Service Manuals vs Alldata?

[pl77]

Just a quick question. I noticed that a set of service manuals (Part 1, 2, and Wiring) were on Ebay for about $80 OBO. I can also get a five-year subscription for my vehicle from Alldatadiy.com for only $30.

Has anyone compared the two services? I've used Alldatadiy in the past for other vehicles and found it very useful, but I was curious if the shop manuals were much more comprehensive or valuable to warrant the additional cost. Does Alldatadiy have decent coverage for the 6.0L? My model is an E350 van.

Thanks in advance.

[NYC F-350]

I have the Mitchelldiy (eautorepair) and love it. Its easy to navigate when you get the hang of it and I can look up things a heck of alot faster with it. I have yet to find anything it does not cover in detail

[pl77]

Originally Posted by NYC F-350

I have the Mitchelldiy (eautorepair) and love it.

Thanks! I've been using Alldatadiy for a few years now and never even thought to look for an alternative! I'll definitely check out Mitchell1 and see how they stack up...

EDIT: It looks like Mitchelldiy is about $32 for one year's subscription, whereas Alldata is $30 for five years.

I guess I'll have to do a one-week subscription to Mitchell to see if they offer a lot more than Alldata to warrant the extra cost...

[jonesy_11950]

I have both the manuals and all data. I would purchase the manuals. It seems a little easier to go back and forth through pages to check on items than to find it by clicking.

[pl77]

Originally Posted by jonesy_11950

It seems a little easier to go back and forth through pages to check on items than to find it by clicking.

Thanks, jonesy! It turned out that shipping for those manuals off of Ebay to me was almost more than the cost of the manuals themselves, so I just got the Alldatadiy subscription. Since I already had Alldata for my other vehicle, it was only $30 for 5 years.

I agree that having pages would be better than clicking, especially as I usually don't have an internet-connected computer down in my garage

[jonesy_11950]

I have an 04 f550 diesel 4x4, Those manuals from helm cost me $500. I will do that with any vehicle I buy. If I was repairing trucks for a living than alldata is ok, for me. I just like to page through to do a repair.