Haynes has announced there will be no more new print Haynes repair manuals published

Redbeard

Original poster
Member
Jan 26, 2013
3,466
For those of us who like perusing PAPER manuals and repairing our vehicles this might be important. Below is copied from January's 2021 Rock Auto Newsletter:

RockAuto
Remember that bombshell news that broke last May? I am of course referring to Haynes repair manuals being purchased by Infopro Digital. Now we are finally learning a little about what changes to expect from the merged companies.

Unfortunately, Haynes has announced there will be no more new print Haynes repair manuals published. The good news is they also said many existing Haynes repair manuals will continue to be printed indefinitely. Haynes and Chilton (Haynes bought Chilton 20 years ago) repair manuals already published for existing vehicle models are available under "Literature" in the RockAuto.com catalog.

There will not be any new digital Haynes repair manuals published on CD either. They appear to be moving away from repair manuals focused on specific vehicle models. Haynes said it is “currently in the process of creating a new automotive maintenance and repair product that covers around 95 percent of car makes and models—an increase of around 40 percent over our current Workshop Manual coverage.”

Infopro Digital, Haynes new parent company, is a leading provider of repair databases for professional mechanics in Europe. Maybe the "new maintenance and repair product" will be structured more like a database subscription. Repair databases work well for professional mechanics who use them to fix a variety of vehicles every day of the week.

1971 Ford Owners Manual
Repair manuals are great for DIYers who may maintain the same vehicles for years or even decades. A paper manual or its CD is always available for quickly looking up a torque spec, carefully planning a repair, or just for some pleasant reading; "Hmm, so that is how my '79 Cordoba's power steering pump works..."

Repair manuals sometimes become family heirlooms treasured nearly as much as the cars they help fix. My parents bought a set of factory manuals to repair their 1971 Ford Country Squire station wagon. That station wagon was traded in long ago, but the manuals kept on serving family members who owned full-sized Fords. I now use those same repair manuals while working on my 1971 Ford LTD convertible. I occasionally come across a greasy fingerprint in the manuals and sentimentally wonder which relative's hand it came from and what repair they were performing at the time.

It will be interesting to see in coming months what Haynes/Infopro Digital's new product turns out to be. In the meantime, it is comforting to know that many existing Haynes/Chilton repair manuals for old and late-model vehicles and factory manuals republished by Detroit Iron and/or Dave Graham for older vehicles will continue to be available. It would be sad if my family heirloom 1971 Ford factory manuals ever suffered a catastrophic mishap, but it is nice that I could just go to "Literature" in the RockAuto.com catalog and quickly order a new set.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
The writing has been on the wall for some time. Just like everything else, they're going digital. Just look at the collection of digital manuals and info we have here. And why would I buy a paper manual when I can find an electronic version for free and just print the pages I need?
 

Bumperquip

Member
Nov 23, 2020
25
Tampa Bay Area
I’m apparently just old ... I like having a hard copy manual laying on the garage floor next to me when I tear things apart.

But, then I also still watch the Andy Griffith show, Bugs Bunny on Saturday mornings and I have absolutely no desire that my vehicle be able to park itself.

I find this type of thing not surprising but still disappointing.

I’m glad I’ve got either hard copy Haynes, Chiltons or FSMs for all of my current vehicles.
 

Reprise

Lifetime VIP Donor
Supporting Donor
Member
Jul 22, 2015
2,724
I could live with digital content. We're probably at the time where we need to incorporate the tool that the pro mechs have been using for years -- the dedicated (networked) laptop in the service bay... er, garage. :compu-punch:

However, when I see this...
Haynes said it is “currently in the process of creating a new automotive maintenance and repair product that covers around 95 percent of car makes and models—an increase of around 40 percent over our current Workshop Manual coverage.”
That's unacceptable. Creating a 'generic' product (which is nothing more than a cost-saving / profit-increasing measure) is a disservice to the customer. While manufacturers offer fewer distinct lines, and many cross-platform models, we still ostensibly have many manufacturers, using different engineering and different parts.

And then we get to...
Infopro Digital, Haynes new parent company, is a leading provider of repair databases for professional mechanics in Europe. Maybe the "new maintenance and repair product" will be structured more like a database subscription. Repair databases work well for professional mechanics who use them to fix a variety of vehicles every day of the week.
This is also unacceptable (or, if you prefer, 'more bullsh!t').
I'm envisioning this as a model where, once you pay for it, you do not own / can't access that info in perpetuity -- only for a set period of time -- and must continue paying for access, even if the content *doesn't change*. No save / print available, no right of transfer to 3rd parties (eg.; forum buddies, new owners of your vehicle, etc.)

I have no problem with subsequent payments for *updated* information. But to pay multiple times / continually for the *same* info (and 'generic' at that, mind you) -- no, I won't be frequenting their 'new, improved' service (aka: business model). They can go practice self-copulation.

Thankfully, I've never really found Haynes' product 'indispensable'.
Actually, most times after reviewing it, I find it utterly *dispensable*.

</rant off> :rolleyes:
 

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