SKF is offering RockAuto customers an exclusive 10% instant rebate on all SKF Universal Joints and SKF Drive Shaft Flex Joints from July 15th, through the end of July, 2021!

While usually designed to last the life of the vehicle, original equipment (OE) Universal Joints can wear, loosen and/or break if overloaded, struck by debris, corroded or otherwise damaged. Symptoms indicating it is time to replace U-Joints include:

• Squeaking noises when accelerating due to insufficient grease in U-Joint bearings
• Clunking sound when shifting from drive to reverse
• Vibrations caused by worn bearings and drive shaft play
• Leaking transmission fluid caused by damaged seals

RockAuto offers both SKF standard replacements for OE and SKF heavy duty U-Joints designed for engines/drivetrains generating higher horsepower/torque loads as well as extreme driving conditions and heavy towing.

Drive Shaft Flex Joints (also called Giubos, Donuts, or Couplings) are used in place of U-Joints on vehicles built by car manufacturers including BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Flex joints are made of reinforced rubber that after many miles driven, often begins to tear apart. Designed and validated to OE quality standards, new SKF Drive Shaft Flex Joints help restore torsional strength; protecting other drivetrain parts. Increased power and reduced noise and vibration make the vehicle fun to drive again.

While shopping, simply add the select SKF parts (marked with a ) to your cart to take advantage of this 10% instant manufacturer rebate; saving even more on RockAuto's already reliably low prices. Find the SKF Universal Joints and Drive Shaft Flex Joints in the "Drivetrain" category of the RockAuto.com catalog.

VW Vortex.com is a forum community dedicated to all Volkswagen owners and enthusiasts. Join the discussion about performance, builds, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, new releases and more!

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 marketing@rockauto.com.

In the late 1990s I had a 1982 Datsun 4wd pick-up that was purchased new, and I had taken meticulous care of. One day I tried to start the truck, and the starter acted like it was not getting enough voltage/amperage. The battery and terminals were clean and had no corrosion. I charged the battery to make sure it was not that. No change. I swapped a battery from another car. No change. Then I replaced the starter. No change. I cleaned the ground terminal on the engine. No change. The lights and other electric parts worked fine. The cables were all good. Then I decided to take some jumper cables to use another ground rather than the one on the motor. Vroom! The starter now worked great.

Here was the problem. The factory had the ground cable bolted to the exhaust manifold. Even after cleaning everything, the steel bolt threaded through the manifold and its gasket into the aluminum engine block, had over time become less capable of providing a reliable ground carrying the amperage needed by the starter motor. So I re-grounded the negative battery cable elsewhere and all was good. As usual with many automotive electric issues, bad grounds and broken wires make up most problems. Check those first.

Tom in Missouri

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 a while!). Please email your story to flamur@rockauto.com. Include your mailing address and if you would like a RockAuto T-Shirt (please let us know your shirt size) or Hat if we publish your story. See the T-Shirts and Hats under Tools & Universal Parts in the RockAuto 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!

What does "Gates Mystery Man" refer to?

A. In the '60s and '70s, the Gates Corporation gave awards to service station attendants who discovered and offered to replace worn fan belts on mystery shoppers' cars.

B. The interactive animated character Microsoft included in the infotainment system used on many 2005-2009 Ford and Lincoln vehicles.

C. The unnamed Cuban who smuggled 26 classic, former US embassy cars out of Havana in the early '90s at the direction of then CIA Director, Robert Gates.

Answer below

How can it be that Manufacturer A makes different parts for the left and right sides of the vehicle while Manufacturer B has one part that can be installed on both sides? This usually means Manufacturer B decided to include both "left" and "right" components/features on their single part. The cost of putting both left and right pieces on every part is offset by the savings of not having to build and keep track of two unique part numbers. (Some customers also prefer a part that they cannot accidentally install on the wrong side of the vehicle.)

For example, see the photos of the "right" front strut and the photo of the fits-both-sides strut for my daughter's 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe. "Left" and "right" struts have a single mounting bracket for the stabilizer bar end link and a single bracket for the speed sensor cable. The fits-both-sides strut has two mounting brackets welded on; one mounting bracket is always unused.

In addition to consolidating left and right parts, manufacturers sometimes figure out that including additional brackets or other components may enable a part to fit more models or model years. For example, a manufacturer's radiator may fit more models/years because it has multiple mounting brackets/fittings built into it or always includes a transmission fluid cooler that simply goes unused if the car has a manual transmission.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

To read more of Tom's articles, click this link and choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page.

I would like to share my story about getting this “Covid 19” project on the road again. This 1953 VW Beetle was rescued from a barn in rural Ontario in the fall of 2019. The following spring, with Covid restrictions looming on the horizon, I decided to take the restoration plunge in anticipation of the new norm of staying at home. I figured it would be a good time to work on a car project instead of binge watching TV!

Though the car had been sitting in storage for over 10 years with a previous restoration that used parts from several model years, I had little difficulty finding the parts I needed in the user friendly RockAuto parts catalogue. I was also impressed with the quality of the parts such as the awesome black fabric ragtop and the premium fitting gray plush interior. Finishing pieces such as door handles, dashboard knobs, chrome rimmed window rubbers, as well as mechanical parts and gaskets, were a pleasure to fit onto this solid project! Thanks RockAuto for helping to bring back my dead bug to life!

Hal in Ontario, Canada

Share Your Hard Work
Do you purchase parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto would like to give you the opportunity to have your car or truck possibly featured in one (or occasionally more) of our publications such as the monthly newsletter, collector magnets, RockAuto social media or other commercial use. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! Please email flamur@RockAuto.com with the vehicle history, interesting details, your favorite images (tips for taking pictures of your car) and what parts from RockAuto you have used.

What does "Gates Mystery Man" refer to?

Answer: A. In the '60s and '70s, the Gates Corporation gave awards to service station attendants who discovered and offered to replace worn fan belts on mystery shoppers' cars. (Thanks to reader Charles M., a recipient of a Gates Mystery Man award!)

B. The interactive animated character Microsoft included in the infotainment system used on many 2005-2009 Ford and Lincoln vehicles.

C. The unnamed Cuban who smuggled 26 classic, former US embassy cars out of Havana in the early '90s at the direction of then CIA Director, Robert Gates.

Back up to trivia question