Whether you listen to music, podcasts, or books on tape, it is important to have crisp, clear sound coming out of your vehicle's speakers. Over time, original factory speakers can wear out or even fail completely. Luckily, replacing your vehicle's speakers is relatively inexpensive and straightforward.
RockAuto.com is excited to now carry Tailored Audio Speaker Kits! Each Tailored Audio Speaker Kit includes a pair of high quality JVC speakers and vehicle specific mounting brackets and wiring harnesses. These kits are easy to install and do not require any vehicle modifications or wire cutting. The JVC speakers deliver high output sound and are built to withstand the temperature extremes.
From a 1995 Chevrolet Tahoe to a 2008 Toyota Camry to a 2021 Ford F-150, find Tailored Audio Speaker Kits and Radio Upgrade kits for your specific car or truck in the "Interior" category of the RockAuto.com catalog, at the reliably low prices you expect.
Repair Mistakes & Blunders
I decided to change my differential fluid in my 2006 Pontiac GTO. After draining the fluid from the differential drain plug, and letting it drip for a few minutes, I opened the fill plug and began to refill it. Since space to tilt the 70w-140 bottle was limited, I decided to add a short length of rubber tubing to the bottle spout, in an effort to change the angle and get the last drops from the first quart (hoping I would not have to open the second bottle I purchased).
Well, you can imagine my shock when the tube slid off the end of the spout and went into the differential! At first, a little length was still visible, so I attempted to grab it with a needle nose pliers. Being coated with fluid, it slipped out of my grasp and disappeared into the housing!
Long story short, an hour later, after supporting the rear end, draining the fluid a second time, removing the cover, removing my "smart idea" tube, scraping both surfaces clean, adding sealant to the cover and reinstalling, and finally, refilling the differential WITHOUT an extension on the bottle, I was back in business. LESSON LEARNED!
Steve in Colorado
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 RockAuto 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!
Forum of the Month
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 marketing@rockauto.com.
Automotive Trivia
What is a Monroney label?
A. Records produced and distributed for free (no royalties) to radio stations by General Motors in the late '70s. The vinyl records featured popular musicians along with a few advertisements for Pontiac and/or Buick vehicles. "Monroney" was slang derived from "money" and "no royalty."
B. Refers to the 25 ounce bottle of Monroney Scotch that was packed along with two glasses in the glove box of the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz.
C. The new car window sticker showing pricing, options and other details mandated by a bill sponsored by Oklahoma's Senator Almer "Mike" Stillwell Monroney in 1958.
There is an auction yard near my home that usually has a bunch of work trucks to sell. Many of these battle weary vans and pickups have 300,000+ miles on their odometers and nasty seats sprouting torn fabric and foam, but some of them only have 75,000+ on their odometers and only the drivers seat cushion is a mess. A manly or womanly driver must have scrambled in and out of the seat at countless work sites, but the passenger seat was used relatively little and the vehicle did not accumulate that many total miles. Relatively low mileage and intimidating looking but fixable cosmetic damage make these trucks potential used-car bargains.
RockAuto has OE-style or custom Seat Covers to completely reupholster the seats in most vehicles. For many common Chevy, Ford, GMC and Dodge/Ram pickups and vans, RockAuto also has new Seat Cover upholstery and/or Seat Cushions for just the drivers seats.
After seeing how much better looking and more comfortable a fresh drivers Seat Cushion makes the interior, you might be inspired to keep going and install a new Dashboard Cover, Cup Holder, Inside Door Handle or whatever your particular truck's interior needs. Before long, that battered government-surplus auction truck is looking respectable again.
A quick, relatively inexpensive interior makeover can also be a good way to get more miles out of work trucks you already own and help retain your employees/drivers. Nobody likes to sit in a dirty, torn, uncomfortable seat. Find new Seat Covers, Seat Cushions and other parts to restore your specific vehicle's interior under "Interior" 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.
Josh's 1989 Chevrolet Beretta
This is my 1989 Chevrolet Beretta GTU. It is the exact car my dad bought me as my first vehicle in 1997 while I was in high school. I sold it in 2001 prior to moving to Tennessee. Last year, I found old registration paperwork and was able to track the car down to western Kentucky, and with more in depth research, I found the owner and was able to make a deal in purchasing the car back. Unfortunately, it was inoperable and needed a lot of work.
I have purchased suspension parts, struts, shocks, drivetrain parts, axles, brake parts, hubs, and many other parts such as a dash cover, door lock actuators and honestly too many other things to remember. The car is back on the road, and I drive it daily. In the past year, I have done so much work mechanically and cosmetically to get the car back in good condition as it was when I originally had it. It now runs great with over 200,000 original miles.
There is more work to be done as time and finances allow, but it is worth it to get my first vehicle back on the road.
Thank you,
Josh in Tennessee (RockAuto customer for over four years)
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, RockAuto social media or other commercial use. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! For submission instructions and tips for taking pictures of your car, please visit our Photography Tips & Submission Info page
Automotive Trivia Answer
What is a Monroney label?
A. Records produced and distributed for free (no royalties) to radio stations by General Motors in the late '70s. The vinyl records featured popular musicians along with a few advertisements for Pontiac and/or Buick vehicles. "Monroney" was slang derived from "money" and "no royalty."
B. Refers to the 25 ounce bottle of Monroney Scotch that was packed along with two glasses in the glove box of the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz.
Answer: C. The new car window sticker showing pricing, options and other details mandated by a bill sponsored by Oklahoma's Senator Almer "Mike" Stillwell Monroney in 1958. (Source: https://www.caranddriver.com/... )
