Why Choose Chilton?

ChiltonLibrary allows you to connect patrons to a car maintenance and vehicle repair manual they can access anytime, anywhere, for almost every car, truck, van, and SUV available on the road today. Whether they're looking to diagnose vehicle issues, estimate repairs for damages with average costs before sourcing a mechanic, perform their own car maintenance from an oil change to a headlight restoration, or restore a classic like a 1970 Ford Mustang, they can find the information they need in Chilton.

The automotive database's dynamic search engine helps users quickly find parts information, service details, and maintenance procedures. A clear, simple interface and searchable table of contents make navigating the complexity of today’s cars, trucks, and SUVs easier, so users can find the information they need to service their vehicles safely and efficiently.

Find Accurate Auto Info with VIN Search

The VIN search makes it even easier for users to find information about their exact vehicle. Owners can find details about manufacturer-specific maintenance and repair needs, including recommended specifications for tire pressure, tire rotation, fuel and fuel economy, oil grades, brake pads, light bulbs and lenses for headlights and taillights, windshield glass, wiper blades, air filters, coolant, and more.

As a total car care resource, Chilton provides clear direction for everything from daily maintenance to diagnostic tests for common problems to repair processes for specific vehicle issues. Connecting car owners to a free, user-friendly database with this type of maintenance instruction—rather than asking them to consult their vehicle user manual—helps them find answers to their questions and start saving money by performing their own car maintenance. Chilton also has videos and diagrams to help users more easily perform tasks like oil changes, headlight lens replacements, tire pressure adjustments, and more.

Help with ASE Certification

While ChiltonLibrary is a valuable resource for every car owner, the database is also helpful for aspiring automotive technicians and mechanics preparing for the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) exam. Chilton includes sample tests for the ASE exam to provide a high-level assessment of overall readiness and give users a better understanding of areas to review before they test to be certified.

Offer the Latest Accessibility Features

The ChiltonLibrary platform offers many accessibility features, such as keyboard controls and enhanced responsiveness for mobile devices. In addition, enhanced voice technology and text display options are available to make understanding written text, viewing graphics, and navigating web pages easier.

Readability tools include: 

• Translation – Powered by Google Translate, the ReadSpeaker text aid allows readers to translate a word or short phrase into 22 languages—and counting.
• Dictionary – Readers can highlight a word to learn its meaning.
• Text display – Readers with vision impairment, or who have reading differences, may benefit when they have a variety of ways to customize their view on a screen.

Display option tools include:

• OpenDyslexic font – a typeface designed to counteract dyslexia symptoms
• Additional font choices – to aid comprehension
• Optional background colors – to better view the text on the screen
• Line, word, and letter spacing – so individuals can adjust the spacing to make the text easier to read
• Page mask and highlighting – to minimize distractions and increase focus
• Text mode – a simple text display that can help anyone, especially those with cognitive or learning disabilities

Analyze Usage with Reports

For libraries, the ChiltonLibrary platform enables a deep dive into database usage, even to the level of specific pages frequented, most popular vehicle models, and which library branches have the most usage. Librarians can customize the reports as well with library-specific and content-specific data.