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Another Happy Customer!

I just received and had installed my first order from RockAuto and I just wanted to let you know how pleased I am.

The order arrived earlier than expected. The dealer mechanic that installed the Dorman Swaybar I purchased told me the part exceeded GM OE quality...

I am telling everyone I know about RockAuto. Again many kudos on a job well done!

Don in South Carolina

 

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

Arklatex Motor Massacre Halloween Car Show
10/31/2009
Texarkana, TX
e-mail

Elite Corvettes 1st Annual Platinum Series Car Show
11/1/2009
Pasadena, CA
website

Fort Worth Volksfest Stampede & Roundup Charity Car Show
11/7/2009
Fort Worth, TX
e-mail

Viva Alfa Romeo 2009
11/7/2009
Longwood, FL
e-mail

2nd Annual SoCalROC Show-N-Shine Toy Drive
11/7/2009 Riverside, CA
e-mail

Louisiana Custom Cruisers Benefit Car Show
11/7/2009
Boutte, LA
e-mail

Moreland 3rd Annual Autumn Car & Motorcycle Show
11/7/2009
Moreland, GA
e-mail

Flabob Veteran Fly n Drive Show
11/7/2009
Riverside, CA
website

1st Annual Orland Chamber Of Commerce Rod & Custom Car Show
11/7-11/8/2009
Orland, CA
website

Veterans Appreciation Car Show
11/8/2009
Baltimore, MD
e-mail

Grass Roots Jeep Club 1st Annual Jeeps in the Vineyard
11/14/2009
Atco, NJ
website

2nd Annual Texas Road House Car Show
11/14/2009
Sierra Vista, AZ
e-mail

Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals
11/21-11/22/2009
Rosemont, IL
website

 

Protect Your Dashboard

Dash Cover by Dash Designs

RockAuto has added dash covers by Dash Designs to the catalog! Dash Designs Inc., founded in 1983, has set out to protect dashboards from cracking and discoloration caused by extremes in temperature conditions.

Why purchase a dash cover for your vehicle?

  • Protect your dashboard from harmful UV rays
  • Dress up your interior
  • Reduce dangerous glare
  • Easy installation
  • Solution-dyed fabrics that won’t fade or shrink
  • Multiple fabrics and colors to choose from

Whether you need a dash cover for your 2005 Mercury Montego, 1986 Ford Mustang GT, 1971 Alfa Romeo Spider, or another application, RockAuto is now your source for dash covers. Take a look in the Body-Interior category of the RockAuto catalog to find a dash cover for your vehicle.

 

 

Forum of the Month

Club300M

Club300M is a tight-knit community with a shared passion for the Chrysler 300M. We all work together to share information about each other’s cars and keep them running like the day they came off the showroom floor, or even better! Our motto: “We are a club of the members, for the members!” No question is too simple or too complicated. The answer is out there somewhere and at Club300M there are many friendly people willing to share their experiences and expertise.

We invite anyone who has passion for the 300M to join! There are many areas of the forum that will help you get your car where you want it to be. Pull up a chair and stay a while. Tell a friend about us; we are always looking for 300Ms to add to our community!

 

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 jessa@rockauto.com.

 

 

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

Ouch!

 

During my first year of college I worked part time at a local auto repair shop. One day the owner of the shop came down and handed me a work order for his wife's Ford Econoline van. He said her driver side headlamp was burned out. To me, being tasked to work on the owner's van was a badge of honor, and I took to the task as fast as I could. I zipped back to the parts area, grabbed a new headlamp and had the boss's wife's van done in record time.

Two days later the boss came down from the office frowning at me with yet another work order for his wife's van. Seems the new head lamp had burned out as well. This time he instructed me to carefully check out the electrical system before releasing it to his wife. After zipping into the back for the new bulb and installing it, I turned on the lights and quickly discovered that the passenger side was very dim. Thinking "bad ground" I proceeded to check out all the connections and sockets on that side of the van. After 30 frustrating minutes the shop foreman assigned a senior tech to help me with the problem. By now the boss's wife was pacing in the waiting room and the boss was checking in on us every five minutes.

After another frustrating half-hour, another tech who had just finished a job was walking by. He reached down into the trash can and pulled the box out for the new lamp I had just installed. With a big grin he tossed it at me and told me to read the bottom. My heart sank as I read out loud "for 6 volt systems only!". Of course the van had a modern 12 volt system.

Bill in Ohio

 

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!

 

 

Usually Works Surprisingly Well

RockAuto

The parking brake cable conduit entering the brake backing plate
The parking brake cable conduit entering the brake backing plate.

Last week I parked our Dodge B250 van on a steep hill, put the transmission in Neutral, and then applied the parking brake. Before putting the transmission in Park, I took my foot off the brake pedal to see if the parking brake held. It did not. There was some groaning from the rear and the van started creeping forward.

The parking brake cable starts at the parking brake handle or foot pedal, runs under the vehicle, and links to left and right cables attached to levers and springs inside the rear brakes. The typical parking brake cable is only about 1/8 inch (4 mm) thick. It has to keep the rear brake shoes (drum) or pads (disc) applied with enough force to restrain a heavy vehicle. The parking brake system has a Rube Goldberg feel to it, but it usually works surprisingly well.

The best way to maintain a parking brake system is to use it a lot. Don’t do what I did and wait until you are parked on the side of Mount Crumpit to find out if your parking brake is working and the cable length is properly adjusted. Use the parking brake and take some of the strain off of the $1000+ transmission and let the vehicle’s weight rest on the $20 rear brake shoes or pads.

The parking brake cable is exposed to salt, water, dirt, and who knows what underneath the car. The cable usually runs through a conduit, but that conduit is mostly meant to prevent abrasion rather than corrosion. Frequently using the parking brake helps keep the cable from rusting in place or otherwise freezing up. The right side parking brake cable and conduit on our Dodge van had rusted together. The left side cable still worked, but one set of brake shoes was not enough to hold back the van on the hill. Luckily I had a passenger to chock the wheels! Replacement parking brake cables designed specifically for your car or truck are found under Brake/Wheel Hub in the RockAuto.com catalog.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

 

 

Butch's 1986 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe
1986 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe

This is my 1986 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe in which I recently installed a new heater core that I purchased from RockAuto. This car is one of only 200 that were built in 1986 to qualify the body style for competition in NASCAR. This car has only 11,000 miles on it!

The installation of the heater core only took a couple of hours, and it fit perfectly! The process entailed disconnection of battery, unplug heater fan and AC plugs, removal of wipers, wiper shield, and leaf guard. The entire heater fan and shroud then can be removed (be sure to take out ALL of the small screws holding down the shroud!). Getting the sealant around the shroud can be tricky, but patience and a flat putty knife will get the job done.

Thank you for a fine product at a great price! I will highly recommend you to my friends.

Sincerely,
Butch in Virginia

 

Share Your Hard Work
Do you purchase parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto would like to feature you and your car or truck in our monthly newsletter. Please email flamur@rockauto.com with details.

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