Automotive Research Guide
Scope The purpose of this research guide is twofold: 1) to support MPTC’s Automotive Technician program and 2) to provide information for consumers. Since new models come out every year and older ones depreciate in value, it is often essential to consult up-to-date resources. As a result, online resources tend to be more appropriate. Nevertheless, we do have print materials which might also be relevant.
Print Sources Search the MPTC Catalog. A search using “automobiles” as the “subject keyword” will give you a list of over 100 books. Or type in “Chilton” as a “title keyword” if you want to see which 45 Chilton books we have at the Fond du Lac campus.
Engine Builder: This monthly publication is held in the Automotive Department on the Fond du Lac campus.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Auto Repair: (Fond du Lac campus call # TL 152 .L966 2007) Part of the popular series, the author had her teenage son in mind when she was writing.
Web Resources
ASE - Certifying the Automotive Professional Auto Repair Reference Center: This is the most comprehensive auto repair website. The main section (the site defaults to the “Vehicles” tab) provides helpful data on models produced between 1945 to 2007 and includes makes from Acura to Volvo. At the very least, repair procedures are given for each model and submodel. But service bulletins and recalls, wiring diagrams, specifications and maintenance intervals are also included for many vehicles. The “Auto IQ” section also promises to be particularly helpful. With its diagrams of larger systems and brief streaming video clips explaining each essential part of each system, this section boasts truly interactive multisensory learning. The other two tabs, “Care and Repair Tips” and “Troubleshooting” feature lots of descriptions and some diagrams. Taken as a whole, the Auto Repair Reference Center is an essential resource for anybody interested in auto repair from amateurs to professionals.
Edmunds: Buying a new or used car? Then this is your site! The editors and consumers describe the pros and cons of many vehicles and rate them overall and in a number of important categories. Detailed pricing information is given, and the price you’ll get from Edmunds is not the asking price (what the dealer thinks is a “good” price), but the actual fair price of a vehicle, based on what others like it actually sell for. Good features in Edmunds include articles on how to choose and buy the right car and even “How to Test Drive a Car Salesman.”
Kelley Blue Book: The prices given by the Kelly Blue Book are considered official by banks, dealers, and the IRS. Like Edmunds, this source can help consumers choose and purchase a vehicle.
The Lemon Car Page
NADA Guides online: Similar to both Edmunds and the Kelley Blue Book, this site claims to publish more information about more types of vehicles than anybody.
Other websites: Part of our criteria for the four websites that we recommended above was comprehensiveness. Of course there are many other automobile-related websites, including some good ones that focus on a particular make of vehicle or aspect of the auto world. Todd Jensen’s (2006) book, Automotive Websites recommends more than 600 sites. Whether you’re interested in car-related chat forums, vintage Chevys, Henry Ford, Corvettes, alternative fuels or Rolls Royces, Jensen has a site for you to check out. In a chapter devoted to automotive careers, one of Jensen’s recommendations is maintained by the Wisconsin-based Bergstrom Corporation.
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