How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive 19 Ed: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot

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Summary: This is the best single source for home mechanics!
Review: I love this book. I've kept a couple of old Volks running with the great info in this book. Procedures are clearly explained and properly illustrated, unlike many service manuals.

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Summary: I wonder why it is so popular?
Review: As a mechine designer and VW bug owner, I have found many places in the book wrong, or not good as a direction for maintain your bug, How come an idiot book without enough drawings or pictures could be instructive, John has uesed too much sense of feeling,If it is a book discussing scientific hypothesis, I will have no comment, but if it is for complete idiot, It has to be 100% correct based on practical design and applications, with materials that does't falter, If you buy this book, better you have an official manual beside,

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Summary: An incredible book
Review: Anyone who owned a Volkswagen around 1970 will tell you that this book was more important than Shakespeare's complete works. When I first bought this volume, I too was in addition to being a new owner of an old Volkswagen a mechanical idiot. But soon thereafter when my four-wheeled friend's engine blew up, I opened this book, grabbed hold of each noun and went through the motions of each verb -and when I was through, to my amazement the engine ran! Not only does the book do what it says, it does it elegantly, artistically, and humorously, and it bespeaks a simple & down-to-earth 'road trip' that all of us would be better off to follow. This book also signified the end of my life as a well-educated klutz, and I'm sure it has done the same for others. Finally, when this volume was originally published, it was the FIRST pop science book, and as such it is one of the more important volumes of the 20th Century. Really. Robert B. Butler, Mahopac, NY 10541

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Summary: great, easy, smooth reading, even a monkey could use it.
Review: Definitly any idiot could use and understand this book. See I don't even know how to spell d*e*f*i*n*i*t*l*y, and I understood it. You can pick up on machanic work quick. The book makes it fun to learn. They know what they are talking about. If you have a Volkswagen, have this book!

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Summary: easy and fun to read, easier and more fun to apply!!
Review: This book helped me on countless occassions this summer while travelling from Massachusetts to Colorado in my 1970 air-cooled Kombi. It was a rough trip for Stella and I'm sorry to say I came home alone. But before that horrible day when I had to leave her at a spot I knew she'd never move from again, a fellow festivarian passed this great gem of mechanical know-how into my hands. Believe me, there are few gifts I've treasured more. *The Rocky mountains can be hard on your bus, and every so often she'll let you know. My advice: always keep the necessary tools and a copy of this book under the back bench.

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Summary: Buy this book NOW, before you buy the Vdub
Review: 1972 and my first VW, a blue Ghia, living at 9000ft in the Colorado hills and someone gave me this book. It saved me money, it saved me time, it made me laugh, it made me cry! It is the best car book ever written. I just passed by here to see if it were still in print. The old (white cover, spiral bound) edition I had I passed on to my brother. He knew nothing, but took off in his 68 bug around the US (not across, around the perimeter). Tuned up in So Dak so well the car made it all the way back to Vt with 2 ignition wires crossed! The frontpiece artwork of John Muir trying to sleep as his thought bubble shows an engine disassembled is worth the price. Excellent gift.

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Summary: THE volkswagen repair manual.
Review: With chapters titled "shimmies & shakes" and "bus won't stop!", John Muir has passed on practical proceedures that anyone can preform. Full of Wit and wisdom, this is better than any other repair manual...it actually tells you the "why" a thing is the way it is, and how it works. All VW owners should have 2 copies, one for the car, and one in the nightstand. The author is popularly known as "St. Muir"

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Summary: An excellent repair manual! Buy it if you like your VW!
Review: Commonly referred to as the "Idiot Manual" or the "Muir Book" among VW fanatics. It covers all air cooled VW models. It is a book that I love and cherish! It is different than any other auto manual you've ever see. It is aimed at the complete idiot! It has NO pictures and only hand drawings and illustrations. This makes all illustrations very clear because it leaves out all the extraneous stuff that photos include. It has lots of text but this is a good thing. John Muir is an old hippie that loved his VW's. He instills this love in all his readers as well. This book's strong point is teaching this love of your car as well as teaching you the ongoing maintenance. I feel the tune-up and maintenance portion of this book is better than the other books. The other big plus of this book is that it's just plain fun to read. I've read it cover to cover a few times. It's that entertaining! The only weak part of this book is for serious (professional) mechanic's who want a technical manual for ALL parts of the bus. for example, here is an actual quote from the book. "The trans (transaxle) overhaul is not in this book. Not only can't you do it but we won't either." I don't mind that one bit! I couldn't do it so I appreciate them telling me. It covers the basic maintenance and repair (99% of anything you will need done on your car/bus) in a clearer, step by step, way than any other book. If I had to have only one repair book, this would be it, without question.

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Summary: Essential for maintenance of older German cars.
Review: While the main focus is on air-cooled Volkswagens, the book's utility goes far beyond this. The section on fuel injection covers both the early D-Jetronic and later L-Jetronic Bosch injection systems - which were used on several other makes of cars, including BMW, Mercedes, and Volvo. Since the book is aimed at maintenance/troubleshooting without the factory test equipment, test values for common multimeters are given, as well as a logical troubleshooting flow and terminal connections. I found this section to be the best (perhaps the only) available reference for Bosch D-Jet fuel injection.

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Summary: An essential traveling companion...
Review: How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive doesn't belong on your bookshelf. It belongs in the back seat of your car, even if that car is not a Volkswagen-- John's logical troubleshooting procedures can help the owner of any car get it running again. And it's fun to read, something that usually can't be said for a car repair manual.