Answers to the Most Commonly Asked Questions

Q: How do I calculate the shipping costs for the Monro Sensa-Trac Struts I found for my Toyota Supra?

A: The RockAuto catalog is set up so calculating shipping options is easy. All you need to do is put the parts you need in the shopping cart and enter your zipcode (Non-US customers need to enter your country and postal code). Click in another field and your shipping charge will display just above the order total. As your part quantities change and you add or remove parts to the shopping cart the shipping costs will likely change.

Also, don’t forget to use the truck icons in the shopping cart and in the catalog to help you minimize the number of locations your order will ship from. As you add parts to the shopping cart, the truck icons with letters represent the location where your part will be shipping from (location A, B, C, etc.). A blank truck icon in the catalog is showing you that the particular part is available from the same location as a part in your shopping cart.

Q: I would like to have the Spectra Premium radiator I’m ordering for my Volkswagen Jetta shipped directly to my mechanic. Can I do that?

A: Shipping the part directly to your mechanic is no problem at all. Shipping to your mechanic, office, or a business rather than your home can sometimes even save you money on shipping as commercial rates are lower.

All you need to do is enter a separate billing and shipping address. Once you’re on the ‘Address and Payment’ page just uncheck the box under ‘Shipping Address’ and two separate addresses can be entered. It is very important to make sure your billing address matches your payment method as that helps us verify that your order payment is valid. For example if you use a credit card we need to have the billing address that your credit card company has on file.

Q: Before I complete my order for Raybestos Rotors I would like to know if the part is in stock. Can you check that for me?

A: Unless the Raybestos Rotors you are looking for in our catalog state "Non-stock item--shipping delayed up to X business days" in the description, the part is available. RockAuto updates the catalog listings daily to ensure that the listings are as accurate as they can be.

Forum of the Month

IH8MUD.com is an online community of offroad enthusiasts. Starting as a simple license plate on a 1974 Land Cruiser in 1992, IH8MUD grew into an collection of Toyota technical links through the late 90's, and is currently one of the largest 4wd forums in the world (boasting over 4.5 million posts). 4x4 owners from dozens of countries swap trail stories and exchange technical information on every model, from the 1958 FJ25 to the latest Toyota trucks.

IH8MUD members are active in every aspect of their vehicles, from complete restorations of rare FJ45LV Wagons, to over the top expedition builds, and rock-crawler projects. The IH8MUD.com membership has assisted in creating extensive FAQ's on the various models and are very welcoming of new owners.

The IH8MUD membership is also involved in Land Access and community issues. Blue Ribbon Coalition and United 4 Wheel Drive Associations are well represented on the site, helping members connect with local concerns and spread their message. Over 50 state associations use IH8MUD.com as a medium for online communication and information dissemination, and IH8MUD proudly hosts the national Toyota Land Cruiser Association (TLCA) forums. A new Google-map based club listing is growing daily with new submissions from throughout the world.

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

When I was a teenager I worked in my uncle's gas station/repair garage. One day I was changing spark plugs in an older Pontiac, one where you had to go through the fender well to get to the back two plugs on the right side. I had been taught to always pull, not push a wrench. But it was just easier to push on that ratchet handle in that location. I started with an open hand push, but that plug was tight and the harder I pushed the tighter my fingers wrapped around that handle until, you guess it, wham...she broke loose sending my knuckles into a thick coating of small gravel stuck to the underside of the fender well.

Bleeding and mad I jerked the ratchet out from under the fender, slammed it on the floor and watched in amazement as it bounced and when straight through the glass of the work bay window! My uncle, hearing the commotion sticks his head through the door and simply asks..."Did it hurt?"

Lesson learned--pull, don't push. And be sure the window is open if you throw tools.

Steve in Indiana

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!

Pinpoint Repairs

Last year my wife got a ’93 Ford Tempo 2.3L to use as her daily driver. It was regularly serviced at the local Ford dealer and had been driven less than 60K miles so I did not think it needed any urgent work. However, the car’s records showed several pinpoint repairs had been done that I considered incomplete. Why replace just one bad spark plug wire rather than the entire spark plug wire set? If one spark plug wire failed then the rest of the wires are likely to fail shortly. RockAuto.com had spark plug wire sets for our Ford by Bosch, Champion, Motorcraft, Powermax, and other manufacturers for $20 or less. $20 does not even pay for one ride behind the tow truck.

The same is true for belts, hoses, spark plugs, brake pads, and other sets of parts. Replace just the one failed heater hose and then return to the dealer again and again to have the rest of the hoses replaced one at a time (plus $7 per gallon coolant)? All the heater and cooling system hoses (ACDelco, Dayco, and Gates) for our Ford only cost around $40.

It was nice that the previous owner kept the service records and maybe the pinpoint repairs made sense to her if she was planning to sell the car. But after waiting a year, I dived into doing the preventative maintenance that I do with any new, old car. Now I do not have to wonder when the next spark plug wire is going to fail. That short heater hose with the sharp bend attached to the thermostat housing is no longer a steamy disaster waiting to happen.

The car even runs better and its systems (emissions, engine oil, etc.) are healthier thanks to a new Stant thermostat. All the coolant was drained and the hoses disconnected so it was a great time to replace the thermostat. Usually worn out thermostats fail to close and the engine runs poorly because it is slow to warm up. Sometimes a tired thermostat fails to open and the engine overheats. Our Ford’s thermostat had actually broken into pieces. The fatigued metal frame must have cracked and the spring pushed the thermostat apart. Our new Tempo did need an urgent repair after all. The engine stalled occasionally when cold, but the Ford stalwartly hid any major symptoms that might have indicated its thermostat was in fragments.

Now that I know the Ford’s maintenance is up to date, it might be time for some fun accessories like a Dorman or Sunpro temperature gauge (found under “Extras” at RockAuto.com) to give real temperature readings instead of just the OEM gauge’s “Hot” or “Cold”. As new owners we had no way to know that the gauge indicator was a little too close to Cold. The daily driver Tempo probably experiences the severest duty of any of our vehicles so it deserves an accurate gauge or two.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

For many years I have wanted to restore an automobile. However, I never took the opportunity to actually go forward with it.

My son-in-law and I decided to take a chance and restore our first car about two years ago when we found a 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont in good shape. I know, I know...a what?. The Delmont was made for just two years, 1967 and 1968. We thoroughly enjoyed our project and its challenges. Needless to say, we have had the only Delmont at the car shows we have attended thus far. I have a feeling it will be that way at future shows we go to also.

One of the reasons that our project went so smoothly was due to the quality of parts, excellent service, and reliability of RockAuto parts. We came to rely heavily on RockAuto and they were there when I needed them.

One of only a few,
Tony

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.

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