RockAuto Gift Ideas

Gift Idea for Clients or Coworkers:

Need gifts that are useful and make a good impression? SolarGuard (TM) Windshield Covers are effective, premium quality and Wholesaler Closeout priced at less than $4.00! SolarGuards are individually boxed; even the packaging is classy!

Find your SolarGuard Reflective Sunshade Windshield Cover in the "Tools & Universal Parts" tab, under “Accessories” and then "Window" in the RockAuto catalog or simply click here.

Gift Idea That Will Knock Their Socks Off:

Brake Kits by Power Stop and Centric improve braking performance and look great. Give a gift that is both safe/responsible (shorter stopping distances) and fun (drilled and slotted rotors)!

See the Brake Kits (for both Disc and Drum brakes) we have for specific vehicles in the "Brake/Wheel Hub" category of the RockAuto catalog.

Gift Idea for Less Than $25:

SLEDGEHAMMER cleans the air intake, fuel delivery/injectors, intake manifold, valves, piston rings, and combustion chambers, and does its job safely, quickly, and effectively.

This professional quality engine decarbonizing treatment helps correct and prevent problems such as rough idling, power loss, misfires, poor gas mileage and high emissions. Catalytic converter manufacturer, Davico, recommends the SLEDGEHAMMER treatment every 80,000 miles (130,000 km).

You can find SLEDGEHAMMER in the "Tools & Universal Parts" tab under "Fuel/Air" and then "Decarbonizer" in the RockAuto catalog or click here.

Let Them Choose the Part, Repair Manual or Tool They Need Most:

Make your gift giving easy this year with a RockAuto Gift Certificate!

Purchase gift certificates with your choice of currency and amount. Have a paper certificate shipped to you or directly to the recipient or choose E-Gift.

Purchase a Gift Certificate or E-Gift today!

Forum of the Month

The MR2OC (MR2 Owners Club) has over 44,000 active members world-wide. With over 350,000 topics and more than 4.4 million posts, MR2OC is one of the largest Toyota MR2 communities on the Internet! From performance tips and tricks from REAL racers, to the basics of keeping your car running and looking its best, if it is MR2, it is here!

Join today. It is free!

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

Recently, my wife's friend complained to me that her Buick would not go over 40 MPH. Even though I retired years ago from a career as a mechanic and engine builder, I offered to take a look at her car.

Knowing full well to always check the obvious first, I performed a quick visual inspection under the hood, but did not see anything obvious. I then felt the exhaust flow from the muffler. It did seem a little low when the engine was revved.

Back I went under the hood, to start my troubleshooting routine with the air cleaner. I have seen cars with these same symptoms due to a clogged filter.

I was AMAZED when I opened the air box! There were three terry cloth hand towels in there! I started laughing like crazy since I knew this was the issue.

I removed the oily towels and asked my wife's friend for any insight into the aforementioned rags appearing where they did. It turned out that when she was checking the oil, she left a rag near the air intake. When she re-checked the oil, the rag was gone. So she got another rag and placed it in the same location. It took three rags to get sucked into the air box to get the car to a nearly not running state!

In less than five minutes, I had the rags blocking the air filer removed, and a test drive up to freeway speeds confirmed the repair.

Gene in Idaho

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

Which 2017 model was assembled with the most (by value) equipment (parts) from the US and Canada?

A. Chevrolet Camaro
B. Toyota Camry
C. Lincoln Continental

Answer below

Strut/Coil Spring/Mount Assembly Installation Tip

ACDelco, FCS, Gabriel, KYB, Monroe, Moog, Sensen, Ultra-Power, Unity and other RockAuto manufacturers make fully assembled strut and coil spring assemblies. Strut replacement can be more successful because there is no need to guess which parts are too worn or too rusty. The strut, coil spring, mount, insulator, bearing plate and other parts are all replaced as a pre-assembled unit. Much less labor is needed because it is not necessary to use a spring compressor and other tools to disassemble and reassemble old parts. Individual pieces also do not need to be inspected, cleaned, painted, lubricated, etc.

Strut assemblies are easy to install, but on some vehicles, the installer may think there is a problem. It is the sort of problem that I like to keep secret when it happens to me and that braver souls submit for the Repair Mistakes & Blunders column in our newsletter.

The upper bearing plate just needs to be rotated

Fresh out of the box, the studs in the upper bearing plate on the strut assembly may not line up with the mounting holes on the vehicle. It is the right part for the car. The upper bearing plate just needs to be rotated.

On some vehicles, the lower part of the strut can be rotated freely. With those, insert the studs at the top of the strut assembly in the car's mounting holes before installing/tightening any mounting hardware at the bottom of the strut.

Sometimes the mounting point on the lower part of the strut is a bracket that cannot be rotated. In that case, the upper bearing plate can usually be turned slightly by prying with a tool like a screwdriver between the upper bearing plate and the coil spring. A coil spring compressor (such as LISLE 62300) could also be used to slightly reduce the pressure on the bearing plate so that it can more easily be rotated.

Gabriel uses the name ReadyMount, KYB is Strut-Plus and Monroe calls theirs Quick-Strut. No matter the name, they are all found under "Strut/Coil Spring/Mount Assembly" in the Suspension section of the RockAuto 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.

James' 2002 Toyota MR2 Spyder

We purchased this 2002 Toyota MR2 Spyder in the spring of 2015. The car was in reasonable shape, but the mileage was a bit high (170K+), and it needed a lot of mechanical work. The first night I brought it home, I went online to RockAuto and ordered a slew of replacement parts including new brake calipers, new rotors, new pads, replacement filters and bulbs and several miscellaneous parts. The prices are always great and the shipping and packaging are first rate.

My friend and I spent several long nights working, but we were able to get the car road worthy within about a week. Since that time, I have rebuilt the suspension and freshened the engine, and RockAuto delivered the parts we needed to get it done. We now use the Spyder for weekend cruising and occasional Autocross competitions.

Thanks RockAuto!
James in Tennessee

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