Customer Reviews

Volvo 850 Series 1993 thru 1997 (Haynes Manuals)

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

 

 

Using this book as a guide I just completed the 30,000 mile maintenance on my 97 850 GLT including complete replacement of front brake pads and rotors in half a day. I estimate that I saved about $400-500 using this book. The instructions are clear and complete. More photos would be a help but overall I think this is exactly what the US 850 owners needed.

This book is a real fraud. The illustrations are poor & printed on cheezy paper.Many subjects are incomplete. The back cover shows an impressive page supposedly from the book, only it doesn't exist. Routing of air thru turbo & intercooler is not shown. Fault codes are listed from 1992 thru 1995. If I were Haynes, I'd be ashamed to put my name on this book.

This book is worth having for the price, but it leaves a lot to be desired. Some repairs are explained in enough detail, but all too often the pictures shown are difficult to determine where on the chassis you should be working. If you are already very familiar with all of the nooks and crannies, then this may not be a problem for you.

The index is also very weak. Haynes could do a much better job of adding keywords to the index to help find things. For example, my "Check Engine" light came on. The index doesn't have an entry for "Check Engine", or "Light - Check Engine" or similar. I don't recall other examples off-hand, but this wasn't the only example.

However, there is certainly enough information contained in this manual to help you do many repairs. Once I found the section that contained the "Check Engine" information, the instructions were concise enough to help me determine the problem and resolve it.

Book is quite helpfull, and ease to understand.
Some small things missing...

Good book, lots of useful info. However I'm disappointed that in automatic transmission chapter, it says "when you get flashing arrow, use computer codes in section 9 for troubleshooting". I turn pages and see that section 9 does not exists.I mean "what the hell". I have to search for another book now.

This book is great for both novice and professional mechanics. It provided you lots of details and step by step guide. However, Some guideline to repair the driver electric seat was missing as I was running into trouble of stuck seat back in horizontal positioin and the book didn't give you any information but rather leave it to the Volvo service dept. The owner of 96 model and later will have to invest for the scan tool in order to make a proper diagnosis. Apart from this, it worths every penny.

Just what you have come to expect from Haynes/Chilton. This is a pretty thorough overview of the Volvo 850's systems, maintenance, and repair. It is not as thorough as some more expensive maintenance manuals. But it will get you through most procedures. If you get stumped, there are plenty of Volvo forums and user groups out there to fill in the fine details.

All in all, it is a great starting point for maintaining your own car. Just remember that you will have to fo somewhere else for fine detail.

Lacks depth. Wiring diagrams very limited. I used Haynes before on a Dodge and the book was much better.

This book does not cover everthing. Some of the pictures are not too clear and intructions are not detailed. However it is helpful for
DIY'er.

It is a good, but I am sorry to say that its contents are not enough, something shortage of description and something lack of data.