RockAuto.com RockAuto February Newsletter :: Early Edition

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Another Happy Customer!

I've been buying from RockAuto for a few years and can't believe the prices and service. For example, the "Big Chain" stores had an oxygen sensor for my wifes car at $97, I bought the same exact part from RockAuto for $40...

Bill in New Jersey



Upcoming Events
If you would like your event featured here e-mail with details.

2nd Annual Day of the Duels Motoring Festival
2/19/2015
Daytona Beach, FL
e-mail

2015 Classic Car Cruise
2/20/2015
Lithia, FL
e-mail

Wedgefield Firewise Community Annual Car Show
2/21/2015
Orlando, FL
e-mail

4th Annual Night at the Races
2/21/2015
South Plainfield, NJ
e-mail

Cabin Fever Car Cruise
2/22/2015
Vonwinckel, PA
e-mail

Boy Scout Troop 132 6th Annual Car Show
2/22/2015
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
e-mail

Hamburg Swap Meet & Car Corral
2/22/2015
Hambug, PA
e-mail

Fort Worth Bikers Lifestyle Expo & Swap Meet
2/22/2015
Fort Worth, TX
e-mail

Automotive School Student Career Day
2/27/2015
Omaha, NE
e-mail

Rock-n-Roll Radio Car Show & Cruise Nights
2/27/2015
Salt Lake City, UT
e-mail

36th Annual R.O.D.S. Run
2/27/2015
Baton Rouge, LA
e-mail

3 Alarm Spring Celebratoin Chili Cook Off & Car Show
2/28/2015
Melbourne, FL
e-mail

Florida Mopars 6th Annual Car Show
2/28/2015
Panama City, FL
e-mail

Frostbite 2015
2/28/2015
Overland Park, KS
e-mail

Cabin Fever Show
2/28/2015
Norfolk, NE
e-mail

Corvette Club of South Florida 4th Annual Corvette & Open Car/Truck Show
3/1/2015
Pompano Beach, FL
e-mail

Satellite Beach Lions Club 4th Annual Car Show
3/1/2015
Satellite Beach, FL
e-mail

Dickey's BBQ Pit 2014 Cruise In
3/1/2015
Taylors, SC
e-mail

Cruisin for CARE Car Show
3/1/2015
Fort Myers, FL
e-mail


Denso Iridium TT Spark Plugs

See what we have from DENSO

RockAuto now carries the new, technologically advanced Denso Iridium TT (Twin Tip) Spark Plugs. This patented design was first used on OE Denso spark plugs for luxury and performance cars, but now this technology is available to everyone. The unique design literally features two "tips": an iridium center electrode tip, and a platinum ground electrode tip. Unlike conventional plugs with large center and ground electrodes that increase “quenching” of the explosion (meaning the spark explosion is restricted), the Twin Tips allow for an omnidirectional explosion with minimal quenching.


With less interference to spark growth, fewer misfires, and significantly improved combustion, you can be sure that power output and fuel economy are maximized. Denso TT plugs also feature the highest concentration of iridium in any spark plug to successfully resist voltage wear and oxidation for over 100,000 miles. If you're looking for a plug that will take you farther with less gas and require fewer replacements, look no further than the Denso Iridium TT. These plugs are listed under the Ignition category in the RockAuto catalog for most engines.





FREE Carlisle Show Tickets

2015 Schedule

Due to overwhelming response, we are out of free Carlisle Car Show tickets. Thank you for your interest!

Would you like to attend one of these Carlisle Car Shows?

  • Winter AutoFest – Feb. 19-22 (Festival Park, Zephyrhills, FL)
  • Spring Carlisle – April 22-26
  • Import & Kit Nationals – May 15-17
  • Ford Nationals – June 5-7
  • GM Nationals – June 26-28
  • Chrysler Nationals – July 10-12
  • Performance & Style – July 17-19
  • Truck Nationals – August 7-9
  • Bloomsburg Nationals – August 14-16 (Bloomsburg, PA Fairgrounds)
  • Corvettes at Carlisle – August 28-30
  • Fall Carlisle – September 30-October 4
  • Fall Florida AutoFest – November 12-15 (Sun ‘n Fun, Lakeland, FL)

RockAuto has a limited number of free tickets available for customers. Tickets are valid for any of the Carlisle events listed above. If you have purchased parts in the last twelve months and would like up to two free tickets, please fill out this form completely and accurately. Tickets will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. Limit of two tickets per household. All events are held at the Carlisle, Pennsylvania Fairgrounds unless otherwise noted. We will notify and mail tickets to the recipients.






Forum of the Month

Pirate4x4.com

Rock crawling, 4x4s and off-road racing from the Rubicon Trail and beyond! Find it all at Pirate4x4.com, a website dedicated to off-roading. Find topics concerning brand specific tech, general tech, competition and event information. Plus, land use and trails discussions specifically for your region! Pirate4x4 has tech, forums, a photo gallery and more. If you are an off-roading enthusiast, what are you waiting for? Register today and get involved!




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 flamur@rockauto.com.





Repair Mistakes & Blunders

Ouch!

Back in the early 1980s, the in-line 6 cylinder in my sister's old 1972 Ford Maverick was having starting issues: the infamous click-click-click sound of a bad starter. I expected a fairly easy fix though. I swapped out the starter for a rebuilt one, but still the same problem. I brought it back to the parts store figuring it was a bad rebuild, and the guy just gave me another one. I slapped it in and had the same problem again. I checked all the connections. The solenoid on the fender was good, the battery was good, and the alternator was fairly new too. I went back and the store finally bench tested it and it was good. So, back home I went.

A neighborhood hot rodder stopped by and confirmed all should have been good with my repair. That motor head was dumbfounded too.

My dad came out to inspect our lack of progress. He leaned on the battery cable while peering into the engine bay. Would you believe, when he leaned on the battery cable, the insulation cracked and a stream of rust poured out! The problem ended up being a rusty battery cable that looked fine from the outside.

The good old days...

Charlie in New York




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 e-mail 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

Automotive Trivia

GM's Saturn division built unique cars when it was first founded in the 1980s. After the turn of the century, Saturn began selling re-badged GM vehicles sometimes pieced together with diverse parts. The V6 engine in the 2004 to 2007 Saturn Vue was built by which manufacturer?

A. Daihatsu
B. Honda
C. Saab


Answer below






Don't Forget the Basics

RockAuto

Every few months, I notice a small plastic bag sitting on my workbench. I peer inside and remind myself that the bag contains the original oil filter off my Dodge Challenger. This Dodge is the only truly new car I have ever owned. It is the first car in my family’s fleet built this century. It is my first purple car. This is a special car, but I am not sentimentally keeping its first oil filter as if it were a baby’s first pair of shoes. I keep the old oil filter to remind myself to avoid forgetting the basics when doing any repair.

The late model Challengers look great from below. The drivetrain, suspension and exhaust are nicely laid out. I was marveling at all that mechanical beauty during the first oil change and almost did not notice that the gasket had pulled off the old oil filter and was still stuck on the engine.

The Challenger’s filter is nothing exotic

The Challenger’s filter is nothing exotic. Numerous engines built since the 1990s use the same filter part numbers (Fram PH2, WIX 57899, Motorcraft FL820S…). I know to make sure the old filter’s gasket is still on the filter, just like I know to lubricate the new filter’s gasket. However, in 30+ years of doing oil changes on my family’s cars, I have never had a gasket pull off an old oil filter. I tend to stop watching closely for things that do not happen. I nearly had the new filter completely tightened before I noticed there was something odd about the Dodge’s original filter.

A fingernail was the only tool I needed to pry the old gasket off the engine, but if I had not noticed it, then the 1,500+ mile (2,400 km) road trip I was preparing for probably would have been spoiled by an oil leak. What kind of role model would I be for my kids if I had to say, “Sorry everyone, I forgot how to do a proper oil change. Wait here while I hike off in search of a quart or two of 0W-40 oil for the babied car I don’t let you eat food in.”

It is easy to forget to double-check the basics when doing an easy repair for the umpteenth time. It is also easy to forget the basics when finishing up after a complex repair. There was the time I let my wife drive off in her Ford Tempo without a radiator cap. (Not environmentally friendly, but it was winter and the indestructible Tempo hardly noticed.) There was the brake job on a niece’s Ford Focus that soon led to a new wheel hub. (I will not name the specific niece or other extended family members responsible for that brake job and the loose lug nuts.) Maybe the Challenger’s old oil filter is the reminder I leave on the workbench because it had such an easy happy ending!

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com


To read more of Tom's articles, click this link and choose from story titles on the Newsletter Archives page.






Michael's 1961 International Harvester Scout 80
Michael's 1961 International Harvester Scout 80

My truck’s life started in mid-1961 when an order was placed by the International Harvester Truck dealership located in Phoenix, Arizona. Assembly commenced at the plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana and it was completed in July, with the final inspection being performed on 7/27/1961. Fast forward to the early '70s, when it was traded in for a newer IH truck. It was then sold to the second owner with only 38,714 miles on the odometer. The dealership sticker can still be seen on the tailgate.

The truck is currently equipped with the 152 cubic-inch, slant-4 Comanche motor and T-90 3 speed transmission. The drivetrain consists of Dana 27 and 44 axles along with a Dana two speed transfer case. Two inches of additional lift are provided by the springs.

Over the years I’ve purchased quite a few things for it from RockAuto.com. These include many maintenance items such as brake piston rebuild kits, brake shoes, brake master cylinder, clutch master cylinder, bearings, water pump, thermostats, hoses, belts, gaskets, seals, oil filters and wipers.

Thank you for providing parts for these vintage American Icons.

Michael in Arizona



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 e-mail flamur@rockauto.com with your vehicle's history, interesting details, your favorite images and what parts from RockAuto you have used.






Let RockAuto Help

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.

Just send an e-mail to marketing@rockauto.com with information about your show.






Automotive Trivia Answer

Automotive Trivia

GM's Saturn division built unique cars when it was first founded in the 1980s. After the turn of the century, Saturn began selling re-badged GM vehicles sometimes pieced together with diverse parts. The V6 engine in the 2004 to 2007 Saturn Vue was built by which manufacturer?

A. Daihatsu
Answer: B. Honda
C. Saab


Back up to trivia question




© 1999-2015 RockAuto, LLC - Madison, Wisconsin USA. RockAuto name, logo and ALL THE PARTS YOUR CAR WILL EVER NEED are registered trademarks of RockAuto, LLC. Manufacturer names and logos in the RockAuto catalog are trademarks of their respective companies and are used only to identify their products. All rights reserved.