Haynes vs Chilton’s manuals

[m_fumich]

Why are both of these manuals published? I recently purchased both on eBay. They were being sold together. I figured the Chilton’s might give me a bit more information the Haynes didn’t. They’re identical. Every word of instruction is the same in both down to every comma and parentheses. Even the pictures are identical. Why bullish the same book under two names?


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[Lookin4_67GalaxieConv]

Maybe they're the same now, but I seem to remember for the older vehicles the manuals were different.

[bonneyman]

I wouldn't be surprised if both publishing houses were owned by the same capital holdings company.

Don't be in competition - buy the competition! It's happening more and more these days.

[goodfellow]

You can't really publish a technical/mechanical service manual for modern cars these days. The amount of information would fill most of a closet if it were printed out on standard size paper. Hence, these Chilton/Haynes manuals are just a remnant of a bygone age. I consider them nothing more of a modern enhanced user/owners manual.

[goodfellow]

Maybe they're the same now, but I seem to remember for the older vehicles the manuals were different.

Yes they were different. In the good old days Haynes traditionally had better service manuals for the foreign car market, while Chilton excelled with domestic brands.

[torqueman2002]

I have a subscription with ALLData. While their layout and organization is different from GM's OEM, the diagnostics are word for word, and electrical schematics as well.

At least for the engine/powertrain controls sections for the cars we own. 2004 Yukon, 2012 Equinox, 2013 Sierra, and 2016 Encore.

Those are the sections (2016 excluded) my group wrote, before I retired.

IIRC - GM sold the rights to re-publish the service information, as well as OBD II scan tool data.

[Matt_T]

You can't really publish a technical/mechanical service manual for modern cars these days. The amount of information would fill most of a closet if it were printed out on standard size paper. Hence, these Chilton/Haynes manuals are just a remnant of a bygone age. I consider them nothing more of a modern enhanced user/owners manual.

I don't think anyone publishes treeware service manuals these days at the pro level. OE and aftermarket have all gone electronic AFAIK. Too much information, a lot of it model year specific, to fit into a book less than an inch thick which is supposed to cover an entire model generation.

Yes they were different. In the good old days Haynes traditionally had better service manuals for the foreign car market, while Chilton excelled with domestic brands.

Chilton were a US company and Haynes were UK based.

[m_fumich]

Guess what it says on the first page of the Chilton manual.

Chilton Automotive Books
Published by Haynes North America.

It does appear the two have become one. So the question still stands. Why publish 2 books of identical content and sell them in the same market competing for the same customers? It would make sense if Haynes was only sold in the US and Chilton was sold in the UK. I guess I’d know if I had an MBA.


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[Matt_T]

So the question still stands. Why publish 2 books of identical content and sell them in the same market competing for the same customers?

You at least partly answered that question in your opening post. Some people will buy both hoping they're different.

[DeadNutz]

So the question still stands. Why publish 2 books of identical content and sell them in the same market competing for the same customers?

You at least partly answered that question in your opening post. Some people will buy both hoping they're different.

With vehicles I had in the past I found that the Chilton's manual was easier to use and understand with better pictures. But since they are both part of the same company and are the same except for the name it doesn't make much difference now. I learned to decipher the British car part terminology with a Haynes manual.

[Matt_T]

I learned to decipher the British car part terminology with a Haynes manual.

IIRC they put a page of "translations" in some of the manuals.