RockAuto.com March Newsletter :: Early Edition

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Another Happy Customer!

I had a rock break the driver's side fog light on my 2006 Pontiac Vibe. Every auto parts store I went to said it was a dealer only part. The dealer wanted $151 plus change. Lucky for me, I was at a friend's house when I saw your TV commercial. I went online and ordered the part ($47 and change with shipping) and now tell all my friends about your site.

Thanks for saving me ALOT of money! You have my business. You'll be the first (and probably only) place I check for auto parts!

Thanks again,
Mike in Missouri

 

Upcoming Events
If you would like your event featured here, email us with details.

32nd Annual Snow Poker Run
3/5/2011
Lanton, CA
e-mail

Florida Azalea Festival Show
3/5/2011
Palatka, FL
e-mail

4th Annual Viper Thunder Classic Car & Cycle Show
3/5/2011
Waddell, AZ
e-mail

Southern Drag Racing Association 27th Annual Car Show
3/5/2011
Bonneau, SC
e-mail

RDA Auto Bike & Swap Meet
3/5/2011
Rockdale, TX
e-mail

Strawberry Festival Car Show
3/5/2011
Palm Bay, FL
e-mail

AACA Southeastern National Winter Meet
3/5/2011
Miami, FL
e-mail

DFW Chapter Texas 4WD Annual Mega Run
3/6/2011
Irving, TX
e-mail

Spring Swap Meet
3/6/2011
Sacramento, CA
website

Bournemouth Aviation Museum Vintage Transport Day
3/6/2011
Bournemouth, UK
e-mail

Citrus County Cruisers 27th Manatee Car & Truck Show
3/6/2011
Homosassa, FL
e-mail

The Spring Warm-Up all Corvair Car Show
3/10/2011
Sumnter, SC
e-mail

7th Annual Highland Avenue Auto Show
3/12/2011
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
e-mail

International Plastic Modeling Society 11th Annual Contest
3/12/2011
Lynchburg, VA
website

Northern Virginia Corvette Club Annual Club Members Banquet
3/12/2011
Sterling, VA
e-mail

Roseburg Benefit Indoor Car Show
3/12/2011
Winchester, OR
e-mail

St. Patty's Day Benefit Show
3/13/2011
West Palm Beach, FL
e-mail

MCC 30th Annual Swap Meet
3/13/2011
Micheana, MI
e-mail

Car of Dreams-Hopsice Benefit Show
3/13/2011
West Palm Beach, FL
website

55th Annual Portland Roadster Show
3/18/2011
Portland, OR
e-mail

DubAid-VW Show
3/18/2011
Castle Combe, Wiltshire UK
website

Camaros for Heroes
3/25/2011
Fayetteville, NC
e-mail

Troop 362 Car Show
3/26/2011
Middleburg, FL
e-mail

2011 Jacksonville Firefighter Car Show
3/26/2011
Jacksonville, FL
e-mail

Southeastern Michigan Mustang & Ford 2011 Spring Shop & Swap Meet
3/26/2011
Livonia, MI
e-mail

31st Annual Mustang & Ford Show
3/26/2011
Lillian, AL
e-mail

5th Annual Skills USA Car Show
3/26/2011
Stafford, VA
e-mail

4th Annual YHS Car Show
3/26/2011
Seaford, VA
e-mail

Wedgefield Firewise Community Annual Car Show
3/26/2011
Orlando, FL
e-mail

4th Annual Early Bird Car/Truck Show
3/26/2011
Gladewater, TX
e-mail

Corona Veterans' Memorial Division Motorcycle Ride & Car Show
3/26/2011
Riverside, CA
e-mail

Fuddruckers Old Car Drop
3/26/2011
Blythewood, SC
e-mail

Van Horn School Classic Fun Car/Bike Show & Craft Fair
3/26/2011
Bakersfield, CA
e-mail

2nd Annual Semi-Annual VW Show/Cruise In
3/26/2011
Hogansville, GA
e-mail

South Jersey-40th Swap Meet & Car Corral
3/27/2011
Woodstown, NJ
e-mail

Empire Galaxies-Spring Breakout Cruise for a Cause Raffle
3/27/2011
Wantagh, NY
e-mail

EAAC 40th Auto Swap Meet
3/27/2011
Marion, IL
e-mail

40th Annual Auto & Truck Swap Meet
3/27/2011
Murphysboro, IL
e-mail

NorthEast Rod & Custom Nationals
3/30/2011
Lansdale, PA
website

Carolina Collector Auto Fest-Spring
3/31/2011
Hillsborough, NC
e-mail

Pontiac Heaven Events
3/31/2011
Maricopa, AZ
e-mail

Lebanon Valley Dragway-End of the year Banquet
3/31/2011
Torrington, CT
e-mail

Gratiot Cruisers Car Club-Cruise Nites
4/1/2011
Sagniaw, MI
e-mail

Historical Vintage Club of Delaware-Dual Cruise Nights
4/1/2011
Greenwood, DE
e-mail

National Can Am Car Club
4/1/2011
Poole, Dorset UK
e-mail

13th Annual T-Town Show-Off
4/2/2011
Northport, AL
e-mail

16th Annual Mustang Mania
4/2/2011
Tucson, AZ
e-mail

17th Annual St. Johns Flea Market Car Show & Swap Meet
4/3/2011
King William, VA
e-mail

WOHVA-Annual Shows
4/8/2011
Sullivan, WI
website

2nd annual "Cruisin for St Jude"
4/9/2011
Valley Stream, NY
e-mail

Olsen's Events-70's Swap Meet & Greet
4/9/2011
Tampa, FL
e-mail

2nd Annual Aggregates USA Car & Bike Show
4/9/2011
Macon, GA
e-mail

1st Annual Car Show & Chili Cookoff
4/9/2011
Anaheim, CA
e-mail

East Coast Car Association Events
4/10/2011
New York, NY
website

5th Annual Ace Home Center Spring Fling Car Show
4/16/2011
Lusby, MD
website

 

GMB Wheel Bearings

GMB
GMB Wheel Bearing

RockAuto has recently added GMB wheel bearings to the RockAuto catalog. For over 70 years GMB has provided quality parts at competitive prices. Built for durability and long lasting performance, GMB has proven itself comparable to or better than original factory equipment. The GMB brand is recognized globally for offering the finest automotive parts available for most European, Asian and Domestic built vehicles. Some of the GMB wheel bearing benefits include:

  • Heavy duty bearings for extended resistance to wear
  • OEM sensors & electronics for reliable ABS, TC, and TPM systems function
  • Precisely engineered bearing races provide maximum load capacity and service life
  • ISO 7141:2005 quality testing
  • Factory sealed assembly eliminates contamination
  • Broad range of import and domestic applications

Check the "Brake/Wheel Hub" category of the RockAuto catalog today and see if RockAuto has the wheel bearing that you need for your repair!

 

 

Forum of the Month

ClubFrontier.org

ClubFrontier.org is the best hang-out for owners of all things Nissan Frontier and Navara. The Nissan Frontier forum includes the most extensive discussions about the Frontier and Navara trucks. You can find topics about Off-Road/4x4, Street Trucks, as well as the 1st Generation Hangout for owners of 1st generation Frontier (1998-2004) models.

You can also find Technical Discussions with forums dedicated to Do It Yourself/Tech Tips, Audio/Video, Detailing, Suspension, Interior Mods, Exterior Mods, and Performance Mods.

 

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 cynthia@rockauto.com.

 

 

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

Ouch!

I was a fairly green 17 year old doing minor mechanical work at a gas station in a small mining town in the mountains of Colorado. One very chill morning a Jeep Wagoneer was towed in for a no-start diagnosis. After dragging a foot or so of snow off the hood and roof, we had pushed it inside to warm up. The boss told me to check it for fuel and spark before he left with the wrecker to hook another one in. Well I got the hood up an hooked up the battery charger. Then with a plan in mind, I disconnected the fuel line at the carb to check for fuel flow and was about to try the starter when I decided at the last second to kill two birds with one stone. I pulled the coil wire from the top of the distributor and positioned it where I could see a spark from the door, where I was reaching in the window to turn the key. Sure enough as soon as it was cranking there was a good spark popping out of that coil wire...and yeah, you guessed it, very shortly there after fuel was spewing all over the top of the intake from the open fuel line. Well, I quickly was reminded of two things necessary for combustion, spark and fuel!

Fortunately the shop had several of the proper type of fire extinguishers and I was able to put it out and clean the minor damage before anyone knew the difference. Haven't made that error since. And that was 40 years ago.

Greg

 

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!

 

 

Automotive Trivia

Automotive Trivia

Missing the heft of classic Detroit iron? Engines were not made of fancy aluminum alloys and there weren't "bumper covers", just big chrome bumpers. See if you can put these cars in order from lightest to heaviest base curb weight:

A. 2011 Ford Taurus
B. 1972 Ford LTD Sedan
C. 2011 Chevy Camaro
D. 1970 Chevy Chevelle Coupe
E. 2011 Dodge Challenger
F. 1968 Dodge Charger

Answer below

 

 

Animated Counterman Stirs Up Trouble

RockAuto

 

Below is the first portion (final paragraphs not included to protect writer and business names) of the most recent letter we received from a competitor’s employee commenting on this RockAuto video ad. Our response to this letter and other folks that might have the same concerns follows.

Letter:
“I have seen a RockAuto animated commercial several times now, which I feel conveys a false image of parts professionals. In the ad, a customer requests struts in a variety of brands and price points, then a disheveled young man in a skull and crossbones shirt mopes his way through a few screens, only to weakly offer that he may be able to order something from a warehouse. The customer leaves unsatisfied, and orders from your site.

As a 15 year veteran of the industry, with multiple ASE certifications and industry awards, I take exception to this portrayal of the people who work behind the counters of parts stores across this country. It is a poor example to say the least, especially considering that the public's image of parts professionals as simple clerks with no training or knowledge and lackluster customer service skills is already lower than deserved.

I like RockAuto, have used your service to obtain parts, and understand that you are trying to differentiate yourselves through your ad campaigns. But to do it at the expense of the same people who work daily to build up our collective image as parts professionals is misguided and poorly conceived. There is a place at the table for both types of parts suppliers, and this negative campaigning is counterproductive to our image…”

Response:
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. You are not the first auto parts store counter person to complain about the animated counterman in our first video ad.

One of the founding goals for RockAuto.com more than a decade ago was to give our customers direct access via the internet to all the parts hidden in the computers and paper catalogs sitting behind the conventional auto parts store counter. We need a parts counter in our videos to help explain who we are.

The starry-eyed skull on the animated counterman’s sleeveless t-shirt was a bit over the top. His speaking part was only about three seconds. The shirt was intended to help quickly convey his lack of professionalism and add a little humor. However, other than the t-shirt, I stand behind our animated counterman.

I have met excellent, professional counter people. After many years, my favorite is still the counterman I asked for parts to fix the rare, crankshaft mounted power steering pump in my Lincoln Continental. His store did not have the parts, but the counterman had a similar power steering pump sitting in his own garage. It came off a Lincoln 462 he had installed in a racecar. He would not accept any money because he thought it would be unethical to sell his own parts via his employer’s parts counter. And he was just a nice person, glad somebody could make use of parts lying around his garage.

Unfortunately, I have also met counter people like the animated one in our video. He is not just a distant memory either, but is still out there and relatively easy to find. There are two remaining auto parts stores near my home, both part of the same national chain. I occasionally go to these stores to buy batteries, chemicals, and paint. I actually make a point to visit one of the stores when a very professional counter lady is likely to be on the job. She knows parts, she knows her store’s systems, and she also even remembers and fusses over my kids.

One evening late last year, I went to the other chain store. The two uniformed countermen were standing on each side of the front door having a smoke. As I moved to go through the door they blocked my way. It came off as sort of a friendly greeting, but they also were clearly blocking the door. They likely did not want me to be in the store alone, but they also did not want to cut short their smokes. They let me pass once I told them I already knew where to find what I needed in the store. They came in as I was leaving and we met at the cash register. The whole time I was thinking that these guys must be auditioning for the next RockAuto video.

You will be happy to know, neither of the smokers got the role. In our most recent video the counterman is in uniform and does not embarrass himself during his three seconds. In all our videos, the focus is on getting customers the parts they need, not the counterman.

Most police officers, attorneys, salespeople, bankers, doctors, masseuses, online retailers, etc. do not take it personally if a bad apple from their profession shows up in the newspaper or if a negative stereotype shows up in some type of media. They likely win some new customers or a promotion because they specifically emphasize ways that they do not fit the negative stereotypes.

For example, online businesses are sometimes mocked for using customer service call centers in the Philippines or some other exotic country where the staff may not be familiar with the product or service being sold. Would an ad featuring such a call center offend people at RockAuto? No, it would give us a chance to emphasize that RockAuto’s customer service people know their stuff and work out of RockAuto’s offices in Wisconsin.

After 15 years in the auto parts industry, I bet you have seen a few unprofessional countermen who were even more of a hindrance to customers than our animated one. Acknowledging that he exists, but emphasizing you and hopefully your colleagues are not at all like him is a good way to win customer trust and promote the value of the services your store provides.

We at RockAuto work in the auto parts industry and have respect for other people that have also chosen the industry as their profession. When casual acquaintances ask what I do, I usually just say, “I sell auto parts.” And like you, I am proud to say it.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

 

 

Erik's 1970 Chevelle SS 396
Erik's 1970 Chevelle SS 396

Hello,

Here is my 1970 Chevelle SS 396 that I have owned since 1994. It had been sitting in a field for three years before I purchased it, so I had to spend some time to get it running. I have since replaced the engine and drivetrain. Most of the car was restored, been driven daily, and I am now going through it again replacing the common wear parts.

RockAuto has been a great source for replacing original parts. First, a quality fuel tank, and now brake parts. I will continue to purchase from RockAuto with confidence knowing I will get top rate parts conveniently, at low cost, and with great customer service.

Thanks RockAuto!

Erik in Washington

Share Your Hard Work
Do you purchase parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto would like to feature you & your car or truck in our monthly newsletter. Please e-mail flamur@rockauto.com with your vehicle's history, interesting details, and what parts from RockAuto you have used.

 

 

Automotive Trivia Answer

Automotive Trivia

Missing the heft of classic Detroit iron? Engines were not made of fancy aluminum alloys and there weren't "bumper covers", just big chrome bumpers. See if you can put these cars in order from lightest to heaviest base curb weight:

A. 2011 Ford Taurus
B. 1972 Ford LTD Sedan
C. 2011 Chevy Camaro
D. 1970 Chevy Chevelle Coupe
E. 2011 Dodge Challenger
F. 1968 Dodge Charger

Answer: D (3142 lbs), F (3500 lbs), C (3780 lbs), E (3834 lbs), B (3913 lbs), A (4015 lbs) (one lb equals about 1/2 kg)


Back up to trivia question

 

 

 

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