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Another Happy Customer!

I know nothing about cars and was able to figure out what to order. It was super easy! Thanks!

C. W. in Arizona



Upcoming Events

If you would like your event featured here email with details.

Oil Capitol Auto Club Memorial Weekend Car Show
5/27/2016
Casper, WY
email

Tree Cruizen' Auto Show
5/27/2016
Baxley, GA
email

11th Annual Memorial Day Weekend Car Show & Parade
5/28/2016
Paw Paw, WV
email

2016 Miracle Cruise-in Auto Show
5/28/2016
North Charleston, SC
email

23rd Annual Corvettes at the Pier
5/28/2016
St. Petersburg, FL
email

Ronnie Cobb Memorial Car & Motorcycle Show
5/28/2016
Alexandria, KY
email

Mahanoy City Annual Car Show
5/28/2016
Mahanoy City, PA
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51st Annual Fallbrook Vintage Car Show
5/29/2016
Fallbrook, CA
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36th Annual Spring Fling Show & Shine Car Show
5/29/2016
Merrimack, NH
email

Revving Again Annual Car Show
5/29/2016
Guelph, ON, Canada
email

Razorback Land Cruisers 16th Annual Razorback Ramble
6/3/2016
Hot Springs, AR
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The Willys Jeep Rally
6/3/2016
College Corner, OH
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Ionia Classic Car & Truck Show
6/4/2016
Ionia, MI
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Bandit's Place Animal Rescue & Hockanum Valley Food Pantry Benefit Car Show
6/4/2016
Rockville, CT
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10th Annual Downtown Lincoln Classic Car Show
6/4/2016
Lincoln, CA
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Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital 7th Annual Spectacular Spring Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show
6/4/2016
Maryland Heights, MO
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Midwest Buick GS/GN Show
6/4/2016
Itasca, IL
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Olathe Police Foundation 7th Annual Benefit Auto Show
6/4/2016
Olathe, KS
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Lake Erie British Car Club
6/5/2016
Perrysburg, OH
email

Tri County Vettes 2016 Summer Bash
6/5/2016
Brodheadsville, PA
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Bedford Hills Lions Club 17th Annual Car Show
6/5/2016
Katonah, NY
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3rd Annual Cruise-In For Kids Car Show
6/10/2016
Crossville, TN
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Palmyra Playground Project 2nd Annual Car Show
6/11/2016
Palmyra, NE
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2nd Annual Kruisin for Kids Car & Truck Show
6/11/2016
York, PA
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Garden Ridge Citizen Police Academy Open Classic Car Show
6/11/2016
Garden Ridge, TX
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Autism Speaks Benefit Car Show
6/11/2016
Burbank, IL
email

HELLA High Performance 2.0 Headlamp Bulbs

See what we have from Hella

Improve your view of the road with HELLA's new line of High Performance 2.0 Bulbs. These new, technologically advanced headlamp bulbs have been re-engineered to deliver more light on the road without distracting other drivers. They feature an exclusive halogen gas formulation that delivers the ultimate HID look and performance from a halogen bulb. Manufactured under strict HELLA guidelines, HELLA High Performance 2.0 Bulbs create an optimal balance of bulb output and bulb life, 100% more light on the road than HELLA standard halogen bulbs, without compromising lifetime!

To ensure that the HELLA High Performance 2.0 Bulbs deliver the type of crisp white illumination that reduces nighttime driver fatigue, HELLA engineers incorporated key design advantages such as a re-engineered filament for greater light output and a platinum tip for precise light focus. High quality quartz glass with a specialized blue coating enhances both function and durability. These bulbs have been designed to help improve driver safety and reaction time. They produce a brighter, whiter light, which allows drivers to see more contrast in objects ahead for better down-road and side-road visibility.

The new bulbs are offered in a special kit that provides drivers with everything needed to get the job done right. The kit includes a pair of bulbs, gloves to keep the bulbs clean and dielectric grease to ensure an ideal connection. HELLA High Performance 2.0 Headlamp Bulbs come with HELLA's one year warranty and are available for a wide range of vehicles, everything from a 1985 Volkswagen Jetta, to a 2004 Chevy Silverado, to a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. Along with the new HELLA High Performance 2.0 Bulbs, you can also find HELLA Optilux Bulbs (for off-road use only), Standard Bulbs, Long Life Bulbs, Heavy Duty Bulbs and High Wattage Bulbs in the “Electrical-Bulb & Socket” category in the RockAuto catalog.

HELLA High Performance 2.0 Bulbs

HELLA is offering a 10% off Instant Rebate exclusively to RockAuto customers!

Get an INSTANT shopping cart rebate with purchase of HELLA High Performance 2.0 Headlamp Bulbs. Purchase these bulbs between May 19 and May 31, 2016 and receive an INSTANT 10% off your bulb purchase.

 

Forum of the Month

ChevyMalibuForum.com

ChevyMalibuForum.com features topics on DIY maintenance, performance and appearance modifications, and even buying and leasing tips. All modern generations of the Malibu (fifth generation (1997) through the current ninth generation) are covered. There are also "Malibu Ride Showoff" sections where you can show off your Malibu.

Registration is free, fast and simple.



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.

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

Ouch!

This should go down in history as my dumbest mistake when working on a car...

I have been working on cars for 20 years, rebuilding engines, completing motor swaps, and just generally doing what I thought was "good work." I recently completed a project where I swapped a 1990 Toyota Supra Turbo engine into a 1977 Toyota Celica. In the process, I rebuilt the engine with many RockAuto parts, fabricated new parts for the swap, and spent lots of time sanding, painting, and polishing everything I could get my hands on.

The great day finally came when I got to try cranking it over for the first time. It cranked and cranked but would only start if I held the gas down about half way. Once it started running, it was VERY shaky. I assumed I had missed a tooth when installing the timing belt, or had a leaky injector flooding the engine, or my crank position sensor was bad.

I was prepared to throw in the towel after trying everything I could think of. Then one night while I was lying in bed, I thought to myself, "Did you hook up the spark plug wires in the correct order?"

Problem solved... Auto Mechanics 101 talks about the correct firing order, yet somehow I overlooked that during the excitement of the rest of the project!

Aaron in Alberta, Canada



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

Automotive Trivia

Before fuel injection became common, cars had "downdraft" carburetors. Is there such a thing as an "updraft" carburetor?

A. Yes. An updraft carburetor is one located below the intake manifold. Engine vacuum pulls fuel upwards. One advantage is less chance of flooding. Excess fuel can fall back into the carburetor instead of into the intake manifold.

B. No. The first carburetor designs in the 1800s drew air across a pool of gasoline. "Downdraft" applies to all other carburetor designs that dispense liquid fuel rather than only fuel vapor.

Answer below

Choose the Brands You Prefer

RockAuto

It is reasonable to assume that counter people at chain auto parts stores usually do not give customers a choice of part brands because the store only has room for one choice. Every year brings new car models and parts, but the stores' shelves are not getting any bigger. Feel lucky if the part is in the store at all.

Stores have limited space, but why is a choice of brands rarely offered even when the part needs to be brought in from the chain's warehouse? Maybe only one manufacturer makes the part. Maybe the counterman is choosing the brand he personally has had good luck with. Maybe he is picking the brand with the lowest price. Maybe he is picking the first brand he sees because he needs to keep the line of waiting customers moving. There are lots of guesses about what might be running through someone else's head. One thing you might not guess is that the counterman could be getting money, earning points towards a free jacket or getting some other incentive when he sells a specific brand.

We are all familiar with manufacturer rebates for customers. Visit the Current Promotions & Manufacturer Rebates page to see incentives that part manufacturers are offering RockAuto customers. Rebates let customers save even more money on RockAuto's reliably low prices. Manufacturer rebates for customers are good for customers. Now let's talk more about "rebates" that go to sales people rather than customers.

Some manufacturers offer counter people incentives to sell their brand rather than other brands the store carries or could carry. These incentives are structured very much like the rebates for consumers, but the reward goes to the sales people. For example, XYZ Company runs a promotion for counter people. A counterman sells sets of XYZ brand brake pads. Before the promotion ends, documentation verifying the sales and a rebate form are sent to XYZ Company to collect cash, clothing or some other reward for the counterman.

Chain store customers need to guess if the part on the counter is the best part, the only part available or the part that will get the counter person a $10 prepaid cash card. RockAuto customers do not need to guess about what is going on behind a parts counter or what parts they might be missing out on. We always give you access to our complete inventory of parts, and we want you to choose the brands you prefer, not the brand that could get us a new hat or colorful beach towel.

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 1973 AMC Gremlin

This my 1973 AMC Gremlin X Levi's Edition. I have owned 15 cars, including six AMCs, but this is one of my favorites! It has the original Levi's denim interior (complete with metal buttons and red tags), 258 straight 6 cylinder engine, automatic transmission, power steering and Weather Eye air conditioning. The brakes are still manual drums, but it's light enough to still stop well. It has been repainted its original shade of Maxi Blue, with correct one year only stripes and decals, and wears original 14x6 eight slot wheels.

It is a California car that has finally made its way to me in Kentucky, passing through the hands of previous owners in Illinois and Indiana. I've had the car since last year and have performed a lot of neglected maintenance and a few small repairs and upgrades. I just completed a full tune-up with a cap, rotor, points and Champion plugs from RockAuto. It now runs like new. Thanks for supplying quality parts quickly and fairly priced! That's sometimes a rarity when working on not so common cars like a Gremlin!

Josh in Kentucky



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 email flamur@rockauto.com with your vehicle's history, interesting details, your favorite images (tips for taking pictures of your car) 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 email to marketing@rockauto.com with information about your show.

Automotive Trivia Answer

Automotive Trivia

Before fuel injection became common, cars had "downdraft" carburetors. Is there such a thing as an "updraft" carburetor?

Answer: A. Yes. An updraft carburetor is one located below the intake manifold. Engine vacuum pulls fuel upwards. One advantage is less chance of flooding. Excess fuel can fall back into the carburetor instead of into the intake manifold.

B. No. The first carburetor designs in the 1800s drew air across a pool of gasoline. "Downdraft" applies to all other carburetor designs that dispense liquid fuel rather than only fuel vapor.

Back up to trivia question