[kite_rider]

I've been looking for a detailed service manual that will help guide the way on future possible repairs. I came across this;
http://qualityservicemanual.com/406/ram-promaster-2013-2016-workshop-repair-service-manual

I don't know what to make of it. Never heard of the company, but the price is right at $20!

Do any of you own this? Can you let us know if it's worth buying?

Thanks!

 

[Ziggy Stardog]

I have it. I thought it was definitely worth the money. The download process seemed a little sketchy at the time, so I used a throwaway email address. I forget how I paid for it, but I was probably circumspect of this as well and used a little used CC.

No ill effects after three or four months, so maybe I was just overly cautious. I sometimes work with computer security. I believe the source is located in China and they are up there with Russia as far as hacking rep goes. I used a Mac which at times lowers you malware footprint. YMMV.

It's a little hard to search, but I've found it useful. Especially the wiring diagrams. I forget I have it sometimes, sometimes it's just easier to search the forum and see if anyone's posted something relevant.

P.S. Looks like they changed their payment setup to use an external company. Generally these outsourced payment processors are more secure than most sites you go to. I don't think there's much to worry about.

 

[Ziggy Stardog]

Follow up with some current website info:

TLDR; The site is trustworthy.

The domain registration details:

Registrant Name: JON JUN
Registrant Organization:
Registrant Street: STOCKHOLM
Registrant City: STOCKHOLM
Registrant State/Province: STOCKHOLM
Registrant Postal Code: 104 25
Registrant Country: SE

Which is nominally a Chinese surname, but could be Korean or Japanese.

The IP of the webserver geolocates to a data center in the US. Most likely in Dallas TX, but there's conflicting information on this. Could be Austin, TX, another database says Alaska.

Site reputation looks reasonably good.

 

[kite_rider]

Thanks for the info Ziggy. Glad to hear that it's more than a brochure and bonus info on the domain / IP address forensics. My next quest is for a good car computer interface tool - something like the VAG-COM tool from Ross-Tech, but for FCA cars rather than Volkswagen. The combination of the VAG-COM tool and Bentley manual enabled me to take my old high mileage Eurovans all over the NAFTA lands without a single visit to a mechanic! Hope to have a similar experience with my new Promaster.

 

[phil]

I'm not a genius but the terms and condition read like "we'll find it for you, but you are on your own." At $20 it's got to be copyright violation or something illegal. Why not give Ziggy some money for a copy.

 

[Ziggy Stardog]

I'm unsure about them as far as copyright ownership goes, but they generally only go after the source not the client. It's not like you're downloading a movie off a torrent or something like that.

Could be legit, who knows? I prefer plausible deniability to outright infringement, so please don't come to me for a copy. I gave depositions and technical guidance in a software copyright case and we won. I also was instrumental in establishing that certain industry intellectual property is not copyright-able. I'd rather not be on the wrong end of copyright law.

From my searching this was the only manual I could find online. I didn't try a dealer, but I've found they often won't sell you shop manuals. I've paid much more for similar manuals from other companies with fancier websites, no way of telling how legit those were or even if print manuals I've bought off eBay were counterfeit.

 

[Rich Maund]

I just bought it and downloaded/unzipped it. 150 MB. Not too bad a size. Appears to be a PDF of a factory style manual. You get zipped files for your $19.99. I unzipped it to a flash drive and then to my hard drive. Just in case I lose a drive, I have a copy. This lap top is 6 years old. I can't believe it still runs.

This doesn't seem written for laymen to use like the old Clymer manuals. It was written for a service tech to follow. I'll enjoy looking at it over coffee. Nice to research a job before tackling it.

 

[Rich Maund]

For those of you who haven't seen the manual, SPOILER ALERT!!!

CAUTION: If the engine has experienced a catastrophic failure, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD MUST BE REPLACED!

LOL

 

[kite_rider]

OK, made the plunge and bought the manual. As already mentioned, searching is not trivial. Lots of extraneous information to wade through to find what you are looking for. For example, I'm considering an engine block heater; but want to know how hard it is to install.

After some research I found out that the A/C compressor should be removed for access to the block heater. Bummer .

But at least I know where the heater goes now..

My conclusion - worth the $20; but there will be a learning curve for efficient use of this document.

 

[LarryK]

After some research I found out that the A/C compressor should be removed for access to the block heater. Bummer .

Removal doesn't necessarily mean that you have to disconnect the freon hoses.

 

[proeddie]

Worth a download! Lots of info for $20 ... found a few things that were discussed on the forum recently... like, What's the connectors in the rear column for? Answer: rear defroster... Yep!

Electrical diagrams are better than I've been able to find elsewhere. I seem to remember that these are not included in the customer purchasable version of the service manual DVD.

 

[Ziggy Stardog]

From my searching this was the only manual I could find online.

This search was made months ago and probably not exhaustive.

I found this one today which seems more conventional ($29.99 for a year of online access):

https://www.repairmanuals.co/produc...6bjVEQDrKVgJlH0u0kSJLnKcn_lQRRvhoCMzIQAvD_BwE

But something is a bit hinky with this one, because they show years 2011-2016 for RAM Promasters 1500, 2500 and 3500. Not sure what to make of that. They may have confused it with the pickup truck. They offer a money-back guarantee. Might be an option if the other site scares you. They are located in Santa Clarita, CA

 

[Rich Maund]

Perhaps they are including the European versions of the van. Hence the earlier years.

We're driving ours to Fl. tomorrow to see relatives. I love road trips in this thing!

 

[poundsand]

They are located in Santa Clarita, CA

Not much of a "they". That address is residential..

 

[Ziggy Stardog]

Not much of a "they". That address is residential..

So? A guy and his wife and four kids maybe. It's a five bedroom house.

I've got news for people: the majority of Internet businesses you routinely buy from, van specialty sites and EBay stores, like Hein for example, are mom and pop shops, individuals or family businesses run out of a garage or a home. And a good percentage of third party Amazon and 'fufilled by Amazon' shops are too. They might get a little outside tech help and support from Amazon or eBay or Etsy or whoever or use their fulfillment centers, but that's the norm not the exception. This is pretty much the world over.

At least they don't hide behind a mail drop or anything. If they were doing anything shady, DMCA protections on Google and such would kick in and searches would be blocked, or in this case the FBI can just knock on their door. Lighten up people!

 

[MsNomer]

We have watched Hein's wife prepare a shipment of Thinsulate. Impressive!

 

[poundsand]

So? A guy and his wife and four kids maybe. It's a five bedroom house.

I've got news for people: the majority of Internet businesses you routinely buy from, van specialty sites and EBay stores, like Hein for example, are mom and pop shops, individuals or family businesses run out of a garage or a home. And a good percentage of third party Amazon and 'fufilled by Amazon' shops are too. They might get a little outside tech help and support from Amazon or eBay or Etsy or whoever or use their fulfillment centers, but that's the norm not the exception. This is pretty much the world over.

At least they don't hide behind a mail drop or anything. If they were doing anything shady, DMCA protections on Google and such would kick in and searches would be blocked, or in this case the FBI can just knock on their door. Lighten up people!

So it's mentioned as an alternative if you think the other sites are shady, and while these guys might be legit, nothing really suggests they are or aren't. They're not exactly a well known source - for a cheap, known source, alldata diy is more of a known source ($30/yr). They (repairmanuals.co) also have poor Google reviews, including mention of swedish registration (like the CD source above) as of a couple weeks ago, although it's now private.

If it were me, and I had some time, id get a 1 day pass to techauthority.com ($25), the official Mopar resource, and download all the files.

 

[Ziggy Stardog]

They're not exactly a well known source - for a cheap, known source, alldata diy is more of a known source ($30/yr). They (repairmanuals.co) also have poor Google reviews, including mention of swedish registration (like the CD source above) as of a couple weeks ago, although it's now private.

If it were me, and I had some time, id get a 1 day pass to techauthority.com ($25), the official Mopar resource, and download all the files.

poundsand,

This was an honest attempt to help, and all I said was the site seemed more conventional than the other one, not that I'd done an exhaustive vetting or anything. I even said some things about it looked hinky.

All you offered was a cryptic bash of the site initially, and only when pressed do you post something of value. Given that none the companies you cite came up in a specific Internet search for a RAM Promaster manual and I haven't heard of any of them-- I'll say they do a much poorer job of Internet marketing than these "little guys".

But thank you for posting these alternatives. I've never owned a MOPAR vehicle before and was unaware there was any "OFFICIAL SOURCE FOR MOPAR SERVICE INFORMATION". And that's probably why the OP and I found the first site, no other reason.

 

[poundsand]

poundsand,

This was an honest attempt to help, and all I said was the site seemed more conventional than the other one, not that I'd done an exhaustive vetting or anything. I even said some things about it looked hinky.

All you offered was a cryptic bash of the site initially, and only when pressed do you post something of value. Given that none the companies you cite came up in a specific Internet search for a RAM Promaster manual and I haven't heard of any of them-- I'll say they do a much poorer job of Internet marketing than these "little guys".

But thank you for posting these alternatives. I've never owned a MOPAR vehicle before and was unaware there was any "OFFICIAL SOURCE FOR MOPAR SERVICE INFORMATION". And that's probably why the OP and I found the first site, no other reason.

understood, and i'm not being argumentative or critical.

the residential address, combined with a low price, is an immediate red flag for something that's not just a commodity you can order up in bulk and offer lower prices on through ebay because you have low overhead.

looking at it some more, i can literally find no references to them on any other sites. they seem to sell some hardware, but none of the products seem to have a customer review. the number isn't local to santa clarita - from los angeles, and is probably a cell. there's also another number you can find on it that's also tied to repairservicemanuals.com, which doesn't seem all that legit either.

for reference, alldata is what a lot of repair shops use, and they update with tsb's, etc. alldatadiy is their end user site where you can subscribe on a per car basis.

https://www.techauthority.com is official mopar.

 

[phil]

Is it possible they are linking back to the same place and just getting a slice of the pie?