Yup. That's exactly what I've found in the Audi Forums. Not so much in the VW forums. It depends heavily on the community. There are a handful engineering types that have outlined theory as well as useful tips in tackling certain issues. I'm amazed sometimes at the depth of knowledge some of these guys have regarding the DIY.
I was able to change the oil pump in my 1.8T and was prepared with all of the necessary parts and special tools in hand before I started. Then I worked through all of the ancillary items I had to remove to gain access to the oil pan. Subframes, AC hoses, motor mounts and a host of seemingly unrelated items that I had to deal with before getting to the task at hand. Then once it was together, I prepared for an alignment because the front subframe can potentially alter front end geometry. Stuff I would have never considered without feedback and experience from other users who have already tackled this job. I'm currently subscribed to a discussion from a user changing the cam chain tensioner that had his small repair task go south. The interactiveness of the people to answer questions quickly and knowledgeably is worth noting. I did that job recently myself and I'm thankful I did not have those same complications. But this particular forum is live and interactive for this specific car. The guy is lucky people are willing to help. In the old days, that car would have been towed to the local dealership. I used to find that same level of knowledge in BBS discussion groups concerning our older MKII cars in the past. I think this group is the only knowledgeable group for the MKII that I find useful and meaningful nowadays. Les On May 6, 2015 9:23 AM, "Larry Velez" <[email protected]> wrote: > Cool that your brother has this fiche stuff - Too bad it would probably > be illegal to digitize all that stuff and make it available online for all > to find value from. > > > > Some BMW people seem to have put up a version of the BMW software like the > ETKA, wonder how they got around any legal issues. > http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/select > > > > I'll do some digging to see if there is anything like ETKA online. > > > > Personally I find forums tough to find concrete info on thing, ideally I > would love a website with DIY instructions organized the way the Bentley > Table of Contents is organized with all the nice images and editorial from > the forums but in one place and without the irrelevant comments and broken > images that are usually part of forum posts. I'll see if I can find > anything like this for automotive DIYs. > > > > This is a great example of what would be useful - > http://gunnerautomotive.dozuki.com/Guide/Ford+Alternator+Part+%238S4T-10300-AC+Rotor+Disassembly/9 > > > > I looked into this software for my company to use and it was not super > cheap and was designed for paid content managers to produce the content - > not hobbyist like Wikipedia. I'll see what else I find out there.. > > > > About ETKA, I'll see if I can find a copy and report back on what steps > it takes to run it today. I can run PacMan from a browser these days, > this should work. > > > > -Larry > > 91 GTI 16V > > > > *From:* [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] *On > Behalf Of *Les Noriel > *Sent:* Wednesday, May 6, 2015 12:04 PM > *To:* [email protected] > *Subject:* Re: [mk2-16v] ETKA? > > > > I don't think I've referenced the EKTA in several years. I used it > extensively for the Golf and the Corrado in the early days. I used EKTA > primarily for illustrations of parts assembly, part numbers, and alternate > parts compatibility from other vehicles. It wasn't easy but it helped me > converse !ore effectively with my parts counter. The last one I used was > dated year 2000. It was good for my project cars but predates all of my > daily drivers > > None of my newer cars are included in the outdated versions I've used in > the past. And I've not been motivated to find updates considering the > alternatives sources which are now available. > > I've found some of the online user forums more informative with > step-by-step DIY as well as tips and tricks. Oftentimes these DIY includes > very good photographs. In many of the Audi forums I frequent, users have > expressed challenges one would encounter, sources for parts and even the > part numbers. I've been able to estimate the time required to perform the > tasks based on the discussions which is something I never could do with the > Bentley\EKTA. But of course it depends on the maturity, experience and > knowledge of those participating in the forums. The draw backs are the > quality of the forum is dependent on its membership. In many forums, its > the same old what tires\wheels fit on my car and can I install this stereo > and speakers. However I don't see much new information regarding the MKII > 16v > > So I haven't even opened my Bentley in several years. And I switched to > Macbooks at home which wasn't compatible with older versions of the EKTA. > > I'd like to hear if there is an answer to Larry's equation. I'd be curious > to see if the online EKTA is useful anymore. > > Les > > On May 6, 2015 6:05 AM, "Larry Velez" <[email protected]> wrote: > > What's the deal with ETKA? > > > > Anyone ever get access to this? > > > > How does one get their hands on this these days - I would think VW has > moved on from whatever software this was based on. > > > > Just wondering where I can learn more about how to run this software today > and what value it would bring - I would think it has a lot more detail than > the Bentley. > > > > > > -Larry > > 91 GTI 16V > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MK2-16v" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mk2-16v. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mk2-16v/EDAB904505142E43ACDDF072B66B59660102C137%40MBX028-W1-CA-4.exch028.domain.local > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mk2-16v/EDAB904505142E43ACDDF072B66B59660102C137%40MBX028-W1-CA-4.exch028.domain.local?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MK2-16v" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mk2-16v. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mk2-16v/CAEpuu2OqT-5-nR4qYhM_Y4LYo1BA46zaqNN%3D38RnoQ4cu0VnHg%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mk2-16v/CAEpuu2OqT-5-nR4qYhM_Y4LYo1BA46zaqNN%3D38RnoQ4cu0VnHg%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MK2-16v" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mk2-16v. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mk2-16v/EDAB904505142E43ACDDF072B66B59660102ECDF%40MBX028-W1-CA-4.exch028.domain.local > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/mk2-16v/EDAB904505142E43ACDDF072B66B59660102ECDF%40MBX028-W1-CA-4.exch028.domain.local?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MK2-16v" group. 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