Transportation Books

I would think for as many of these cars are still on the road, better pictures, diagrams would be available. Text is comprehensive and complete, but lack of good illustrations is disappointing.

A good book like all the haynes manuals I have. Buy a MB shop book if you want the real dirt but this book does well for the usual tasks.

I knew I got a manual around somewhere, then I figured, why not just get a manual? so I did, and it serves its purpose.

After reading some of the bad reviews for this manual, I bought it. The Haynes manual is good for the price and compares with all of the other Haynes manuals in general quality. It is certainly better than the other CH****N auto repair manual that uses the same engine pictures no matter what car you have. The manual actually has pictures and diagrams from the referenced car. This manual has enough information for the 123 body style diesel Mercedes owner with average intelligence. The engine / body / electrical and systems information is enough to get you through most diagnoses and repairs. It does NOT cover rebuilding the transmission or rear differential, just servicing (what do you expect for $15.00). If you are going to perform a rebuild on these components, you would be stupid not to have the shop manuals anyway. The pictures are not too clear (B/W) and it could be improved if they had more exploded line diagrams and drawings for the more complex items. Overall this book and Haynes manuals in general do a good job of covering what most of us need at a reasonable price (< $15.00). Try replacing the sunroof drive motor without a manual.

If you plan on doing serious work on your Mercedes, this is NOT the only manual you'll need. It is, however, a useful maintenance reference that nicely fills the gap between the owner's manual and the factory service CD. It's also useful for alternate procedures that don't assume you have the special tools that the factory procedures require. The pictures are clear, and the diagrams are mostly lifted directly from the factory service manual.

I purchased this book to understand a little of the process of designing and making a custom interior. The designs are good, but maybe a little dated. For instance, it's mainly street rods and no discussion of the newer 'pimp' style look. No AV system installs - which I was most intrested in finding how some of the flowing speaker enclosures are done.
Very good photography throughout... you can pick some nice ideas if you're doing a street rod.

I finally decided to do something about the half-disintegrated and shockingly smelly interior of my '52 Chevy pickup. Now, the smart thing would have been to hand it off to a professional and pick it up a few weeks later completely done. Unfortunately, the six grand or so it would have cost me is almost as much as the truck's worth. So, perhaps unwisely, I decided to do it myself. It's now 90% finished (see pic) and I have to admit that I owe a large portion of my success to this book. It's undoubtedly the best thing on the market.

Having said that, though, it's far from perfect. The photos are poor quality snapshots that make it hard to see three-dimensional shapes, there are strange omissions, and many of the brand recommendations are downright bizarre.

But instead of waxing rhapsodic about the book's problems, I'm going to use the rest of my review to try to give you the benefit of my hard-won experience. Keep in mind that my project was about as difficult as they get--I had to make everything custom, because my truck didn't have much of an interior when it was originally manufactured. Yours should be easier.

OMISSIONS
This book is obsessed with using chipboard to make complex shapes that can then be upholstered. All very lovely if the shape isn't too complex to wrap smoothly and if this is the look you're going for. In many cases, it's much easier to use fiberglass and body filler to create a paintable custom piece. This is standard practice for virtually everything relating to stereo enclosures (see mine in the photo.) The only reason I can think of that the technique isn't so much as mentioned is that the authors are currently writing a book about it. Check the web for pretty much all the info you need to make whatever you want.

There is no information provided on the tools you'll need, no instruction on sewing, omissions in the information on laying carpet, etc., which (probably intentionally) forces you to read Taylor's Automotive Upholstery Handbook.

WHAT YOU WANT TO AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE
Sewing is hard. And even if, like me, you can con your mother into doing it, then you have seams to deal with and they are brutal to keep straight when you're gluing. Design your interior to keep sewing to a minimum.

I would rather stick my tongue in a hornet's nest than glue in a custom headliner. Nine yards of contact cement-covered material suspended over your head, trying to stick to everything, including your hair. And one mistake, you get to rip it all out. Granted, mine is ridiculously hard due to the acute angles in the back of the cab, but still you should still seriously consider having this done professionally.

BRAND RECOMMENDATIONS
There aren't many in this book, but almost none make sense based on my experience.

Glue is all important--the difference between an easy five-minute job and an endless disaster. The only advice given (actually in the Automotive Upholstery Handbook as I recall) is to buy the most expensive stuff you can find. This is just as stupid as it sounds. I tried Stick-it, Tac-it, and Duo-something, among others. All with horrible results. DO NOT USE ANYTHING THAT ISN'T MADE BY 3M!!! Note the cheesy use of caps and multiple exclamation marks. I'm serious here.

Q-pads: This is a messy, expensive, and obsolete asphalt sound deadener. Use RAAM-Mat or go to sounddeadenershowdown if you want to really geek out on the subject.

Mellowhide: This is nice vinyl and I used it based on their recommendation, but it's hard to find and apparently it doesn't store well in non-climate controlled situations, prompting my supplier (the excellent Larry Dennis company) to quit carrying it. It's probably an off-gassing issue and I haven't had a problem with the installed interior, but if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't take the chance.

OTHER TIPS
Foam dulls razorblades incredibly fast and a dull blade can ruin hours' worth of work in the blink of an eye. Figure three feet of cutting in 1/4 foam before you have to throw the blade away.

I made the mistake of using glue in rattle cans. Buy a gallon of the stuff and spray it with a primer gun. It's far cheaper and will give you a more consistent coating with no globs that might telegraph through your material.

This is not a science, it's an art. Buy some cheap materials and play around before trying something that's actually going to go in your car. It's not complicated, but it can be kind of subtle.

That little 3" sander you see them using in the pictures is your best friend. It's called a polisher, though. Searching the Net for "3 inch sander" won't get you anywhere.

Good luck, and remember: Patience!

A colour guide to customizing the interior of any vehicle.This book is a step by step guide(and in colour)from designing to completing your interior.Even though the book shows various hot rods the techniques apply to any vehicle.This is a comprehensive guide and is great value for the money.This should be your first book on customising interiors.There are plenty of books that cover other areas of car restoration to add to your collection.

I also recommend this book:
"How to restore and customize upholstery & interiors".By Dennis.W.Parks.(Motorbooks Workshop series.)

Yes, the best, bar none. If you're a veteran like me, there were probably guys in your crowd who could do engines, trannys, paint/bodywork, even a little electrical. But nobody, NOBODY had a clue on how to do the interior. This book reveals the secrets and the inside tips step by step, easy to follow, and yet, not tedious. Quite the contrary, it is an enjoyable read full of discovery. Even if you only have basic skills like cutting plywood with a saber saw, you can probably put together a great interior for your car armed only with patience and this book. And that goes for new cars too- the techniques are totally up to date. The fact that they are illustrated on hot rods doesn't mean they won't work on the latest models. You just have to be thoughtful and creative, and anything is possible. Most Highly Recommended.

This book took a lot of the mystery out of building custom interiors for me (a beginner). It covers a broad range of things, from building seats and door panels to headliners. Check out the table of contents. The authors obviously work mostly on hot rods but you can apply this knowledge to building interiors for newer cars. It doesn't go into extreme detail, (it wouldn't really be feasible to do so!) but it delivers on it's promise. If you're into fiberglass interiors for the newer cars, you may want to try another book.

This author is one of my son's favorite.
Extremely well written, extremely informative, and clearly pictures for kids.

I love the rhyme and rhythm of the lyrics. A great little book for 2- 6 year olds with lots of information about trucks.

Tough Trucks is a simple picture book with very few words per page. It tells about all sorts of trucks in the world. Each page has a picture of a truck with the job that it does. Each of the trucks are operated by cute little cartoon like animals that caught the attention of my 2 year old sister. This book is really neat for boys and girls for all ages.


The pictures are very colorful. In back in has a page where it explains tractors parts if you are not familiar with some of the words used in the book.

I would recommend this book to children ages 4-7. Lots of kids like to read about truck and transportation

Being an advid Bently fan, I was truely disappointed with with this publication for the E36. While volumious, the manual offers little in diagnostic procedures, fault diagnosis, clear procedures, and insight. The illustrations are vague at best and the text tends to gloss over much of the components if addresed at all. Granted that if you have no clue on how things come apart, or to gain access to components, the book will give you a starting point. But for real diagnostic work, it fails to explain the operations of any component, it's interelationships with other components, and how the system is suppose to work and test out. I was very surprised that the book didn't even bother to have a code list nor did it address any emmission or other components that may cause a check engine light. Overall, if you need to know how do routine maintaince, change brake pads, remove and replace things, it gives some information. But as for trouble shooting, it fails miserably.

the manual has become very helpful for minor repair jobs, and the placement of various parts. I recently was able to help my boyfriend via phone while he was out of town give him directions on how to take his back seat out; the diagrams and detailed info is very helpful. I just wish that there were more pictures to accompany the written instructions.

I have previously owned various Volkswagen cars and used the Bentley manuals on CD-ROM. I was very disappointed when I purchased this book. It is very vague, refers you to the dealer in some instances (whereas the VW book had instructions on how to use the factory tools!).

For example I went to change the engine belts and it arbitrarily suggests that you can use any size wrench. That is incorrect, there is only one size that can be use and the book does not say which it is. And anyways you cannot gain access to the belts without removing other parts (which are not specified). The other Bentley manuals would have carefully detailed the removal process.

The list goes on. Change your differential fluid? VW Bentley would have had the exact VW tool number to use. Instead I ended up paying the cost of the book to have someone do it because, again, it arbitrarily says to use a 14mm allen socket which does not fit in the provided space.

For everyone but the most experienced technician this service manual will get you through almost every concievable task.
A perfect companion to the Bentley manual is the book 101 Performance Projects for Your BMW 3 Series 1982-2000 (Motorbooks Workshop)
Every E36 owner should have both books on their bench.

Don't waste your money on the Chilton or Haynes. This manual makes BMW service procedures astonishingly straightforward and clear. The extra cost of this manual more than makes up for those moments of confusion where you and your buddy are standing around the garage, cross-referencing the Chilton and the Haynes to make sense out of what you're supposed to be doing; which happens all-too-often with all those "other cars".

This book tells you all you need to know BEFORE your very first lesson. This is an excellent first textbook on paragliding. I received it after my first lesson (ground handling) and was amazed that it correlated 99% my instructor's approach. This is the definitive guide to paragliding. The standard warning always applies. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FLY A PARAGLIDER WITHOUT TRAINING FROM AN INSTRUCTOR.

This is a very well written book that covers all of the topics of interest to beginner and intermediate pilots. The pick of the books on the subject.

In short: Dennis Pagen has written THE book on paragliding for beginners to intermediate pilots. This book covers it all. Clearly illustrated, easy to read. I use this book as a 'refresher' each season before I begin flying. He covers all the nuts and bolts of the various topics that make up paragliding, from how to hook your risers to your harness to how to ridge soar. I have read most of the books out there on paragliding, and this one covers more than all the others combined. If you are a serious paraglider pilot who wants a good manual for refreshing, or prospective pilot who wants to learn all you can before you begin lessons, this is THE book to buy.

I have read all the books available here on Amazon on that were published in the last ten years (and a few older ones) and this is clearly the best. If I could own only one book this is the one. It clearly explains the nuts and bolts of paragliding with excellent text and illustrations. All the details are covered. These are typically glossed over by most of the other authors. A good example of this is the explanation on how to attach the risers to the harness for a reverse launch. I have never seen a clearer explanation.

By far the best book covering beginning and intermediate paragliding on the market today. An execelent reference and review of what your instructor covered(or should have covered).

Great book that's hard to put down. It is too technical at times but still enjoyable to read and there are so many interesting facts to learn about.

As a pilot who has studied major air crash investigations over the years, this was a great read, with detailed information around the physics of aircraft accidents, backed by interesting statistics around various aspects of air safety today. However one aspect of the book that troubled me is Georges comments around TWA-800, specifically how he states that after the nose of the aircraft was blown off after the initial Centre Wing Tank (CWT) explosion, that the aircraft managed to fly on for a further 40 seconds before stalling. I am astounded that someone with so much aeronautical experience could make such a ridiculous statement, considering the physics involved. With the nose blown off, the CoG (Centre of Gravity) would have immediately shifted aft causing the aircraft to violently pitch up and stall within seconds. To say the aircraft merely flew on straight & level, or even climbed as per the preposterous video released (and subsequently withdrawn) by the CIA, is in my opinion disappointing considering Professor Bibel's extensive experience in this area.

With the exception of this particular comment, I found the book to be a very interesting read, with several case studies followed up with good diagrams, graphs and other illustrations complementing the text. It's a book that I highly recommend to anyone interested in understanding aircraft crashes in further detail to what's currently shown on recent TV documentaries of the same subject.

In correspondence with Mr. Bibel, we both agreed that one of the most startling conclusions: in many airliner crashes, at least some people get out safely and survive. Get Out Quick!

***

George Bibel has written a fascinating book about what happens in the crashes of commercial airliners. He presents several case studies of airplane accidents, investigations and lessons learned. The book contains many drawings, graphs, and equations that illustrate his points.

These investigations have led to many improvements in airliner design. For example, passengers are often disturbed when they see the wings flapping in turbulence. That's intentional. The wings of a 777, for example, must bend upward 24 feet so it can pull out of an emergency dive before it can be certified to fly.

Planes can survive major blast damage. In 1986, a TWA jet withstood the explosion of a bomb. Four passengers were killed, but the plane landed safely, and 117 people survived. Other survivable occurrences include violent engine shuddering, sputtering flames and engine shutdown.

Some of the statistics surprised me. Of the 446 DC-10s ever delivered, 27 were involved in crashes that led to "total hull loss." Most of the deaths occurred in four of the crashes. Overall, 69% survived, and in 23 of the crashes, over 90% survived. Bottom line: you are five times more likely to be in a crash that is survivable than in a crash that isn't.

Getting out quickly is critical. In a 1989 crash the plane broke into multiple sections and a fireball erupted, but 185 of 296 people survived, including a baby placed on the floor as instructed by the flight crew.

Important lessons for passengers:

First, listen carefully to the on board announcements. Many are delivered quickly over sometimes faulty sound systems. Surveys show that over half of the passengers don't pay any attention to the safety announcements.

Second, keep your seat belt fastened throughout the flight.

Third, in case of an emergency landing or crash, follow instructions carefully and get out of the plane quickly.

I found this a clearly written, very useful review of current airline safety. George Bibel also maintains an excellent website to update the information in his book.

Robert C. Ross 2008

As an airline pilot and safety researcher, I ordered "Beyond the Black Box" as soon as it became available. This book is different from most books about aircraft accidents in that it focuses on the actual dynamics and mechanical processes of aircraft accidents rather than Human Factors: I found Dr. Bibel's book to be illuminating from a physical sciences viewpoint. The book uses very basic science and math principles (as well as simple experiments suitable for home or classroom use) to explain important points about these accidents.

Some of these accidents are quite well known, even outside of the industry (United 232), while most have been forgotten by everyone other than those directly involved in aviation safety and engineering (the Comet decompression accidents, the British Midland 737 accident at Kegworth, England, etc.), but all are excellent examples of different accident modes. I have studied numerous accidents over the years, and have taught several aviation safety courses, and I think this book is the best introduction to the physical sciences and engineering involved in aviation accidents available to the public. It is written with both expert professional and interested observer in mind, and is easily comprehended; all math and science concepts are thoroughly explained, as are higher order concepts like metal fatigue and fracture analysis.

I recently had the privilege of meeting Dr. Bibel and hearing him speak on aircraft accidents. He was very gracious and approachable, and I enjoyed both his presentation and his book greatly. This book is not written from a pilot's perspective, and as such contains some generalizations about flying procedures and techniques, but as an accessible scientific introduction to the science and dynamics of airplane accidents, this is an enjoyable and engaging book, and I recommend it without reservation.

I heartily recommend this book. Bibel gives lots of stories of airline crashes and diasters-a surprising number with reasonably happy endings. The stories themselves are fascinating and should be required reading for all pilots and flight attendants. But everyone should appreciate the stories and the care that the entire air industry puts into air safety-and much of the physics and engineering behind it. Very enjoyable read.

This was one of the first books my daughter read cover-to-cover in one sitting. She was very interested in the outcome of the race and motivated to finish the book. Some of the vocabulary is specific to ballooning and was unfamiliar even to me (at least in the context of ballooning).

I was very impressed by the great illustrations in this book. Colorful and eye
drawing they gave a clear picture of the words you were reading. Very nice job!

The story is about a little girl named Ariel and her mother Carlotta who flys balloons.
Ariel wanted to be with her mother on the day of the big race and she stowed away, not telling her Mother.

This is where the fun begins as Ariel and her Mom battle to win the race and Ariel ends up in the lake. A cute read, one you will enjoy reading to your child.

Do you like balloons? If so, this is the book for you. The story is true and took place in 1882. I loved it. There were four characters: Carlotta, Ariel, Bernard, and Mr. Myers. I think kids and their friends should read this book. It did take a long time to read, but it was good.

It is a good source of information to use as a reference or addition to for example interactive software tests such as the CDL COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE MANUAL by AplusB Software Corporation, visualised software application that helps keep you focused on the information.
CDL: Commercial Driver's License ManualVICTORYMUL US & CANADA DRIVING TEST FOR ( APB00285 )

Answers all your questions. I would like to see an updated version. DaveC

I have had my CDL for 5 years. If you don't drive for a while, you need refresher training. This book worked great and from what I remember of my original training, this book would have been great for familiarizing beginner's to the entire CDL process. The pre/post tests per chapter help know where your weaknesses are. A lot of the questions were on my original CDL test, so it is up to date. Great job Barron's!

I started out with the New York state CDL test prep book that you get free from DMV. It seemed a little stodgy with older illustrations. I ordered this book thinking it would be much clearer, better illustrations, and more up-to-date. I was wrong. This book is WAY too much fluff, full of info you don't need to know, overmentions law numbers as if that's important, and is basically a big disappointment. Please, Barron's EDIT this training manual...it's full of inconsistencies and poor writing. I have wasted ~10 precious hours trying to get through this. Now I'm back on the NY manual and, boy is it ever straight-forward. I will probably use the Barron's book for the practice tests, but I'm sorry I ordered it originally and then wasted study time trying to get through it.

My son likes this book because Thomas gets splattered with paint. This book goes well with Take Along Thomas Paint Car. If you are looking for a nice gift, buy both.

This is definitely one of the best of the Thomas books. It is by the original author and has a message about working together. The steamies and the diesels are fighting, and no work gets done, so Thomas calls a meeting and they all work together. Even Diesel 10 chips in. Enjoy reading it 10 million times. . .

I love these little Thomas books. For a minimal price you can add to your child's library and foster a love of reading.

In this Thomas and Friends story, the Steamies and the Diesels learn that they need to get along if they are going to be `really useful engines'.

Summer has come to Sodor along with an ambitious plan of construction. Pleased with the completion of the new Sodor suspension bridge, Sir Topham Hatt announces that he needs all the engines to help build an airport to bring in the all important tourist trade.

Everything starts out well, but soon the Steamies and the Diesels are at cross purposes. As the author writes, "[T]he diesels bumped Thomas and biffed Percy." And [s]oon the diesels and the Steamies were biffing and banging and being bashed all over the island."

And if that was not bad enough a bad hurricane sweeps over the island causing great damage so that not only do they need to keep working on the airport, but they need to rebuild and clean up at other locations.

Considering all the biffing and bashing that doesn't seem likely and all seems lost until Thomas has a dream in which he sees Lady working side by side with Rusty (a diesel). Lady tells him in the dream that "[W]e always finish our jobs when we work together. This makes up Thomas' mind and he approaches Mavis (one of the nice diesels, like Salty) with the idea of putting aside *all* of the arguments so that they can *all* be really useful engines.

Word gets round and soon everyone is working hard and pulling together.

Five Stars. Good read-aloud. This book is particularly popular in our home because of the many different engines that are pictured.

A sample of text follows:

The next morning when Thomas woke up, he had an idea.
First he went straight to see Mavis. Mavis was a kind diesel
engine, and Thomas knew she would listen. He told Mavis that
he wanted the steam engines and the diesels to work together.

Mavis agreed... it was the only way to get the airport open in time.

"Let's have a big meeting with al of the engines at the coaling
Stop tomorrow," Thomas puffed.

This book contains two FAA Advisory Circulars. The first, "Ácceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices - Aircraft Inspection and Repair" is up to date. The second, "Ácceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices - Aircraft Alterations" was superseded by a new version published by the FAA on 03/03/2008.

For an in-the-shop reference the first part (2/3rds of the book)is current and very valuable.

Nice edition, comes in very handy when working on aircraft. Lots of helpful examples and explanations.Rings on the back makes it perfect for keeping right pages open and index makes all the difference when trying to find information required.

Thank you.