Toyota Repair: Finding a good How-to-Repair book for a clueless girl, head gasket replacement, toyota manuals

Question
I'm a girl who has absolutely no experience with cars, but I'm getting tired of paying tons of money at the garage. Can you recommend a repair manual that's easy to use with pictures, not just words I don't understand? On a more specific note, I was wondering why it's so expensive to replace a fan belt for my 2001 Toyota Corolla, and how long can I wait before I do it?

Answer
Hi Kate,

I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience at repair shops. In regard to repair manuals, many people rely on "chiltons" repair manuals for their vehicle service needs. Additionally, you might want to consider manuals made by "haynes" and "mitchell". You can find factory Toyota manuals at your local library but I don't recommend them because they use the specific repair terminology that only technicians will understand.

In reference to your question about your drive belt, dealer service shops are rated on an hourly basis ex: ($75.00/hr.), plus the cost of parts. If I remember right, the belt you need costs about $25. All services and repairs come from the manufacturer with a recommended amount of time it will take to complete each job. For example, a head gasket replacement for a V-6 toyota truck is paid through the manufacturers warranty (if the vehicle is still under warranty) with an 11 hour time stamp. This means that they will pay 11 hours labor for each head gasket job that comes in. Realistically, it takes an experienced mechanic 3-4 hours to complete this job granted nothing goes wrong. Dealer mechanics are paid commission based on customer paid labor and a percentage of parts sales they "up-sell" to the customer. I would recommend you find a local independent repair shop that's not affiliated with a dealer that can offer better deals on repair and develop a relationship with them. If you wish to do the repair yourself, come back and ask as many questions from me that you like.

Good luck!