RockAuto Customer Accounts

RockAuto recently added two new features to the customer accounts.

Customers with accounts can now associate their shopping carts with their accounts.

• Simply log into your account. Once you log in, any shopping carts that you have stored on your computer will automatically be associated with your account.
• If there are multiple carts already stored in the account, you will also be able to view those on any computer once logged in.

Customers with accounts are now also able to choose the language they prefer for newsletters and other marketing emails like discounts and Wholesaler Closeouts (English, French, German or Spanish).

• For example, some prefer to place orders in English while still wanting emails to be in their native language.

To create an account if you haven’t already (this is optional, you do not have to create an account to order parts):

1. Click the “Log In or Create Account” link in the upper-right portion of the RockAuto homepage or catalog.
2. Enter your email address & press the “Create Account” button.
3. An email will be dispatched to your email account to confirm you are the owner of that email account. Follow instructions in the email.
4. Once the email account has been confirmed you will receive an email with your new password (this can be changed once you log-in).

Once you have your account created all you have to do to log-in is click the "Log In or Create Account" link and enter your email address & password. The "Order Status/Account Settings" link on the left side of the screen is the place to start researching your past orders. If any questions arise please feel free to check out the Accounts section of the RockAuto FAQ page.

Forum of the Month

Corvette Action Center is the world's largest Corvette web site. The prime directive of the Corvette Action Center is to promote the awareness, preservation and enjoyment of the Chevrolet Corvette and help educate owners and enthusiasts by providing a professional and reliable online source of Corvette news and information. We consider the Corvette Action Center to be a major informational repository and in a "continuous state of improvement". The information contained within is constantly being updated in order to insure that it is reliable and consistent. Don’t delay, register today!

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

My Thunderbird needed new brake pads and rear shocks, so I decided to replace them one evening in my driveway. Everything went well with both projects until I went for a checkup drive. I put the car in gear and started to back down the driveway being careful to avoid my van at the curb which was overhanging the driveway a bit. I stepped on the brakes to slow my progress and the pedal went to the floor! While negotiating past my van at increasing speed, my right side view mirror was ripped off by the van's hood. Even worse, while attempting to brake again, my brake foot had slid sideways so it now overlapped with the accelerator, which then became floored as the brake pedal went to the floor again! Hurtling across the street, I jumped the opposite curb, glanced off a tree, which reformed the left side fender-door sheet metal, and crashed into the house across the street. This pushed a decorative horizontal timber through the house's wall and partway into the living room. My T-Bird was now stopped. I put the car into Drive to pull away from the house and now the brakes worked! Eureka! I then realized that I had forgotten to pump the brakes to bring the new pads into contact with the rotors after the brake job. For my car, it takes three brake pumps to do this. I had planned to do this after I replaced the shocks, but it was late and I was tired.

Moral of the story: 1. Finish one job at a time. 2. Do not work on critical systems when you are tired. 3. If you cannot avoid hitting a house, choose one that doesn't belong to a Director of the company you work for!

Kurt in California

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!

Automotive Trivia

Over time, new brake fluid becomes contaminated with water. Brake fluid may contain 1 to 2% water after just one year. Water lowers the boiling point. Hydraulic brake systems stop working if the brake fluid is boiling. Something to think about especially if descending a steep grade with a heavy trailer. DOT 3 brake fluid boils at what temperature new and with 3.7% water contamination?

A. 401° F (205° C) new, 284° F (140° C) with 3.7% water
B. 500° F (260° C) new, 418° F (214° C) with 3.7% water
C. 366° F (185 ° C) new, 245° F (118° C) with 3.7% water

Answer below

Regenerative Brake Wear

Electric cars and hybrids use regenerative braking. Does that mean these cars will eventually have expensive regenerative brake doohickeys to replace? No, regenerative braking is just a routine duty performed by the electric car’s big electric motor/generator when it is not busy propelling the car.

Here is how it works. To make the car go, electrical current from the batteries is sent through the motor’s rotor, a shaft with wire wrapped around it, creating an electromagnet. The magnetic fields of the electromagnet and motor’s permanent magnet repel each other, which spins the rotor. The energy from the spinning rotor is used to turn the car’s wheels.

To stop the car, the electric motor becomes a generator. Electrical current from the batteries to the rotor is shut off, but the rotor and its wire coils are still spinning. Spinning a wire coil next to a permanent magnet induces current in the wire. This electrical current is siphoned off to recharge the batteries. As more current is generated in the wire windings, the rotor experiences more resistance to its movement as it passes through the permanent magnet’s magnetic field. This magnetic friction slows the rotor and subsequently slows the car’s wheels.

The fundamentals can be laid out in a kid’s science project, but of course the real electrical motor/generators are much more complex with brushes, bearings, switches, computers, and lots of other parts involved. Electric motors fail, but using generator mode to stop the car is not fundamentally harder on the motor than using it to make the car go. The motor/generator is happy whether spinning its rotor faster or slowing it down.

So what can go wrong with a brake system that includes regenerative braking? The brake pads often need to only cut the last 5 or 10 mph off the hybrid vehicle’s speed. That is light duty for brake pads and pads can last a very long time. Unfortunately, on some hybrids it is too light and the use-it-or-lose-it rule kicks in. The brake pads may rarely heat up and dry out like they do on regular cars. Original equipment brake pads may form a surface glaze that generates noise. Or constant moisture may cause pads to delaminate from the metal backing plate. When a hybrid’s pads do need changing, RockAuto has replacement pads by brake manufacturers including ACDelco, Akebono, Aisin, Beck/Arnley, Bendix, Centric, Monroe, Raybestos, and Wagner.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

I was always very fond of Chryslers, and in 1976 I first noticed Chrysler's New Yorker, which was the same car as an Imperial in the prior two year model run. Instantly, I loved the flowing curves of this huge car, with its sculpted massive bumpers, pillow topped Corinthian leather seats, and smooth powerful 440 V8. But, there was no way I could afford this new car at the time.

Around 1982, when gasoline prices were spiking and people were looking for smaller more economical cars, I came across this 1976 New Yorker, St. Regis two door beauty, and bought it. Soon it took a permanent place in my garage, got a repaint, and rechromed bumpers, among other things. RockAuto, has been my main source of parts for this car and others.

I love the wholesaler closeout emails, that have allowed me to purchase parts at real bargains. Some parts I know I will have to replace sooner or later, like brake parts and hoses, wheel bearings, pinion and axle seals, transmission filters etc., so I can't resist to buy them ahead of time. And of course, with quick shipping, regular great prices, it's hard to beat RockAuto for your many car needs.

Thanks RockAuto,
Vladimir in New York

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. Please e-mail flamur@rockauto.com with details.

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