Factory Repair/Service Manual - 2018 F350

My BIL has been a certified mechanic for 30 years, and he swears by Alldata. They have everything.

BradW wrote:

ktmrfs wrote:

neschultz wrote:
Or subscribe to Alldatadiy

x2. less than $50 for a 4 year subscription

1) factory service manual that you can print whatever you want
2) flat rate times
3) access to all TSB's
4) access to all recalls
5) acess to all DTC codes and troubleshooting
6) WAY less expensive than a factory service manual
7) updated regularly

Let me make sure I understand this. So I will have unlimited access to the complete Ford Factory Service Manual (and other things) for 4 years? The same one I would buy from Helm on a cd?

For GM, Chrysler and Mazada vehicles I've had alldata subscriptions for, if it isn't exactly the service manual I'd be very hard pressed to find any differences. And you get access to TSB's etc as well

For several cars I have on alldata I first had factory manuals, including a 7 volume, 2ft long GM one for my 04 siverado. As far as I could tell, identical information, sometimes a little different format, but the nice thing is that when you look up a DTC, it will tell what it is then let you link to the troubleshooting trees and keep linking down instead of going constantly to different sections of the printed manual.

theoldwizard1 wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:
You can get service manuals on CD from Helm. For a 2018 F350 it would be $186 for the real thing, or pay $100 more on eBay for whatever. Printed service manuals seem to be obsolete.

I can confirm printed manuals from Ford/Helm have NOT been available for several years now.

they are for GM but it takes a year or more for Helm to have them in stock, and they are not very spendy. Alldatadiy has exactly the same info and more for pretty nominal fees.

ktmrfs wrote:

neschultz wrote:
Or subscribe to Alldatadiy

x2. less than $50 for a 4 year subscription

1) factory service manual that you can print whatever you want
2) flat rate times
3) access to all TSB's
4) access to all recalls
5) acess to all DTC codes and troubleshooting
6) WAY less expensive than a factory service manual
7) updated regularly

Let me make sure I understand this. So I will have unlimited access to the complete Ford Factory Service Manual (and other things) for 4 years? The same one I would buy from Helm on a cd?

Lynnmor wrote:
You can get service manuals on CD from Helm. For a 2018 F350 it would be $186 for the real thing, or pay $100 more on eBay for whatever. Printed service manuals seem to be obsolete.

I can confirm printed manuals from Ford/Helm have NOT been available for several years now.

neschultz wrote:
Or subscribe to Alldatadiy

x2. less than $50 for a 4 year subscription

1) factory service manual that you can print whatever you want
2) flat rate times
3) access to all TSB's
4) access to all recalls
5) acess to all DTC codes and troubleshooting
6) WAY less expensive than a factory service manual
7) updated regularly

Lynnmor wrote:
You can get service manuals on CD from Helm. For a 2018 F350 it would be $186 for the real thing, or pay $100 more on eBay for whatever. Printed service manuals seem to be obsolete.

Yeh, the factory service manual is what I'm looking for. I bought the printed version for our 2006 F350 (it was two thick books and $200 back then). I guess printed would be very expensive now so only digital is available.

http://www.helminc.com/helm/product2.asp?Make=FRD&Model=F350&Year=2018&Category=15&class%5F2=FRD&mk=Ford&yr=2018&md=F%2D350+Trucks&dt=Electronic+Service+Information+%28CD%2FDVD+ROM+or+USB%29&module=&from=result&Style=helm&Sku=FCS1294718&itemtype=N

Thanks for the help,
Brad

You can get service manuals on CD from Helm. For a 2018 F350 it would be $186 for the real thing, or pay $100 more on eBay for whatever. Printed service manuals seem to be obsolete.

jerseyjim wrote:
X2. Neighbor bought a brand new Class A gasser last year. Nice. No owners manual. Dealer said it could be downloaded.

What? 100,000 bucks and no printed owners manual? Download and perhaps print 100 + pages. If so....that's really bad.....

With regard of the F-350, auto stores carry quite a few. If not the one you want...e-bay or Amazon. g'luck !

I can grab my Ford upfitter's F 53 motorhome chassis manual off my computer, or smart phone with zero effort, and not have a few hundred pages of mostly useless pounds of paper, mixed in with the information I might actually need. I can do the same with Winnebago's incredibly well done manual of diagrams, schematics and repair and troubleshooting info. specific to my rig. Since the 1980s are several decades in the rear view mirror, the value of, and need to drag around printed copies of any of this, escapes me? BTW, this is the opinion of a grey haired, younger retiree, who has been fixing cars, with the help of my laptop sitting on the workbench, for about fifteen years now.

Nothing personal, but it's time. The reason that there are few printed repair manuals anymore is that there is very little demand. If you are a mechanic, you are either very tech. literate and educating yourself with current data continually, or the guy doing brakes and tires in the back of the shop, since you aren't willing to keep up. Information changes constantly, and nobody is going to show up to update that printed repair manual when the manufacturer decides that there is a need for a change to a spec. or process. On more than one occasion I have read a print manual that gives instructions to remove an assembly through a really convoluted and time sucking process, only to go online and find a way to do it in 1/5th the time. In some ways, an outdated printed manual can be more of a hindrance than a help.

jerseyjim wrote:
X2. Neighbor bought a brand new Class A gasser last year. Nice. No owners manual. Dealer said it could be downloaded.

What? 100,000 bucks and no printed owners manual? Download and perhaps print 100 + pages. If so....that's really bad.....

With regard of the F-350, auto stores carry quite a few. If not the one you want...e-bay or Amazon. g'luck !

owners manual comes with the truck - its the service manual that doesn't. That's been the case for pretty much every vehicle sold for as long as I can remember.