They assume you have a base level knowledge of the car and only delve into
the more technical aspects of repair, and are certainly car-specific.
However, if you combine it with something like a Clymer's or Hanes manual
then you have a pretty comprehensive repair guide.

One manual that's often overlooked is Bentley. They cover EVERYTHING and
are car specific, and usually less than the factory manual.

Some factory manuals can be downloaded free from www.pdftown.com.

Toyota manuals are really good and go into a lot of detail, usually
with a clear illustration for each step of each procedure.

A couple of years ago, I paid $140 for the Nissan factory manual and
consider it well worth the price, even though I already had a free
copy of the Haynes manual, because Nissan provided a lot more
information about the computer systems (fuel, emissions, antilock
brakes, and transmission), the diagnostic procedures were more
detailed (Haynes and Chilton's often give only generic info), plus the
wiring diagrams are completely accurate and not merely "typical",
i.e., typically useless.

 Haynes and Chilton and the like are useful for the total novice
because they spell out the simple things that the novice doesn't know
- like how to hand-pack a wheel bearing...

 But at times they are way wrong, because they take apart one example
car out of a series of several similar model years of the same design,
and expect that they are all designed the same.  Often there are major
running production changes between the first and last years of a model
- or they wrote the book using a sedan and the car maker used a
totally different part in the wagon, the book writers didn't know, and
the pictures they show look nothing like the part you have in your
hand...  

 The factory manuals are really detailed, and they show all those
production changes.  But they do tend to gloss over the simple stuff
that a first year mechanic would know, like "pack the wheel bearings".

If you need an electrical wiring diagram or detailed torque and
adjustment instructions, don't even bother with the ones in the
aftermarket books.  They're almost guessing - if they make them too
good, they'd be accused of copyright infringement because they would
have to crib the data and drawings from the factory manuals...

 The people who write the factory books have full access to the
blueprints used to build the car, and the engineers who drew those
blueprints, and are as accurate as possible.

  --<< Bruce >>--

Factory Repair Manuals are far superior, and well worth the extra cost, to
Haynes and Chilton manuals.

Only as good as the capabilities of guy interpreting the contents, I would
suspect  ;)

Bruce's explanation of the difference between factory and Chilton, Haynes,
Mitchell, Motor, etc. manuals is right on.  If you have a good understanding
of automotive principles and know the fundamentals of electrical circuits
and diagnosis, then the factory manuals are a better choice, otherwise, the
aftermarket publications are good enough.

If you think that you will only need occasional access to the additional
detail and information in the factory repair manual, you can access them for
$10/day at techinfo.toyota.com.  At this site, you can also download
technical service bulletins.  Depending on the car's level of equipment and
engine choices, a complete set of manuals can be pricey, but you will
probably break even after one or two DIY fixes.

Hiya, Brucie.  Fixed that broken bolt yet?

Here's the story on manuals.  Almost without exception, factory
manuals are the best (and most expensive).  Who knows more about the
cars than the engineers who designed them?  And the car companies have
the deepest pockets to pay for the best writers.  Moreover, auto
manufacturers must support the dealers' service facilities,
particularly for warranty repair  It's in their own best interest
(self interest) to provide the most complete info to their dealer
mechanics in order keep warranty costs down and try to minimize
customer dissatisfaction.

On the downside, very often factory service manuals specify a
procedure using a special tool that the independent shop or shade tree
mechanic won't have and cannot get.  And, yes, they're expensive.
(You get what you pay for.)  Automakers would prefer that you take
your car to their dealer for repair rather than do it yourself, so
they discourage home repairs by making the technical manuals
expensive.

Next on the list of independent manuals are those from Robert Bentley
Publishing in your adopted home town of Cambridge, MA.  Bentley
manuals are so good that some automakers contract out the manuals to
Bentley.  VW manuals, for example come from (or used to come from)
Bentley.  Look here:  http://www.bentleypublishers.com/

Next on the list are the Haynes manuals.  They're OK for the mechanic
who has a general idea of the repair procedure, but sometimes they get
it wrong; sometimes they use procedures or images that apply to
earlier models; sometimes they try to cover a span of model years that
is too broad, so the info's not specific enough (which is OK if you
have some repair sense); and sometimes they simply ignore a critical
service step in their manuals.  But many experienced independent
mechanics and skilled amateurs do very well with Haynes manuals.

Very last on the list -- at the very, very bottom of the barrel -- are
the Chilton manuals.  They are tenth on a list of five.   Chilton
manuals are so bad that they belong in the bathroom where you can tear
out a page for other purposes.  Fortunately, they print 'em on cheap,
soft paper that doesn't scratch when used for that "other purpose."
Before I knew this about that, I bought a Chilton manual for one of my
cars.  I paid $2, and that was $2 too much.  I've never, ever used it
because the organization of info was bad, the specifics were too
general, and the presentation of info was garbled.  In fact, the
Chilton manual did not even address the type of fuel injection in my
car -- they simply left it out.  (And, fortunately, the FI has been
trouble free for years.)

You ordered a Chilton manual, huh?  It will probably suit you well.

Your friend, Oneup.

Look on eBay.  Sometimes you can find one cheaper.