When shopping for Spark Plugs, you may notice they are often categorized by "Metal Type." While the core of most spark plugs is Copper, the tip of the plugs can be coated with various amounts and types of precious metal (including Platinum, Iridium and even Ruthenium) to help extend the life of the plug. Generally, more precious metal, the longer the plug will last. But, the differences don't stop there! Many manufacturers have engineered their spark plugs with unique enhancements beyond the material -- from tapered and grooved electrodes, to double firing tips and fine-wire designs -- for added benefits.

RockAuto makes it easy to compare the features of different spark plug options and choose the benefits that matter most to you! While shopping for Spark Plugs in the RockAuto.com catalog, click the button to learn about the lifespan, performance and fuel economy for each material and series offered. Find Spark Plugs from brands like NGK, DENSO, ACDELCO, BOSCH, CHAMPION and more under the "Ignition" category for your vehicle and save with RockAuto's reliably low prices!

Have those beautiful fall leaves made their way into your car's Heating and A/C system? Now is the perfect time to replace your Cabin Air Filter, and help prevent potential heating problems as colder weather approaches!

Hengst Filtration is offering RockAuto customers an exclusive 10% instant rebate on all Cabin Air Filters throughout the month of October. Hengst Cabin Air Filters protect against pollen, dust, leaves, bugs and other debris built up from the shift in seasons. Find Hengst Cabin Air Filters in the RockAuto.com catalog under the "Heat & Air Conditioning" category

I was changing the transmission fluid on my Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan in my driveway when my three-year-old daughter came out to see what I was doing. I gave her an explanation of what was going on but could not give her my full attention because my hands were full with carefully lowering the pan of transmission fluid and removing the filter. Afterwards, I was re-assembling and quickly noticed I only had about half of the little pan bolts. I searched the driveway, the nearby mulch, the slab gap in the concrete, everywhere for over an hour but was left scratching my head. What happened to the missing bolts? I was perplexed that so many could go missing.

I ended up taking one of the bolts to the hardware store and getting new bolts to finish the job. When I got back from the hardware store, I asked my daughter if she had seen the bolts, she then informed me that she was "Helping Dad" by putting a bunch of the bolts into a formed hole in the steeply sloped sub-frame! They slid deeply into the frame, and since I already had replacements I just left them there. I learned to use a pan for little parts and keep my kids under tighter supervision when they were coming by to "help"!

Scott in Oregon

Share Your Story

I told my son how important it is to inspect the lug nuts on his wheels when he turned fifteen and got his '90 Lincoln Mark VII. I looked like a wise dad when he set about rotating the Lincoln's tires and discovered all the lug nuts were overtightened and one would not budge at all. Wise dad showed him how to improvise a super breaker bar by sticking a long pipe from a chain link fence over the lug nut wrench. Levering the long pipe promptly broke the weld in the center of my old X-shaped lug nut wrench. I pulled out a newer 4-way lug nut wrench I had purchased from RockAuto, and both of us hanging on the pipe finally broke the lug nut loose rather than breaking another wrench or snapping the wheel stud off.

Last week, my now 24-year-old son gave me a call asking for advice after getting stranded in a friend's Chevy HHR because a tire was punctured, and they could not put on the spare tire because some of the lug nuts seemed to have outgrown the lug nut wrench. They did not need to hunt along the roadside for a hunk of chain link fence pipe, but they did have to schlep to a hardware store and buy a new lug nut wrench with a size that was a better fit for the oddball lug nuts.

Typical Lug Nuts

The fall is a great time to inspect lug nuts (and rotate the tires). Quickly replacing a few inexpensive parts may prevent being stranded on the side of the road. Lug nut problems include:

1. Lug nuts that are difficult to remove because they were overtightened or corrosion/dirt contaminated the threads.
2. Lug nuts that have swelled because corrosion on the nut pushed out the chrome cladding. A swelled nut may be too big and a nut with missing chrome cladding may be too small for the lug nut wrench.
3. Lug nuts that do not fit the car's lug nut wrench because somebody installed another car's nuts that may have had the right thread but were the wrong wrench size.
4. Locking lug nuts without a key to remove them.
5. Missing lug nuts and/or missing lug studs.

Find the correct new lug nuts, lug studs and locking lug nuts for specific vehicles under "Wheel" in the RockAuto.com catalog.

Tom Taylor
RockAuto.com

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