Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 13:03:51 EST
Reply-To: CarlMarin@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Carl Turner <CarlMarin@AOL.COM>
Subject: AlldataCD? Not so fast!
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I've traded some notes with several of you privately about this Pop
Mechanics/Alldata CD that I wrote a review of yesterday. I've also had a
chance to spend a couple of hours with it this morning and get a better idea
of what its about so I thought I would append my earlier remarks.
Basically my first impression of the disk was pretty good, but I think this
impression was based largely on going through the tutorial on how the disk was
going to work. As I got into more of the specific areas on the actual Vanagon
section I found that it just wasn't there! The diagnostic troubleshooting
"trees" described in the tutorial were nowhere to be found I'm afraid in the
actual Vanagon sections. A disappointment. I also scanned all of the
functional areas and found the depth of information somewhat lacking. No info
on the gas tank and all of those seals for example. No engine removal
procedure. Practically nothing on the transmission other than how much lube
to put in it. (Todd Hill's business is safe!)
What I did find was decent little descriptions of things like how to reseal
the heads with some pictures (reproduced from Bentleys). There is also little
generic descriptions of how various components work, kind of laymens "how does
the AFM work sort of things. There were a few details that I didn't recognize
from Bentley's like hooking up the AFM to an oscilloscope and electrical specs
on some obscure components.
Basically though, most of the interesting information I found that was not in
the Bentleys was linked to the Tech Bulletins that cost the extra 10 bucks to
turn on. I still think the technology of this disk is novel and kind of fun
to play with but this one on the Vanagon specifically has a real "first
generation" feel to it and as such is probably a bit lacking in hard core
performance. Perhaps the Chrysler K car disk was better researched and put
together?
Worth the 20 bucks? I think it probably was but its no substitute to the
Bentley's. Anyone else out there with some experience with the Alldata CD?
I'd love to hear someone elses take on it, perhaps some useful sections I
haven't stumbled upon yet?
I can see that this is the future of shop manuals though. Publishing cost is
just about zip compared to printing something like a Bentley's. I'm betting
we'll see Bentley's on CD within 5 years though probably not on obsolete
platforms like the Vanagon, alas :^(
Regards,
Carl Turner
