How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive : A Manual of Step-By-Step Procedures for the Complete Idiot (Paperback)

~ John Muir (Author), (Author), (Illustrator) "Now that you've spent your bread for this book-read it!..." (more)
Key Phrases: fuel injection, single carburetor, bus condition, Control Unit, All Models, Liquid Wrench (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For novice and veteran mechanics alike, this book has provided humorous, step-by-step repair and maintenance instructions for all air-cooled VW's built through 1978 for over 25 years. This edition contains a new section on the electrical system, plus a revised resource list of VW clubs, magazines, books, and parts suppliers. 300 illustrations.

About the Author

John Muir, mechanic, author, and the publisher, wrote the original How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive in 1969. He died in 1977. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 467 pages
• Publisher: John Muir Pubns; 17th edition (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156261343X
• ISBN-13: 978-1562613433
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (124 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #392,583 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent repair manual! Buy it if you like your VW!, November 26, 1998

By A Customer

Commonly referred to as the "Idiot Manual" or the "Muir Book" among VW fanatics. It covers all air cooled VW models. It is a book that I love and cherish! It is different than any other auto manual you've ever see. It is aimed at the complete idiot! It has NO pictures and only hand drawings and illustrations. This makes all illustrations very clear because it leaves out all the extraneous stuff that photos include. It has lots of text but this is a good thing. John Muir is an old hippie that loved his VW's. He instills this love in all his readers as well. This book's strong point is teaching this love of your car as well as teaching you the ongoing maintenance. I feel the tune-up and maintenance portion of this book is better than the other books. The other big plus of this book is that it's just plain fun to read. I've read it cover to cover a few times. It's that entertaining! The only weak part of this book is for serious (professional) mechanic's who want a technical manual for ALL parts of the bus. for example, here is an actual quote from the book. "The trans (transaxle) overhaul is not in this book. Not only can't you do it but we won't either." I don't mind that one bit! I couldn't do it so I appreciate them telling me. It covers the basic maintenance and repair (99% of anything you will need done on your car/bus) in a clearer, step by step, way than any other book. If I had to have only one repair book, this would be it, without question.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must have for all aircooled VW owners, November 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, 30th Anniversary Ed (Paperback)

John Muir is regarded as the expert in the field as far as aircooled VW's. This book is extremely easy to read. It makes capable mechanics out of "compleat idiot"s with its easy going style.

For a complete collection, buy the VW service manual by Robert Bentley to complement the Muir book. With these two references, available through amazon.com, you have everything you need to perform any and all repairs on your aircooled VW.

40 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential if flawed -- great introduction to aircooled VWs, August 2, 2000

By	Gordon M. Wagner (Suburbia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive, 30th Anniversary Ed (Paperback)

I've had three or four copies of this book over the years. If you buy it, take your book to the printer and get them to trim off the binding and three-hole-drill it for you. Keep it in a binder. The book is an excellent introduction to aircooled VWs, but it is slightly flawed and has a bias towards OLDER VWs... I have a '76 bus and the margins are full of notes correcting slight inaccuracies... such as today, I needed to replace my brake light switches, the book says "remove splash pan," I did that... sure didn't see any master cylinder revealed. Damn. 100 degree heat today. DEFINITELY get a Bentley shop manual reprint AND READ AND COMPARE BOTH OF THEM... get a parallax that'll help you figure out what to do. The tone of the Idiot Book is perfect, however, it's a truly empowering experience to realize that you can work on your own vehicle -- keep it running forever. It's a heck of a change from the "disposable car" attitude today. [...] You really need this book. There's nothing like it.