Remember when you could actually get a full service manual from the manufacturer for free?

I had to choose between hunting down a paper copy for a 1998 Maytag Neptune or paying $45 for a digital scan from a third-party site last week. Went with the scan, which saved me an hour of digging, but it just feels wrong compared to the old days of calling the 800 number and getting a real book mailed out. Anyone else miss that, or am I just getting old?

3 comments

3 Comments

angelamason19d ago

Oh man, you're totally right. Just had to find a wiring diagram for my old dryer last month and it was a nightmare. Ended up on some sketchy forum where the only download link was broken. They absolutely bury that stuff now so you have to call a service tech. Getting that big envelope in the mail with all the schematics felt like Christmas, lol.

johnb951d ago

Wait, they actually mailed you a paper schematic?

roset3418d ago

Ugh, it's the worst! I swear they even do it with software now. Tried to find an old manual for a drawing tablet driver... the company's own support page just loops you to a "contact us" form. Had to dig through internet archive snapshots from 2012 to get the right file. They don't want you to fix anything yourself anymore.