Best Repair Manual?

[American Pie]

As of tomorrow I'll be the proud owner of a new-to-me '96 Avalon. I'll have many questions, but to start what's the best repair manual for this car? The only one I can find is Haynes which is mainly for the '92-'96 Camry but includes the Avalon as kind of an afterthought:

http://www.haynes.com/products/productID/294

Is there a "factory" repair manual for the car and where's the best place to buy it?

Thanks folks, I'll be lurking (and hopefully contributing) here quite often.

Well, I found a pdf listed in another thread that should be very helpful but will keep looking for something dedicated to the Avalon.

[NRecob]

yes there is a factory manual printed by Toyota (I've seen it on eBay ~$100). I'd buy one for the '95 Avalon I just got but can't afford it right now If this Toyota produced manual is anything like the one I bought for my then new 1984 Toyota pickup, it is without a doubt the absolute BEST manual out there--if it's anything like the old ones is BLOWS the generic Haynes manuals away...

Here's a link to the Toyota Manual+ The Toyota Electric Manual (Schematics for the car):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1996-...item27b13319d9


Here's a link to all four 1996 Toyota Avalon manuals currently on ebay:

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/__?_from...ce+Repair+Shop

[American Pie]

Wow, thanks!

That's exactly what i was looking for. I suppose they're worth ~$100 if they provide you with plenty of detailed info, especially considering how much $$$ one can potentially save you.

[TrailDust]

Originally Posted by American Pie

I suppose they're worth ~$100 if they provide you with plenty of detailed info, especially considering how much $$$ one can potentially save you.

Absolutely. When you consider how much money alone is spent on parts over the lifetime of your vehicle the cost of owning an FSM is negligible. Good investment.

[NRecob]

+1 What TrailDust said--think of that Toyota Factory Manual as an investment.


Congrats on your new wheels and enjoy TN--I'm pretty new here but the members are very friendly and SUPER helpful (they've already saved my bacon twice)!

[Chunkywolf]

If you are quick at browsing a website, you can subscribe to the https://techinfo.toyota.com for 2 days at $10, and spend a day or so browsing through and downloading pdf's. That's what I did, and it's still the best $15 I've ever spent. It's a bit tricky to sort through everything and make sure you download it though.

[tacosteelersman]

Ask the seller how many pages the factory manual has, some factory manuals are more like owners manuals, If it has 600 to a 1000 pages it is the manual you seek.. Good luck

[ImDisaster]

Originally Posted by Chunkywolf

If you are quick at browsing a website, you can subscribe to the https://techinfo.toyota.com for 2 days at $10, and spend a day or so browsing through and downloading pdf's. That's what I did, and it's still the best $15 I've ever spent. It's a bit tricky to sort through everything and make sure you download it though.

There is a guy selling CD's of the entire manual on Ebay for $24 bucks. I suspect this is how he got his material. IMHO it beats paying $100 or more for a hard copy.

[robcam13]

i agree with everyones post but i also will stick up for haynes manual. it has good info for the price. oh and dont let the camry thing scare you it has a lot of avalon info in there as well. but if all else fails let me know what you need i am a toyota tech and can get you any info you need.good luck with your new avalon they are a good reliable car.

[American Pie]

Originally Posted by robcam13

i agree with everyones post but i also will stick up for haynes manual. it has good info for the price. oh and dont let the camry thing scare you it has a lot of avalon info in there as well. but if all else fails let me know what you need i am a toyota tech and can get you any info you need.good luck with your new avalon they are a good reliable car.

Thanks for the offer robcam13, and for the info about the Haynes. I've used Haynes manuals for quite a few of my past cars and they're very good for the price. Since I started this thread I purchased one of the factory Avalon manuals off Ebay (Kudos to the seller; it arrived in 2 days, from Michigan!!!) and while it has plenty of good info, I think I'll also buy a Haynes which might offer a different perspective on repairs for the "home" mechanic.

I've spent some time searching this forum and have already learned a lot about Avalons. After reading about the sludge issue with these engines, I've got some Auto Rx on order which will eventually be followed by a regular diet of Mobil1.

Lots more to learn, but it's fun!