|
I
just received and had installed
my first order from RockAuto and
I just wanted to
let you know how pleased I am.
The order arrived
earlier than expected. The dealer
mechanic that installed the Dorman
Swaybar I purchased told me the
part exceeded GM OE quality...
I am telling everyone
I know about RockAuto.
Again many kudos on a
job well done! Don in South Carolina |
|
Upcoming
Events
If
you would like
your event
featured here, email us
with details. |
|
|
Arklatex
Motor Massacre Halloween Car
Show
10/31/2009
Texarkana, TX
e-mail
Elite Corvettes
1st Annual Platinum Series
Car Show
11/1/2009
Pasadena, CA
website
Fort Worth
Volksfest Stampede & Roundup
Charity Car Show
11/7/2009
Fort Worth, TX
e-mail
Viva Alfa
Romeo 2009
11/7/2009
Longwood,
FL
e-mail
2nd Annual
SoCalROC Show-N-Shine Toy Drive
11/7/2009 Riverside,
CA
e-mail
Louisiana
Custom Cruisers Benefit Car
Show
11/7/2009
Boutte, LA
e-mail
Moreland
3rd Annual Autumn Car & Motorcycle
Show
11/7/2009
Moreland, GA
e-mail
Flabob Veteran
Fly n Drive Show
11/7/2009
Riverside, CA
website
1st Annual
Orland Chamber Of Commerce
Rod & Custom Car Show
11/7-11/8/2009
Orland, CA
website
Veterans
Appreciation Car Show
11/8/2009
Baltimore, MD
e-mail
Grass Roots
Jeep Club 1st Annual Jeeps
in the Vineyard
11/14/2009
Atco, NJ
website
2nd Annual
Texas Road House Car Show
11/14/2009
Sierra Vista, AZ
e-mail
Muscle Car & Corvette
Nationals
11/21-11/22/2009
Rosemont, IL
website
|
|
|
Protect Your Dashboard |
|
RockAuto
has added dash covers by Dash Designs
to the catalog! Dash Designs
Inc., founded in 1983, has set out
to protect dashboards from cracking
and discoloration caused by extremes
in temperature conditions.
Why purchase a dash cover for your
vehicle?
- Protect your
dashboard from harmful UV rays
- Dress up your
interior
- Reduce dangerous
glare
- Easy installation
- Solution-dyed
fabrics that won’t fade
or shrink
- Multiple fabrics
and colors to choose from
Whether you need
a dash cover for your 2005 Mercury
Montego, 1986 Ford
Mustang GT, 1971 Alfa Romeo Spider,
or another application, RockAuto
is now your source for dash covers.
Take a look in the Body-Interior
category of the RockAuto
catalog to find a dash cover
for your vehicle.
|
Forum of the Month |
|
Club300M is
a tight-knit community with a shared
passion for the Chrysler 300M. We
all work together to share information
about each other’s cars and
keep them running like the day they
came off the showroom floor, or even
better! Our motto: “We are
a club of the members, for the members!” No
question is too simple or too complicated.
The answer is out there somewhere
and at Club300M there are many friendly
people willing to share their experiences
and expertise.
We invite anyone
who has passion for the 300M to join!
There are many areas of the forum
that will help you get your car
where
you want it to be. Pull up a chair
and stay a while. Tell a friend
about us; we are always looking for
300Ms
to add to our community!
If you are the
administrator or member of a forum
and you would like to see your
website featured in an upcoming
newsletter and receive a discount
code to share with your members,
contact jessa@rockauto.com.
|
Repair Mistakes & Blunders |
|
During
my first year of college I worked
part time at a local auto repair
shop. One day the owner of the shop
came down and handed me a work order
for his wife's Ford Econoline van.
He said her driver side headlamp
was
burned out. To me, being tasked to
work on the owner's van was
a badge of honor, and
I took to the task as fast as I could.
I zipped back to the parts area,
grabbed
a new headlamp
and had the boss's wife's van done
in record time.
Two days later
the boss came down from the office
frowning at me with
yet another work order for his wife's
van. Seems the new head lamp had
burned out
as well.
This time he instructed me to carefully
check out the electrical system before
releasing it to his wife. After zipping
into the back for the new bulb and
installing it, I turned on the lights
and quickly discovered that the passenger
side was very dim. Thinking "bad
ground" I proceeded to check
out all the connections and sockets
on that side of the van. After 30
frustrating minutes the shop foreman
assigned a senior tech to help
me with the problem. By now the boss's
wife was pacing in the waiting room
and the boss was checking in
on us every five minutes.
After
another frustrating half-hour, another
tech who had just finished a job
was walking by.
He reached down into
the trash can and pulled the box
out for the new lamp I had just
installed. With a big
grin he tossed it at me
and
told
me to read the bottom. My heart sank
as I read out loud "for 6 volt
systems only!". Of course the
van had a modern 12 volt system.
Bill in Ohio
Tell us about
your most infamous auto repair
blunder
or unconventional fix. Use your woe
to help others avoid similar mistakes
or share off-the-wall solutions that
worked (at least for awhile!). Please
email your story to flamur@rockauto.com.
Include your mailing address and
shirt size (large or extra large)
and we will mail you a RockAuto "Do
it yourself?" t-shirt if we
publish your story (see the t-shirts
under Extras in the catalog). The
story will be credited using only
your first name and your vague geographic
location (state, province, country,
continent, etc.) so you can remain
semi-anonymous!
|
Usually Works Surprisingly Well |
The parking
brake cable conduit entering the
brake backing plate.
|
Last week I parked
our Dodge B250 van on a steep hill,
put the transmission in Neutral,
and then applied the parking brake.
Before putting the transmission in
Park, I took my foot off the brake
pedal to see if the parking brake
held. It did not. There was some
groaning from the rear and the van
started creeping forward.
The parking brake cable starts at
the parking brake handle or foot
pedal, runs under the vehicle, and
links to left and right cables attached
to levers and springs inside the
rear brakes. The typical parking
brake cable is only about 1/8 inch
(4 mm) thick. It has to keep the
rear brake shoes (drum) or pads (disc)
applied with enough force to restrain
a heavy vehicle. The parking brake
system has a Rube Goldberg feel to
it, but it usually works surprisingly
well.
The best way
to maintain a parking brake system
is to use it a lot.
Don’t do what I did and wait
until you are parked on the side
of Mount Crumpit to find out if your
parking brake is working and the
cable length is properly adjusted.
Use the parking brake and take some
of
the strain off of the $1000+ transmission
and let the vehicle’s weight
rest on the $20 rear brake shoes
or pads.
The parking brake
cable is exposed to salt, water,
dirt, and who knows
what underneath the car. The
cable usually runs through a conduit,
but that conduit is mostly meant
to prevent abrasion rather than
corrosion. Frequently using the
parking brake helps keep the
cable
from rusting in place or otherwise
freezing up. The right side
parking brake cable and conduit on
our
Dodge van had rusted together.
The left side cable still worked,
but one set of brake shoes was not
enough to hold back the van on
the hill. Luckily I had a passenger
to chock the wheels! Replacement
parking brake cables designed
specifically
for your car or truck are found
under Brake/Wheel Hub in the
RockAuto.com
catalog.
Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com
|
Butch's 1986 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe |
|
This
is my 1986 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe
in which I
recently installed a new heater
core that I purchased from RockAuto.
This car is one of only 200 that
were built in 1986 to qualify the
body style for competition in NASCAR.
This car has only 11,000 miles
on it!
The installation
of the heater core only took
a couple of hours,
and it fit perfectly!
The process entailed disconnection
of battery, unplug heater fan
and AC plugs, removal of wipers,
wiper
shield, and leaf guard. The entire
heater fan and shroud then can
be removed (be sure to take out
ALL of the small screws holding
down the shroud!). Getting the
sealant around the shroud can
be tricky, but patience and a flat
putty knife will get the job done.
Thank you for a
fine product at a great price! I
will highly recommend
you to my friends.
Sincerely,
Butch in Virginia |
Share Your
Hard Work
Do you purchase
parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto
would like to feature you and your
car or truck in our monthly newsletter.
Please email flamur@rockauto.com with
details.
© 1999-2009 RockAuto,
LLC - Madison, Wisconsin USA. RockAuto
name and logo are registered trademarks
of RockAuto, LLC. Manufacturer names
and logos in the RockAuto catalog
are trademarks of their respective
companies and are used only to identify
their products. All rights reserved.
|
|
|