Customer Reviews

Volkswagen GTI, Golf, and Jetta Service Manual: 1985-1992

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It contains everything from regular maintenance to complete overhauling of every little part, and is incredibly well-written and clear. It took me 5 minutes reading this manual to diagnose the source of a noise in my 88 Jetta GL engine that several knowledgable mechanics couldnt find at all. I was especially impressed that there are complete electrical schematics for each individual model, and several pages for each model at that. Not only does it tell you how to maintain and repair your car, but it also gives you valuable background information and explains the differences between each model and variant on a model. If you have a Haynes manual, or any other manual for that matter, youre missing out, and making life difficult for yourself, and you need this book. Anyone whos really into cars can tell you the Bentley manuals are the best ones out there.

I like VW Golfs quite a lot but I had problems undoing what a couple of mechanics have done to my last Golf (and bill me dearly for it). Thanks to the detailed information this book contains, now I got it running as it should, and will continue saving hundreds of times what I paid for this book.

This book is great for the "do-it-yourselfer"...even for the novice who wants to save [the] per hour shop fee and do some basic repairs on your VW, this book will guide you through it. It also provides very handy diagrams and pictures.

I own a 1990 German built Jetta and have tried the Haynes manual for '75 through '92 models with little help. The Haynes is based on a complete teardown and rebuild of an older, gasoline vehicle. It doesn't discuss Diesel or Turbo Diesel, and it omits features found in later models, such as cruise control, and does not provide and explanation of determining what model you have. This book, published by Bentley Publishers, is more extensive and has far better illustrations and wire diagrams. My advice: if you want to save money fixing your VW yourself, skip the Haynes manuals and get this book.

If you want to work on your VW yourself this is the best book you can get.The Bentley manual has almost 1,000 wiring diagrams, compare that to the haynes manual wich has 20. For all my vehicles I've previously owned I had Haynes manuals, after discovering the bentley manual I'm mad I wasted all that money and time not understanding how to properly execute the simplest tasks. This manual has over 5 times the information of other manuals.YOU MUST GET THIS BOOK.

Over the years I have used Chilton's manuals when working on American cars. They're informative, if not complete. Then when I've had a foreign car (ie German) I've tried the Hayne's manual. Worthless. I finally did the research and bought the creme de la creme, the Bentley manual for my 1986 VW Jetta, after having been stymied on many projects trying to use the Hayne's. Great stuff. Clear photos, concise instructions, so far very factual, informative and correct. If you are a DIY car person, get the Bentley manual for your auto. You won't be sorry.

I bought this book to help me replace the heater core in a 1991 Jetta my son bought cheap from a mechanic, because the mechanic didn't want to go through the hassle of replacing the core (officially a 7.3-hour job; more for me), which involved removing the steering wheel, dashboard, gauges, heater vents, controls, etc. I had read on VW sites that this was the best after-market book out there, so I spent the extra money. It is more complete and has better diagrams than most of the Chilton or Haynes manuals I have owned, but I don't own either of those for this model, so I can't make a direct comparison. It is much thicker, and quite a bit more expensive. I figured it was worth it since replacing the heater core myself saved me at least $450 in labor costs.

I got through the job in a weekend without too many wrong turns. One problem with the manual on this job is that it is not very specific about how to detach the heater box from the fresh air blower, and the diagram in the book is from a different model. To be fair, the book can't have a specific diagram for each and every model it covers, as it covers eight years and four different engine configurations. (There are two metal clips attaching the heater box to the blower housing, if you're doing this job.)

The numbering of procedures in the book is a little confusing at first, but I caught on. Also, the wiring diagrams are broken down into different systems on different models for different years, so sometimes it takes a bit to find what you are looking for, especially if you are looking for a particular color-coded pair of wires that you forgot to label when you detached them. (Don't ask how I know this.) The organization of these diagrams would be great if you were looking for a specific fault in a specific system, I would imagine.

Overall, it's a good book and seems fairly complete. I'm looking forward to doing some other little repairs on the car, such as replacing the cylinder head gasket (valve cover gasket) and other things that come up on a 124,000-mile car. If you are planning to do repairs and maintenance yourself, I would say this is a good investment. If you are doing a simple job or want to leave the complicated jobs for a mechanic, you might get by on a cheaper book.

I compare 3 different manual for Jetta, The Bentley one content system description and a lot of informations that not shown on others. No matter you are a DIY or professional car mechanics, you do need the Bentley. Although it is not perfect, but you can tear down your car with confidence if you have it in hand.

It is the best book because it explain you the fonction of every parts and how to check if it's work well. You must buy this book if you own a A2 volks. The money you will save even if you go to the repair shop worth the price of the book buy 1000 times...

It is alsow a good reference book if you want to put a passat 2.0L 16V engine in your golf and jetta because the book cover this engine and you have all the wirings diagrams you'l need to do the swaap... very helpfull!!!

A very good manual for the Jetta series, with one exception. There is not enough information on servicing the Automatic Transmission version. If you plan to do your own Auto-trans servicing this manual will not give you sufficient information to do that service. Although there is a diagnostic section, the best it offers it to tell you to go to VW and have them do the servicing!!! Pretty poor for a manual in this price range.