I just wanted to say how grateful I am that your company exists. Because of your affordable parts, I am able to fix my car myself most of the time...
My most recent fix would have been almost $100 at the mechanic, but I was able to do it for less than $20.
Emily in Indiana
Upcoming Events
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Jan
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Jan
Power Stop Euro-Stop Rotor & Brake Pad Kits
RockAuto's selection of Power Stop Rotor & Brake Pad Kits has grown even bigger! Power Stop Euro-Stop™ Rotor & Brake Pad kits provide owners of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, VW and other European brand vehicles with brakes that meet the strict European Union ECE-R90 standards for OEMs. Power Stop Euro-Stop delivers European OE level performance and safety without the high OE cost.
The kits feature high carbon brake rotors for improved thermal conductivity to resist distortion and cracking and improved damping coefficient to reduce brake squeal. Rotors are coated in Geomet 360® which provides exceptional protection against rust and other corrosion. Euro-Stop brake pads are supplied in partnership with top European OE supplier Hella Pagid. Euro-Stop electronic brake wear sensors come from the OE supplier for BMW and Mercedes, and are included where applicable.
Power Stop Euro-Stop Brake Kits offer customers the European Standard of performance at RockAuto.com prices! Euro-Stop kits are available for everything from the 1998 Volvo C70 to the 2003 Audi A4 to the 2010 BMW 328I to the 2013 Range Rover, to name a few. These kits can be found in the RockAuto catalog in the “Brake & Wheel Hub” category under “Rotor & Brake Pad Kit".
Happy Holidays
All of us here at RockAuto would like to wish you Happy Holidays and a New Year filled with health and happiness! Thank you for being our customer and letting us serve as your auto parts supplier!
If you are still in need of a gift for the do-it-yourselfer in your life, a RockAuto gift certificate will never go out of style. Everybody needs something for his or her car or truck! They are easy to buy and even easier to use.
Gift Certificate:
Purchase gift certificates with a choice of currencies and amounts. Have a paper certificate shipped to you or directly to the recipient, or choose E-Gift.
E-Gift:
Need a Christmas gift in a hurry? E-Gift delivery is immediate and free. Simply select Email as the shipping option and your friends and family will conveniently receive the gift in their inbox.
The Garage Band
makes it to the big stage! Watch RockAuto's new TV commercial.
Forum of the Month
Ford Truck Zone covers all things Ford truck and SUV related. You will find an active forum, galleries, news, articles and more! Whether you are looking for buying advice, basic maintenance information, repair or upgrade help, the Ford Truck Zone community can help.
All years and models of Ford pickup trucks and SUVs are covered. If you drive a Ford F150, F250 Super Duty, classic Ford F100, Ranger, Bronco or a Ford SUV such as the Expedition and Explorer, you will find helpful answers to your Ford truck questions.
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 megant@rockauto.com.
Repair
Mistakes & Blunders
The cruise control in my son's 2007 VW Eos started failing intermittently, so we plugged in my scan tool and discovered that the switch on the turn signal stalk was faulty. Lots of things had to come apart to replace it, including removal of the airbag, steering wheel and several electronic modules behind the steering wheel. We got it all apart without incident, replaced the turn signal stalk and put it all back together.
When we started the car, there were a number of warning lights on the dash (which was expected after having the battery disconnected for a couple hours), so we plugged the scan tool back in to reset a few systems, including the steering angle sensor. We went through the process several times, each time ending with the scan tool claiming success, but we were still left with the steering angle light and the traction control light illuminated. We then proceeded to disassemble everything again to be sure all the electrical connectors were plugged in, no pins were bent, etc. Everything looked fine, so we put it all back together with exactly the same results as before.
Some searching on the web of the error code from the scan tool led me to the conclusion that the steering angle sensor was bad, so I ordered a new one. I was not exactly sure where the sensor lived in the steering column, but having the new one in hand should make it easy to spot once we were in there again. So, for the third time, the airbag, steering wheel and a bunch of other stuff came off. I did not see anything that resembled the new sensor I had in my hand, but after some more looking, I did see a spot where it looked like it would fit. I then wondered if somehow we had simply forgotten to put the old one back in, but we did not have any spare parts when we were done. Or so we thought... A search of the car resulted in finding the old sensor under the driver's seat. It had apparently fallen out as we were unplugging and unclipping all the other components.
We installed the new sensor (which exactly matched the old one) since we had it, and it was nearly 10 years newer than the old one. We put it all back together, started the car, and we were back in business. In the future, I will be sure to take pictures of things along the way to be sure that the finished project looks the same as before we started.
Mike in Wisconsin
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
The popular Toyota Corolla is 50 years old. Where did the name "Corolla" come from?
A. Space exploration was an exceptionally important topic in the 1960s. "Corolla" is a planet's gravitational boundary.
B. "Corolla" is Japanese for the English word "loyalty." A name that
emphasizes the Corolla's reliability.
C. "Corolla" is the ring of petals around the central part of a flower. A
name to evoke the image of a beautifully styled, eye-catching car.
My oldest daughter starts drivers education classes next month. She has already done a few dozen laps around the high school parking lot with me nervously twitching in the passenger seat. She also now pumps the gas. I give her tips while she pushes the correct octane button, inserts the nozzle and squeezes the pump handle. I always finish up with a reminder to tighten down the fuel tank cap. That tip has generated the most questions. As with many other questions from a teenager, the answers are not always as obvious as they first appear to be.
Will a warning light on the dash light up immediately if the gas cap is loose? No, the "Check Engine" light or its equivalent may not come on until many miles and days have passed. Why is that?
The fuel tank cap is part of the Evaporative Emission System (EVAP). EVAP prevents gasoline vapors from escaping from the fuel tank. Onboard Diagnostics (OBD II) monitors the air/fuel ratio, ignition and some other systems continuously, but EVAP is one of the systems that is typically only tested once per trip.
EVAP may actually not even be tested once per trip. Most/all OBD II COMPUTERS DO NOT TEST THE EVAP SYSTEM UNLESS THE FUEL TANK IS BETWEEN 1/4 AND 3/4 FULL. The gas cap is loose when the car leaves the gas station, but the Check Engine light may not come on until the driver has burned through a 1/4 tank of gas and probably a significant amount of time. It can be hard tying together a gas station stop last Saturday with an illuminated Check Engine light on Thursday.
Vapor Canister Purge Valve/Solenoid
Even professional mechanics might get led astray if a customer drops off a vehicle with a full or nearly empty fuel tank. With the "wrong" amount of gas in the tank, a failing EVAP part would not trigger an EVAP diagnostic trouble code (DTC), but it might lead to a DTC from another system. A bad Vapor Canister Purge Valve/Solenoid (sends gasoline vapors to the engine) or Vapor Canister Vent Valve/Solenoid (lets fresh air into the EVAP system) could create a vacuum leak or electrical problem that triggers Oxygen Sensor, Fuel Trim or other downstream DTCs. The much more relevant EVAP DTCs would not start showing up unless the fuel tank got between 1/4 and 3/4 full.
Most dads would just tell their daughter to turn the fuel tank cap until it clicks. My teenager got an EVAP earful from me!
Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com
To read more of Tom's articles, click this link and choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page.
Abby's 1966 Ford Ranchero
When my teenage daughter, Abby, and I started looking for a car for her to purchase, I mentioned that my first vehicle was a Ford Ranchero. Abby researched the Ranchero and fell in love with the idea of a car with a truck bed. We searched for one that we could restore together as a father-daughter project and found a two-owner 1966 Ranchero Custom.
In the early 1960s, the Ranchero was a sub-model of the Falcon compact car line and was marketed as the “Falcon Ranchero.” 1966 was a unique year for the Ranchero; although the Ranchero was identical to the Falcon from the A-pillar forward, the 1966 Ranchero was sold as the “Ford Ranchero.”
Abby’s Ranchero is one of 12,280 Ranchero Customs sold in 1966. We wanted to keep the Ranchero as original as possible, so we rebuilt the original 200 cubic inch (120 hp 190 ft-lbs) inline six cylinder engine and three-speed column shift manual transmission. We spent about a year and a half restoring the car. In the process, Abby learned how to rebuild the engine and the suspension, work on the brakes and how to do body work.
To make the Ranchero a little safer, we replaced the front drum brakes with disks, replaced the old master cylinder with a vacuum-boosted, dual circuit master cylinder and added new seat belts. We also added air conditioning to make the long, hot Texas summers more bearable. A new interior, new Candy Apple Red paint (the original color for this truck), and 1966 15” Ford Styled Steel Wheels make this daily driver Ranchero look great.
The truck gets lots of thumbs-up and smiles and usually is a conversation starter when filling up at the gas station. It has also won awards at several car shows.
We purchased many parts from RockAuto to complete the build – from suspension components to floor mats. RockAuto’s catalog is great for finding the exact part needed, and the quick shipping is also a plus!
Thanks RockAuto for helping to bring this project to completion!
David and Abby in Texas
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 or RockAuto social media. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! Please email flamur@rockauto.com with your vehicle's history, interesting details, your favorite images (tips for taking pictures of your car) and what parts from RockAuto you have used.
Let RockAuto Help
Are you organizing a car show or other auto related event? From goody bag stuffers to gift certificates...RockAuto can help. We can even publicize your event in our newsletter.
The popular Toyota Corolla is 50 years old. Where did the name "Corolla" come from?
A. Space exploration was an exceptionally important topic in the 1960s. "Corolla" is a planet's gravitational boundary.
B. "Corolla" is Japanese for the English word "loyalty." A name that
emphasizes the Corolla's reliability.
Answer: C. "Corolla" is the ring of petals around the central part of a flower. A
name to evoke the image of a beautifully styled, eye-catching car. (source)
Newsletter Archive
