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Another Happy Customer!

RockAuto has beaten the prices from my local parts stores on my past several repairs. Enough money saved that I paid someone to do the repairs instead of doing them myself.

David in West Virginia

 

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

Moses Lake Spring Festival Car Show
5/26/2012
Ephrata, WA
e-mail

Outcast Car Club Pfingstmeeting
5/26/2012
Mending, Germany
website

2012 Car Shows-KIDs Foundation
5/26/2012
Herrin, IL
e-mail

6th Annual Showboat City Rumble
5/26/2012
Chesaning, MI
e-mail

Asbury Motor Club
5/26/2012
Bossier City, LA
e-mail

Moose Jaw M/J Shifters Car Club BBQ/Show & Shine
5/26/2012
Moose Jaw, SK
e-mail

Quad City Camaro Club Car Show
5/26/2012
Taylors Ridge, IL
e-mail

Route 77 Classic Car Bike Show
5/26/2012
El Dorado, KS
e-mail

Bash at The Lube VI - Car, Truck, & Bike Show
5/26/2012
Hampton, VA
e-mail

Ye Olde Mill Rod Run Picnic
5/27/2012
Newark, OH
e-mail

Valley Forge Mustang Club 31st Annual Car Show
5/27/2012
Sanatoga, PA
website

Memorial Day Car Show
5/27/2012
Baltimore, MD
e-mail

Mopar Muscle Association Chryslers at Brooklands Car Show
5/27/2012
Mitcham, UK
e-mail

Bobs Big Boy Spring Breakout Cruise
5/28/2012
Corona, CA
e-mail

2012 Drifters Car Club Events
5/28/2012
Climax, MI
e-mail

2012 Pardeeville Cruise In
5/30/2012
Dalton, WI
e-mail

Vettes of Costal Maine
6/1/2012
Rockland, ME
e-mail

First Friday Cruise In
6/1/2012
Petersburg, WV
e-mail

10th Annual Mid-Missouri Car Show
6/1/2012
St. Peters, MO
e-mail

Krusin Klassics Car Club Fun Run 2012
6/1/2012
Escanaba, MI
e-mail

US Car Treffen Bad Berka
6/1/2012
Gutendorf, Germany
website

Third Gen Round Up
6/2/2012
Mesquite, TX
e-mail

East Coast Cruizers - Rostock
6/2/2012
Wittenbeck, Germany
e-mail

Cruisin the Village
6/2/2012
Belmont, NH
e-mail

3rd Jamboree Car Show
6/2/2012
Moyie Springs, ID
e-mail

Wheels in Winfield
6/2/2012
Winfield, AB
e-mail

12th Annual Crovette Car Show
6/2/2012
Grand Blanc, MI
e-mail

26th Annual Show in Downtown Leesburg
6/2/2012
Leesburg, VA
e-mail

NC Stangs 2nd Annual Open Car Show
6/2/2012
Fletcher, NC
e-mail

Mopars Unlimited of Idaho Annual Show
6/2/2012
Star, ID
e-mail

7th Annual EJK Car Show
6/2/2012
Middletown, CT
e-mail

Romin' The Islands
6/2/2012
Blue Island, IL
e-mail

Downtown Lincoln Classic Car Show
6/2/2012
Lincoln, CA
e-mail

Annual Holy Trinity Church Charity Car Bike Show
6/2/2012
Staten Island, NY
e-mail

10th Anniversary Corvette Summer Kickoff
6/2/2012
Kaw City, OK
e-mail

Daylily Festival Car/Truck/Motorcycle Show
6/2/2012
Lizella, GA
e-mail

Shiwassee Corvette Club Car Show
6/2/2012
Corunna, MI
e-mail

NC Stangs 3rd Annual Open Car Show
6/2/2012
Fairview, NC
e-mail

3rd Annual Spring Fling Car Show 2012
6/2/2012
Manning, SC
e-mail

Memorial Day Car Show
6/2/2012
Riverview, FL
e-mail

KlasACt Corvette Club
6/2/2012
Florissant, MO
e-mail

1st Annual Fairfield Harbour Classic Auto & Bike Show
6/2/2012
New Bern, NC
e-mail

Home of the Brave Car Show
6/2/2012
Lincoln, DE
e-mail

Bar & Pizza Pub Car Show
6/2/2012
Circle Pines, IN
e-mail

2nd Annual Black Flagged Racing Benefit for Wounded Warriors
6/3/2012
Penns Grove, NJ
e-mail

CT MG Club "British by the Sea" Car Show
6/3/2012
Guilford, CT
e-mail

United 4-A Cure 3rd Annual Car & Cycle Show
6/3/2012
Orland Park, IL
e-mail

19th Annual Canyon Cruise
6/3/2012
Placentia, CA
e-mail

Charity Car Show
6/3/2012
Monson, MA
e-mail

Antique Classics Hot Rods & Motorcycles Car Show
6/3/2012
New Rochelle, NY
e-mail

Oneida Lake Chapter AACA; 40th Annual "Show in the Shade"
6/3/2012
Syracuse, NY
e-mail

Mustangs on Mill Street
6/3/2012
Hortonville, WI
e-mail

Mopars in Motion 2012 Events
6/3/2012
Bristol, CT
e-mail

14th Annual Father Judge Alumni Car Show
6/3/2012
Doylestown, PA
e-mail

Unstabled Horse Power Car & Truck Show
6/3/2012
Lebanon, PA
e-mail

Elmwood Park Vol AMB Corps 6th Annual Auto Show
6/3/2012
Elmwood, NJ
e-mail

18th Annual Corvette & Jaguars at Linden Hall
6/3/2012
Uniontown, PA
e-mail

14th Annual Car Show "The British Return to Fort Meigs"
6/3/2012
Waterville, OH
e-mail

Lamars Cabin Creek Car Show Family Day
6/7/2012
Knoxville, AR
e-mail

Midwest Thunder Car Club 11th Annual Benefit Car/Truck Show
6/7/2012
Pontiac, IL
e-mail

Hi-Line Cruzn Rod Run
6/8/2012
Havre, MT
e-mail

Cruise Into Fall Car Show
6/8/2012
Glasgow, KY
e-mail

Mopar Nation Event 2012
6/8/2012
Jacksonville, FL
e-mail

Speeddays - Erfurt European Championship
6/8/2012
Oerel, Germany
e-mail

59th Annual Rallye
6/8/2012
Glenwood Springs, CO
e-mail

June Super Cruise
6/8/2012
Niagara Falls, NY
e-mail

2nd (and a half) Annual Four Star Baseball Car Show
6/9/2012
Battle Creek, MI
e-mail

23rd Annual Mopars on Review
6/9/2012
Des Moines, IA
e-mail

Chrysler Product Owners Club Car Show
6/9/2012
Annandale, VA
e-mail

28th Annual HPAC Mopar Family Reunion Show Swap
6/9/2012
Topeka, KS
e-mail

The Cars are the Stars Gene Pitney Scholarship Car Show
6/9/2012
Ellington, CT
e-mail

Buffalo Community Daze Car Show/Festival
6/9/2012
Buffalo, IN
e-mail

Corvette Cruise In
6/9/2012
Amsterdam, NY
e-mail

Vine Grove United Methodist Chruch WWJD Car Show
6/9/2012
Radcliff, KY
e-mail

Antique Truck Show-ATHS Columbia Basin Chapter
6/9/2012
Ephrata, WA
e-mail

A Gathering of Classic British Motorcars
6/9/2012
Ramsey, NJ
e-mail

Buford Pusser Festival Car Show
6/9/2012
Hornsby, TN
e-mail

Pawnee Prairie Days Car Show
6/9/2012
Pawnee, IL
e-mail

Country Cruizn 2012
6/10/2012
Taneytown, MD
e-mail

Cameron Car Shows
6/10/2012
Cameron, MO
e-mail

Badger Wheels Car Club
6/10/2012
Strum, WI
e-mail

Sunhouse 3rd Annual Autorama
6/10/2012
Riverside, CA
e-mail

PBA 2nd Annual Car Truck & Motorcylce Show
6/10/2012
Closter, NJ
e-mail

Third Annual Corridor Car Show & Carnival
6/10/2012
Springfield, OR
e-mail

GMCCA Car Show
6/10/2012
St. Paul, MN
e-mail

Tulley Buick-Pontiac-GMC Show "20th Anniversary"
6/10/2012
Hollis, NH
e-mail

11th Annual Benefit Car Show
6/10/2012
Colorado Springs, CO
e-mail

Big Bumpers Meet - Oldenburg
6/12/2012
Oldenburg Germany
website

Joe Cool Racing 2012 Events
6/12/2012
Colgate, WI
e-mail

The Cadillac-LeSalle Club Annual Grand National Meet
6/13/2012
Sarasota, FL
e-mail

Full Size Jeep ECI Event
6/14/2012
Florence, SC
e-mail


Save Money on Shipping!

Save Money on Shipping!

Because each of our warehouses carries a different mix of brands and part numbers, sometimes we have to ship from several locations (and charge shipping for multiple packages) to provide a particular combination of parts. If you absolutely must have Monroe brake pads or a Moog tie rod end, opening an extra box is a lot easier than driving all over town. But, if you are not picky about brands and don't like paying shipping charges, our new "Choose for Me" feature is for you! It allows you to choose a group of parts, any of which would be fine, and let our computer select the combination that minimizes the total cost of your order.

How does it work?

Check the “Choose for Me to Minimize Cost” box to activate the feature. Then, check the boxes next to the parts you'll accept. Click "Add part." The computer will put the whole group in your shopping cart and find the combination of parts that minimizes the total cost of your order. (The computer chooses only one part from each group so be sure to put parts with different characteristics, like Left and Right or Front and Rear, in separate groups!)

Several pieces of information are taken into consideration, including the cost of separate shipments, the price of the parts, and the distance from the warehouse to you. The result is an order with more parts shipping from the same warehouse, reducing your overall cost by eliminating separate shipments (and, sometimes, including higher-quality parts because savings on shipping exceeds the difference in part price).

In the example below, our customer needed 4 spark plugs, an exhaust manifold and an exhaust manifold gasket set. The parts he selected came from 3 different locations:

In this example, our customer needed 4 spark plugs, an exhaust manifold and an exhaust  manifold gasket set. The parts he selected came from 3 different locations

If that same customer had no particular brand preference, he could have utilized our new feature to save $12.50 by eliminating multiple warehouses and shipping costs:

If that same customer had no particular brand preference, he could have utilized our new feature to save $12.50 by eliminating multiple warehouses and shipping costs

To learn more about how to use this valuable feature, visit our FAQ page.

 

 

Raybestos Drag Reduction Clips

Raybestos

Raybestos Drag Reduction Clips on Caliper

Raybestos Drag Reduction Clips

Improve braking performance with the NEW Raybestos brake pad drag reduction clips. Quick and easy to install, the progressive OE designs are now available for a wide range of vehicles to help drivers achieve:

  • Better fuel economy
  • Reduced brake wear
  • Less brake noise
  • Lower braking temperatures

What is brake drag?
Brake drag is unwanted contact between the friction material and the braking surface when the brakes are not being engaged. The brake caliper actively pulls the brake pads against the brake rotor when the brake pedal is pushed, but when the pedal is released, it is often a passive process to retract the pads away from the brake rotor. The pads can be left dragging on the rotors long after your foot is off the brake pedal. Brake drag can cause:

  • Increased vehicle rolling resistance
  • Increased brake system temperatures
  • Increased brake component wear

How it works
The springs provide positive pressure to the brake friction… keeping it separated from the braking surface when the brakes are not applied. This applied pressure is light enough that it has no effect on the braking system when the brakes are applied.

Designed for an easy fit
Drag reduction clips are designed to fit over the pad steel on applications where the clip was not part of the original equipment. Each kit comes with specific installation instructions.

Look for "Brake Pad Drag Reduction Clips" under the "Brake/Wheel Hub" category in the RockAuto catalog.

 

 

Forum of the Month

MonteCarloForum.com

MonteCarloForum.com is a place for Monte Carlo Enthusiasts to share helpful tips and technical advice with one another. There are discussions dedicated to bodywork, interior, engine and transmission, tires, and much more! Join today and start talking, asking questions, and forming new friendships with your fellow Monte Carlo Enthusiasts.

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!

My blunder started innocently enough as routine maintenance. After a major tune up on my 1982 Toyota Starlet, I proceeded to add a small amount of brake fluid to the master cylinder. In a moment of genius, I decided to put a rag below the master cylinder to catch any spillage.

The next morning on the way to work, so proudly driving my purring Toyota, I happened to glance in the rear view mirror, and to my surprise, I see this ball shaped pile of flames in the lane I am driving in! Instantly I realize that pile of flames must have come from me! My first instinct was to pull over, but, I was in the middle lane of a very busy highway. Did I mention I just filled the car with gas a few minutes earlier?

Anyway, I finally pulled over and to my horror I see smoke billowing out from under the hood. I opened the hood to find the driver's side of the engine compartment on fire. I had neglected to remove the rag from under the master cylinder! And the hot exhaust manifold was right there. Thankfully, the fire department came quickly after a passerby called.

I was able to save the car but had to rebuild the harness one wire at a time.

30 years later I am still driving that car. A/C still works, and RockAuto is helping to keep it alive!

Al in New York

 

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 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

Newer cars often have hollow plastic boxes sticking like polyps out of the sides of the main air intake hose. What is the purpose of these empty vessels?

A. The air intake hose openings are for turbo intercoolers. Non-turbo cars have the openings blocked with the hollow plastic "blanks."
B. They are air intake resonators. Their purpose is to quiet, modify or tune the noise of the air passing through the intake hose.
C. They are air reservoirs intended to provide the engine with air during the brief moment before the throttle plate opens during a cold start.

Answer below

What is the purpose of these empty vessels?

 

 

 

Fighting Crime in Seattle

RockAuto

Fighting Crime in Seattle

In early 2010, we contacted the Seattle Police Department to let them know there was somebody in the Seattle area repeatedly trying to use stolen credit cards to buy auto parts from RockAuto. We were directed to the US Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force.

Seattle Police officers on the task force asked us to let them know the next time an order using a stolen credit card was attempted. It did not take long before the crook was back placing another order. The Seattle Police asked us to ship the parts.

Ship Mercedes parts to criminals?! Yes, because the police would be waiting at the shipping address. RockAuto shipped the parts, or at least most of the parts. We substituted a GM power window motor for the Mercedes motor the crook ordered. We hoped he would bust a knuckle or two trying to fit a Buick motor into a Mercedes hole.

The shipping address was just a random house that the crook knew was vacant during the day. A police stakeout was put in place around the house. The FedEx truck pulled up and dropped off the box from RockAuto as well as boxes from several other retailers. The crook arrived shortly, picked up all the boxes and left. The police followed…

It turns out that this crook was part of a gang of three that had been tormenting more than fifty Seattle area businesses for months. The gang burglarized Seattle businesses to steal credit card numbers, payroll system passwords, computer equipment, etc. They often got into buildings using a stolen key meant for use by the Seattle Fire Department during emergencies.

The gang used their stolen cash, credit cards and other loot to buy methamphetamine and all sorts of stuff including auto parts. They resold some of the parts, but they also used stolen parts to accessorize and customize their luxury cars.

It is disappointing to know even the car enthusiast community has a bad apple or two. We at RockAuto would rather be helping real customers, but we were glad to have the opportunity to help the police break up this gang. Two of them pled guilty to some of their crimes and were sentenced last week to 78 months and 95 months in federal prison (for more details:(http://www.justice.gov/usao/waw/press/2012/May/griffin.html).

It will take time for the police to sort through and return recovered stolen merchandise and evidence. We may never see that power window motor again. Be suspicious if you run across a Mercedes-Benz 300E with a Buick window motor jury rigged in place or saw a Cardone 42128 window motor on some auction site.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

 

 

Michael's 1992 Chevy Beretta GTZ
Michael's 1992 Chevy Beretta GTZ

This my 1992 Chevy Beretta GTZ 2.3L Quad4 5 speed.

I was a little boy when these cars first hit the road. It happened to be the very first car I would recognize on the street. After many years, I bumped into a Beretta again, and remembered my childhood dreams. Long story short, I bought a black 1991 GTZ in great condition and was really satisfied with it. I also got ahold of a project car as well.

The paint and the engine were in bad shape. The deeper I got into it, the more issues I discovered. Nonetheless, a 1.5 year project had just begun. At the stage of ordering parts, the project was in a difficult phase - until I heard about RockAuto. With unbeatable prices and reliable service even for overseas customers, RockAuto literally made this project possible. All hoses, suspension, brake and most of the engine parts were ordered, just to name a few of the most important parts.

The goal was to keep the car in stock condition with only a few modifications. I admit, that is not a car most people would put so much work into, but the result speaks for itself.

Michael in Switzerland

 

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. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! Please e-mail flamur@rockauto.com with your vehicle's history, interesting details, your favorite images, and what parts from RockAuto you have used.

 

 

Let RockAuto Help

Let RockAuto Help

Are you organizing a car show or other auto related event? From goody bag stuffers to gift certificates...we can help. We can even publicize your event in our newsletter.

Just send us an email with information about your show.

 

 

Automotive Trivia Answer

Automotive Trivia

Newer cars often have hollow plastic boxes sticking like polyps out of the sides of the main air intake hose. What is the purpose of these empty vessels?

Answer: B. They are air intake resonators. Their purpose is to quiet, modify or tune the noise of the air passing through the intake hose. (photo is of an intake resonator on a new Toyota Camry)

Intake resonator on a new Toyota Camry

 

Back up to trivia question

 

 

 

 

© 1999-2012 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.