Perhaps this will serve as a useful warning to anyone who's contemplating making the same mistake I did...

When I acquire a "new" (to me) car, I always get a repair manual for that specific vehicle. It's a great way to stay abreast of maintenance and fix my own problems. In recent years, I've used alldatadiy.com for this purpose.

When I purchased my very first Audi ever (a '99 A6 quattro sedan), the things I read online lead me to believe that the only solid and complete repair manual for Audis up until '09 models was the Bentley repair manual, conveniently available on DVD. So I splurged $94.86 for one of those through Amazon.com, figuring I was doing "the right thing tm".

Then when I bought my second Audi a couple weeks later (an '01 A4 quattro Avant), I did the same thing again: $90.97 for the B5 A4 Bentley Publishers repair manual on DVD from Amazon.com.

Then I had to install the damn things... but as most of you know, the eBahn reader only works in Windows XP. There's a way to install it in Windows 7, but it involves setting up a virtual machine (Windows XP Mode), which is very tedious and slow.

Also, "Windows XP Mode" is only supported on Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate. But my laptop only had Home Premium. That meant I had to spend another $93.71 to upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate! (bought an online upgrade code via Amazon.com).

So far my total spent is $279.54, just for a couple of repair manuals!!!

After wasting hours setting up "Windows XP Mode" and getting the eBahn reader installed, I "activated" my cars' content (ugh...) and started looking through it.

...it's CRAP! There's NO diagnostic procedures anywhere! There's a long list of trouble codes, but no steps to follow to figure out what might be causing them. There's a bunch of info on how to remove/replace parts, but no estimate on how long the repairs should take. Performing a search while looking at a SPECIFIC car gives results on EVERY car that's had its content unlocked mixed together! And worse, I can only install the reader on 2 computers, and I only get updates for a year! It's a bitter, bitter disappointment. By far the worst repair manual I've ever used. Worse even than my giant 3-volume paper manuals for other vehicles (which are about as portable as an encyclopedia).

I really needed diagnostic info for the A6, so I finally caved in and bought my usual alldatadiy.com subscription. For a cost of $29.95 (because I'm already a current customer), I get access to the repair information on my specific A6 for a full 5 years. That's usually longer than I keep most vehicles. I also get access to this information from any web browser on any computer using any operating system, whenever I want.

Best of all, the content is cross-linked within itself. So when I look at a trouble code, I get a link to the proper diagnostic procedure to follow to find out what might be causing it. If I perform a search for a component, I get results only for the SPECIFIC car I'm working on. It's fast, convenient and very complete. Not to mention way cheaper than the Bentley Publishers manual.

But the real blow came when I looked at some repair information for a specific component... I had already looked at that very same info using the eBahn reader. What I saw in alldatadiy.com was THE EXACT SAME INFORMATION that's found in the Bentley repair manual!!! Same text, same diagrams, same EVERYTHING! It's the exact same identical content written by the exact same source. I looked up a bunch of other repair procedures at random, and sure enough, they were all completely identical between the 2 sources. So not only does alldatadiy.com have ALL the content of the Bentley repair manual, it has it in a better organized way AND it has a ton more info on top of that!

Why did I waste my money on the Bentley manual? For $29.95 per vehicle, I could've had a better source of repair information that's good for 5 years. Instead I wasted $279.54 on an incomplete manual that's locked up in a proprietary format in an outdated operating system that's slow and tedious to access.

The only drawback to alldatadiy.com is that it's only accessible online, so an Internet connection is necessary to view it. But any information can be printed and taken wherever you go, so that's barely a limitation at all.

So if you're contemplating buying a Bentley repair manual: don't do it! Don't waste your time and money! The only good reason to do so is if you absolutely need the repair info in electronic format in an area where no Internet is available. And that's hardly a "good" reason.

Just get an alldatadiy.com subscription for your vehicle. It's always up to date and it puts the eBahn reader to shame.

 

I have bought manuals in PDF format on tradebit.com for ten to twenty bucks and they range from Haynes to Bentley manuals to dealer repair info for all makes and models of cars. I'm definitely going to give your recommendation a try also.

 

I also have had a lot of luck with alldata DIY, always the info I need and up to date.

 

The problem with PDF manuals is that your copy doesn't get updated over time, and they don't include service bulletins and other stuff. But they are pretty handy and portable.

I forgot to mention: a 1-year subscription at alldatadiy.com is only $16.95.

 

I've never used the Bentley DVD's so I can't speak for it. I just got a subscription to AllDataDIY and I'm not really too happy.

I got it because I'm not a mechanic by any means and wanted to be able to take care of the simple things on my own. Lights, fluids, spark plugs... standard maintenance things and maybe the occasional things I wouldn't dare to do on my own.

Say for example the spark plugs. I do a search for spark plugs and what do I get back? Mechanic labor information. How long should a mechanic charge you for. Spark Plug Parts, it shows me AST tool# H 1849 and a picture of it. Great. Now what?

It was disappointing. It didn't seem to really go into detail over the simple things. Sure, they may be simple, but I don't know how to do it. That's why I got the subscription.

Anyway, it's only been a few days. Maybe I'll get smarter and understand how this website works. In the meantime, I'll keep scouring the web for DIYs.

 

I would try alldata.com.

 

alldata.com has the exact same information as alldatadiy.com, except alldata.com is a time-based subscription to their entire database.

As far as spark plugs go, that information is also not available on the Bentley DVDs. However, changing spark plugs is one of those super-basic things that requires no real technical info (unplug coils or plugs, unscrew spark plugs). All you need to know is how tight to torque them, and that info is available in alldatadiy.com under the "Specifications" section.

You could also look up how to do a compression test, and that would give you info on removing the spark plugs. It's not that the info isn't there, but sometimes it's hidden in odd places.

 

Crazy. I was given the Bentley disc from my dad because he didn't need it anymore, car totaled. Same vehicle '06 A4, I was able to re-register the account onto my laptop but than still needed to find windows 7 to download onto my Macbook which I don't even want to do. I would like to get VAG soon so will have to decide if I buy windows for laptop or on a small cheap netbook which would be ideal but trying to keep cost to a minimum. The whole process of windows on mac, partitioning through bootcamp or using VM to run it is a pain in the ***. $ is tight for me but I have been needing wiring diagrams to try and diagnose an inoperative AC system not to mention other problems. Having not spent $ on the bentley disc, but most others who have suggested various sources for HVAC info say same thing about Bentley, "waste of money, incomplete, lacks comprehensive repair info"

An enthusiast on AZ suggested buying a 1 day to Audi/Erwin online manuals for $35, you can print all you want and is the exact repair procedures for all Audis used by their techs everyday. This information is only available to the dealerships OR if you pay a lot of money for it. It is said to be the 1 and only true source though for everything tech for Audis and also day to day updates on all models. I was told Bentley does have a wiring diagram which I need but with so many unfavorable comments for lack of information I am going to skip buying windows 7 for now and probably drop the $35 today for Erwin information to print out. BUT that is what brought me here, because I was on AllData DIY site and for first vehicle 1 year $29.95 I wanted to know if the diagnostic and repair info is sufficient enough or lacks like Bentley as well? It sounds good on their website but now reading another comment here about the spark plugs I'm thinking they probably won't have enough HVAC system info I am seeking. Anyways just thought I would put in my 2 cents because I came here for an idea on ALL Data and found the same unfavorable comments about Bentley which is no surprise.

As for the spark plugs change, that video can be seen on YouTube if I remember correctly, just google Audi spark plug change for your model engine or car. Can find most anything basic to advance on the internet just have to investigate which takes time which brings us back to farking Bentley, lol. If someone could let me know about the ALL DATA site and their info and if in your opinion it has sufficient repair procedures for the more advance fixes on Audi. This is the first thread I found which I just googled.

 

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Bentley manuals are indeed a waste of money. But here is what you can do:

1) Search the internet for manuals from Haynes,Chilton,and Clymer. I have a 2013 USA A3 and all I could find was a Haynes manual for the 2008 European A3,but it is filled with useful information. It cost $20-25.
2) I found a company in England that sold the factory service manual for my car as a download into my hard drive. It was a lot of work to install,but it cost less than $15 and has everything. Unfortunately I can't remember the company's name.