illegal/fake Q45 service repair manual on ebay?

[pnanda16]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...=6762

I know this is illegal, but people are buying them as they are only $30.00. Seems like they are a bad copy of Mitchells or something.

Any clue what is going on here?

[szh]

I do not know if it is illegal, or a copy of something. All I can say is that I got one, on the assumption that if it was illegal, it would have been shut down a while back.

Regardless, I was/am not impressed. The information is minimal. Without part numbers or sufficiently detailed information for a beginning DIY'er (like me) to dare attempt using just this "manual".

Z

[Woodmister]

Call up Infiniti or somthing and ask whats going on

[Jberger]

This is probably just the ALLDATA CD that you can pick up at any autozone. So I doubt it's illegal or anything like that.

I've got one for the Q, but the actual service manual is soooo much nicer I never use the CD unless I'm on the road away from the manual.

[DAEDALUS]

It's a copy of Mitchell repair software. Infiniti wouldn't care, but I bet Mitchell would. It's good reference for the price, 'cause it covers other makes and models, but it is NOT even close to being a replacement for the factory manual for any given car. I use it most for printing out the diagrams so I have a picture I can mark up and make notes on.

[landtodd]

Amazing how luxurious the "full sized" manual seems after any time spent with the mini manual or a bad scan. If you're doing any DIY, spend the $130 at Scottsdale. Or, if your desire is to be an informed consumer, spend the $130 at Scottsdale.

Me, I keep the mini manual at the office, just for those important of-the-cuff questions that pop up. I lay hands on the full-sized book at least twice a week.

[szh]

Amazing how luxurious the "full sized" manual seems after any time spent with the mini manual or a bad scan. If you're doing any DIY, spend the $130 at Scottsdale. Or, if your desire is to be an informed consumer, spend the $130 at Scottsdale.

Me, I keep the mini manual at the office, just for those important of-the-cuff questions that pop up. I lay hands on the full-sized book at least twice a week.

Hi!

Does the full-sized manual from Scottsdale have part numbers and detailed procedures and the like?

Z

[DAEDALUS]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there isn't any difference other than physical size of the manuals. Every page is the same, just that larger diagrams make seeing part details easier.

[szh]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there isn't any difference other than physical size of the manuals. Every page is the same, just that larger diagrams make seeing part details easier.

Oh, sorry! I did not ask the right question. Does the Infiniti manual (whether full-sized or the reduced-sized replica) have detailed part numbers and procedures, etc.?

I can definitely say that the CD that I got had reasonable pictures, but no part numbers and negligible procedural information!

Z

[DAEDALUS]

My bad...I was drawing my own conclusions and assumed you had the smaller manual. There are no part numbers given in the manuals, though, strangely, they do give tool numbers. You can often find parts lists on Ebay for less than $10 and they're well worth it IMO, as long as you're aware that they do contain the occassional mistake.I remember when I first began to work on the car, I thought that some of the procedures were a tad shallow, but I realize now it's because I wasn't familiar enough with the manual at the time. Also, actually getting your hands dirty under the hood helps to clear up things. You'll find yourself saying, "Oh, that's what they're talking about", and recognizing parts you had seen in the diagrams.

[szh]

You can often find parts lists on Ebay for less than $10 and they're well worth it IMO, as long as you're aware that they do contain the occassional mistake.

Yes, I have seen those parts lists for sale! I was not sure how good they were, so I have not yet sprung for them.

Quote » I remember when I first began to work on the car, I thought that some of the procedures were a tad shallow, but I realize now it's because I wasn't familiar enough with the manual at the time. Also, actually getting your hands dirty under the hood helps to clear up things. You'll find yourself saying, "Oh, that's what they're talking about", and recognizing parts you had seen in the diagrams. [/quote]

A very good point, indeed! I just have to get better and start doing it.

Z

[landtodd]

It's not a perfect reference, but I find the factory manual is useful for several things: exploded diagrams, torque specs (vital!), identification of non-reusable parts, elaborate and exacting parts-replacement criteria, and alternative means of electronic diagnosis when you don't have a Consult. (And who does, other than Dennis?)

The step-by-step procedures assume some background knowledge, just enough to have left me wondering a couple of times. My experience is that common sense is generally sufficient to pull you through once you see the parts for yourself, and then there's this group for when the going gets puzzling.

Lots of illustrations, but some illustration mistakes do pop up. These are usually easy to spot. An oft-cited example (oft-cited by me, at least), the '92 book shows the oil sump as a jacking point when it should indicate the front crossmember, which is also clearly drawn. From what others have said, and from having been in the repair-book business (I was an editor at Robert Bentley, Cambridge, MA) it's my belief that this illustration was correct in both earlier and later books, but some hapless Salary Man messed it up for '92. No biggie, except maybe for him. You'd spot it.

I haven't seen many of the other efforts. My experience is that any non-factory book will be an abridgement of the factory book, with maybe some general, generic procedures thrown in, if you're lucky. I always get the factory book for every older or foreign car I own. The Q hits both those cirteria.

If I read you right, you may be disappointed with the descriptions of some mechanical procedures. For example, if you're doing the chain guides, you'll make lots of use of two exploded diagrams, but the step-by-step doesn't really cover the job. Rather it covers too much. The authors never anticipated changing the guides without changing the chains, too. Deciding what you need to do and what you can leave alone sometimes takes some thought.

If the half of knowledge is knowing where to find it, the factory book suffers. There is so much information that it's daunting when you try to collect everything the book has to say about any particular thing. It's a book that it pays to flip through. An index would be great. You never know where some useful piece of info is going to pop up.

Part numbers? Only for the Special Service Tools (SSTs) at the beginning of each chapter, none of which I've bought yet. Joe and Brian at Scottsdale (or the parts manager at Lisle -- not sure who that is now) are pretty good at helping you figure out what you need, and you're unlikely to get factory parts cheaper, even if you know the exact numbers. At least you'll know the correct names for almost everything.

[Q45tech]

What one needs in addition [to large shop manual] are the impossible to get 1" thick launch manuals [1989, 1994 product bulletins] with in depth back ground on systems [theory], and the periodic updates and bound TSB and trouble shooting proceedures.

After 13 years every failure and problem mode has been fully identified and solutions found or parts modified.

Everything has failed on the Q in one car or another, after you seen or worked on a few 1,000 different ones......repairs are almost intuitive.

[pnanda16]

Great. So I have gone ahead and bought it. Lets see how it turns out (once I receive it) and I will provide my inputs into this thread.

SZHosain, you are in SJ area, so am I. If you are planning to DIY some things in your Q, could I drop in to have a look and if possible provide a hand for help? I have done some reading and very interested in DIYs, but scared that I will screw things up. I want to keep my Q for all its life.

[szh]

Great. So I have gone ahead and bought it. Lets see how it turns out (once I receive it) and I will provide my inputs into this thread.

SZHosain, you are in SJ area, so am I. If you are planning to DIY some things in your Q, could I drop in to have a look and if possible provide a hand for help? I have done some reading and very interested in DIYs, but scared that I will screw things up. I want to keep my Q for all its life.

I am certainly interested! However, the next month is still out for me. I am still recovering from heart surgery (quadruple bypass) and am not allowed to exert more than 5 to 10 pounds of force in my arms till the end of February.

Heck, I am just starting to drive right now (first drive yesterday in 5 weeks!) My Q has been sitting waiting for me!

So, I am definitely interested in meeting up in early March though! In the meantime, I am thinking of buying the manual from Scottsdale, since I have not found one anywhere else yet, and starting to look at it.

Z

[maxnix]

Quote »I am thinking of buying the manual from Scottsdale[/quote] Call Joe and get in line. They won't print until they get enough requests.

Glad to hear you are progressing well.

[pnanda16]

Glad to know you are recovering fast (what on earth have you been eating to get so many blockages?). My father-in-law went through a tripple bypass. He is recovering very fast as well.

No problem on the meet up, that can wait. I guess $130 is a very good price for the manual. I might buy one as well, later, when I am confident on the DIYs. I would like to start with a fuel fliter replacement as a starter ).

cheersPN

1997 Q45, 88K

[maxnix]

I guess $130 is a very good price for the manual.

It certainly is! Where did you get your quote? For 1995, they are $160 from Joe, $250 from other dealers.

[szh]

Call Joe and get in line. They won't print until they get enough requests.

Ah! I had better call soon, then!Quote » Glad to hear you are progressing well. [/quote] Thanks! I am definitely feeling better daily. It was certainly an interesting Christmas present! :rolleyes

Z

[szh]

Glad to know you are recovering fast (what on earth have you been eating to get so many blockages?).

Clearly not the right stuff! Quote »My father-in-law went through a tripple bypass. He is recovering very fast as well.[/quote]Good! It has been going well for me too, once I was past the danger stages (the surgery itself has a 4% national fatality rate ).Quote »No problem on the meet up, that can wait. I guess $130 is a very good price for the manual. I might buy one as well, later, when I am confident on the DIYs. I would like to start with a fuel fliter replacement as a starter ).[/quote]Sounds like the right level of project. I am hoping to do my upper links and rotors and brakes in March sometime. I intend to leave the shocks, dust covers and tension rod bushings to experts, though.

Daedalus and I have talked in the past about my going to his place in Los Angeles and paying him to do the work while I watch and help and learn. I may still do that in March or April, if he is free then.

Z

[pnanda16]

The $130 is what I saw in the post here in this thread by landTodd.------------------ Amazing how luxurious the "full sized" manual seems after any time spent with the mini manual or a bad scan. If you're doing any DIY, spend the $130 at Scottsdale. Or, if your desire is to be an informed consumer, spend the $130 at Scottsdale. -----------------

[landtodd]

I bought mine from Scottsdale when I did the chain-guides, about 18 months ago. I think they discounted it an extra few dollars due to the big order. I haven't priced one since. (Great guys at Scottsdale!)

That's a bummer they're out-of-stock. I'm still waiting for a simple out-of-print owner's manual for a '70 MB 300SEL6.3 that I no longer own. You might check with someone who specializes in out-of-print auto literature like Dragich (sp?). I think that's where I got several older factory books ('71 Riviera, '67 Eldo, '72 Eldo). They may not handle Japanese, but they can refer you.