Haynes Publications, Inc. 89101 Repair Manual

This review is for the book itself. It is a typical Haynes manual, so "loving it" is a bit of a stretch, but it is a competent manual for the mid-level home mechanic. I found it particularly useful for replacing the suspension components. The Haynes manual is very well organized (albeit brief) in the suspension section and, with a few bookmarks, my suspension updates went without a hitch. My copy of the book had been lightly used and had a few dog ears, but was otherwise in very good condition. As a conventionally-bound paperback, it does not lay flat in the open position, hence the need for the bookmarks. You can make it lie flat at the cost of wrecking the binding, but why do that? It also has most of the bolt torque settings that I will likely need. I say "most" as I also had to replace the starter motor and the torque info for the starter motor bolt and nut (starter mounted with a bolt and a stud with a nut) was not present. This info is especially important when working on aluminum block engine bolts that need to be tight, but not too tight. Hence the 4-star versus a 5-star rating. I ended up using the supplied torque settings for similar bolts on the block and it seems to be working well.

I usually love Haynes manuals, but this one seems to be lacking in enough detail for most jobs to be done without outside information (aka the internet forums). As others have mentioned it could be due to covering so many models based on the same platform (Legacy, Outback, & Forester). I still find it helpful and consult it on every job, but it really does not have much to add in how to get the job done. I mostly use it for torque specs at this point.

It contains a lot of good info, but I find myself going to YouTube for better visuals and explanations. I never figured so many people filmed themselves working on 2007 Subaru Foresters.

Great resource to have in the trunk or in the garage for those unanticipated repairs. We use it to try and determine if if a job is of the do-it-yourself variety, or if it requires a professional. Perfect for when you need to replace a headlamp and you can't remember which screws remove the lamp versus which screws adjust the lamp angle.

ALWAYS A GREAT PUBLICATION

This one for some or other reason wasn't quite as detailed as others I've had. But still, it's a Haynes Manual, which means it's probably the best option out there. Just can't give it 5 stars though, knowing it's not quite as good as the others.

Came fresh and sealed. Big Haynes fan, much better technical writing than Chilton, adequate pics and diagrams too. Very comprehensive routine maintenance section, from which I've done pretty much everything. Purchased for a 2004 Forester XS

It would be much better if I understood more about auto repair. I bought this thinking I would be able to do my own work thereby saving money. This was good in theory, however, a good auto class in high school for girls would have set me on the path to do my own work.

Not as comprehensive as some Haynes manual, but still very useful.