If you want to do your own repairs on your car or truck, you'll need to buy a service manual at some point. Before you do, you need to be sure the manual you buy contains the information you need. If you are trying to fix a transmission, a general service and repair manual will do you little good. You would need to buy a more specific manual for Transmission Service. There are many types of manuals on the different aspects of auto repair from transmissions to body work.
Repair Manuals
Repair manuals are geared more toward the repair of a vehicle. It will give specific tests and procedures to locate and repair a specific system of a vehicle. These manuals are the most popular and cover a specific make and model of vehicle in a range of years.
Service Manuals
Service manuals are geared more toward the maintenance of a vehicle. It will give specifications and procedures on how to do routine maintenance and simple jobs related to vehicle maintenance. These manuals cover a specific make and model of vehicle in a range of years. Most often they are combined with a repair manual.
System Manuals
These manuals cover specific vehicle systems such as Automatic Transmissions, Fuel Injection, Air Conditioning and Engines. They cover in greater detail how to troubleshoot and repair these specific systems. They generally cover all makes and models of domestic cars, import cars and light trucks.