rest to the reader to figure out. The supplement for the 1988 models is weak at best. Buy the Chilton manual. It is by no means perfect, but it is better than this.

I got an earlier edition, thinking it was a GM shop manual, for $1.26. It has many more pictures and diagrams and more detailed explanations than the later edition. For instance, there are 26 pages of wiring diagrams in the earlier editon, compared to 16 faint pages in this edition.

Both have a rather limited index.

The newer edition does have some helpful additions like a diagram showing the number one cylinder is on the right. The specifications table in both editions describes the cylinder numbers as "rear bank (trunk)...1-3-5." The pictures in the newer book are clearer and make it easier to pick out details you might need. There is also a very useful section on repairing body panels with two full pages of pictures.

These manuals are based on rebuilding a working car. Real world accounts of people who deal with problems as they come up seem more useful.

The section on headlights explains how to replace and aim the bulb, remove and replace the whole unit, and adjust the doors. If you look on the internet you'll find many questions, discussions, and tutorials about problems with the headlight motors, gears, and relays. Even the new edition doesn't mention the kind of troubleshooting of relays and rebuilding of motors and gears that is the bane of a Fiero owner's existence.

This is a generalized manual. It lacks the detail to perform any major work. Some of the photographs of parts are not of the vehicle specifed.
Save your money and get the Chilton. Specs in the book are pretty accurate but if your have a big job to do, don't expect the detail you need to accomplish the task.

While the Chilton is okay, this book is much better as it has better pictures.