Workshop manuals make fixing your car a lot easier, for the most part, no two cars share the same requirements. To do proper repair work to your car, you need to follow the manufacturers repair guidelines. To do this, you need a workshop manual, either in a paper book format, or a PDF document which are commonly available online.
To obtain a PDF manual, many websites make you pay for downloading a copy, or try to sell you a CD in the mail, there is however one website where you can obtain a workshop manual for your car completely free, it is called All Car Manuals.
All Car Manuals has workshop manuals and factory service manuals for all vehicle makes, and if your vehicle is not listed you can use their contact form to request one. So far they have manuals available for the following makes: BMW, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Daewoo, Daihatsu, Ford, Holden, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Kia, Lexus, Lotus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota and Volkswagen.
From this, they have individual manuals for over 130 different cars. The manuals offered are extremely comprehensive, including details from the most basic of things, such as replacing a headlight, right up to rebuilding the entire engine start to finish. The manuals also cover bodywork, and show how to disassemble and then reassembly body panels in the correct manner, and also helpful is the wiring diagrams which can assist you if you ever have any electrical issues.
You should always use a workshop manual when fixing any car, as following manufacturers guidelines ensures the work is completed to the original factory standard, trying to guess how to fix cars often results in troubles.
However even with the manual, if you have any doubts, it is often always best to consult and obtain the work via a qualified automotive mechanic.