Dear Reader

Although automobiles become technically far more complex and complicated from one model generation to the next, more and more do-it-yourselfers reach for the "How It's Done" manual every year. The explanation is simple: because automotive technology has become more complicated, even a professional needs special instructions for maintenance and repair work on the vehicle.

Even the skilled hobby mechanic who services and repairs their own vehicle should bear in mind that a professional has a great deal of experience and, through ongoing training and constant exchange of experience, is up to date with the latest technology. It may therefore make sense to visit a specialist workshop at regular intervals to check and maintain the operational and road safety of your vehicle.

Of course, the DIY mechanic must understand that a manual does not automatically make you a qualified motor mechanic. For this reason, you should only carry out work that you feel confident doing.

This applies in particular to work that could affect the road safety of the vehicle. On this point, however, the "how-to" manual actively promotes road safety. By describing the work steps and pointing out that safety aspects must not be neglected, the home mechanic is made aware of and informed about the risks before starting the work. It is also pointed out that, if in doubt, the work should be left to a professional.

Several pages of this book contain safety notes. Before you start work, please read these safety notes carefully and follow the instructions given there strictly.

Before starting any job, it is advisable to look through this book. This shows the scope and difficulty of the repair. It also makes clear which replacement or wear parts need to be purchased and whether the work can only be carried out with the help of special tools.

The tightening torque is specified for most bolted connections. For bolted connections that must always be tightened with a torque wrench (cylinder head, axle connections, etc.), the value is printed in bold. Wherever possible, you should generally tighten every bolted connection with a torque wrench.

Note: many bolted connections require internal or external Torx sockets.

When I brought out the first volume of the "How to do it" book series at the beginning of the 1970s, only a very small number of electronic components were used in automotive engineering.

Electronic management is now ubiquitous, whether controlling ignition, chassis or mixture preparation. Electronics also mean that some areas no longer have wear parts, such as the breaker contacts in the distributor, which were once indispensable for generating the ignition spark.

Testing electronic components is again only possible with expensive test equipment specifically matched to the vehicle model, which is generally not available to the home mechanic. If certain repair steps are no longer described, this is simply due to the increased use of electronic components.

This book cannot, of course, address every current technical question. Nevertheless, I hope that the selection of repair, maintenance and care instructions will satisfactorily solve the problems that arise in most cases. However, there is one thing you should bear in mind when working on your own car: a book is not a daily newspaper. Technical changes are constantly being made to current models, so the work instructions and setting data published in this book may have changed for your specific model. If in doubt, please ask the manufacturer's customer service for the current status.