Bosch is offering RockAuto customers an exclusive instant 15% rebate off their Workshop and HEPA Cabin Air Filters throughout May 2023.

Bosch Workshop filters -- offered in either particulate or charcoal lined (Carbon) media -- are designed to offer an 80% (3 microns) efficiency rate in capturing dirt, dust and other environmental contaminants from entering the heating and air vents of your vehicle. Bosch HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) Filters keep you and your passengers protected from 99.97% (3 microns) of air pollutants including mold, dust, allergens and harmful bacteria, making drives more comfortable with cleaner air inside the vehicle.

HEPA Cabin Air Filters are comprised of three layers that provide outstanding filtering efficiency for the cleanest air possible:

• Support Layer – A hard layer designed to support and protect the media on the surface of the filter
• HEPA Layer – Designed to trap microscopic pollutants, including pollen, mold and common allergens
• Cotton Layer – Included to improve the particle-holding capacity as well as prolonging the life of the filter

Replacing the Cabin Air Filter is easy DIY maintenance that can have a major impact on the health/comfort of both you and your vehicle's Heat & Air Conditioning system. Find Bosch filters for your specific car or truck in the "Heat & Air Conditioning" category of the RockAuto.com catalog. Watch for the yellow "Promotion/Rebate" for instant savings off of RockAuto's reliably low prices!

AISIN is offering RockAuto customers exclusive instant rebates on Timing Kits & Window Regulators throughout May 2023.

Save $10 on Timing Belt, Water Pump & Component Kits
AISIN Timing Belt, Water Pump & Component Kits Feature:

• Efficient rotors, ball bearings, and carbon ceramic mechanical sealing ensure optimum cooling performance and longevity.
• Mitsuboshi Timing Belts (used in most AISIN kits) utilize high heat resistant HNBR rubber to ensure long life, increased strength and smooth engagement
• Koyo, NTN and NSK bearings utilize innovative materials and precision engineering for increased bearing life and improved performance

Save 15% on Window Regulators & Assemblies
AISIN Window Regulators Feature:

• Strict quality control to ensure the perfect fit
• Re-engineered processes to improve OE designs
• Various environmental testing conditions simulated to ensure form, fit and function

Find Timing Belts under "Engine" and Water Pumps under "Cooling System" for your specific vehicle in the RockAuto.com catalog. See the Window Regulators under the "Interior" category. Then simply add qualifying parts (watch for the ) to your cart to instantly save!

Replacing rusted exhaust system parts was something I had to do frequently when our family was young. We drove older cars and our Wisconsin roads were well salted in winter. Exhaust components had a very short life expectancy.

The exhaust system replacement on my big '79 Olds 98 Regency went as well as any of the others. As usual, I had to work on my back in my garage with no room to spare. A short test drive confirmed all was right with the new exhaust parts on the Olds. The slight odor of the labels and coatings burning off the new pipes was a confirmation of their newness.

My first round trip to work in the Olds with the new pipes was quiet, but the smell of something burning was much stronger than usual. Everything under the car looked okay. On my second round trip to work, the smell diminished but a rattle developed. The exhaust system rattled with every little bump in the road. I had to crawl under the car again and bang around to finally figure out that the rattle was coming from something loose inside one of the pipes. I did some disassembly and found a scorched metal bar.

I suddenly remembered that my toddler son "helped" me with the original assembly. He apparently shoved a large, beautiful new Craftsman screwdriver from my set into the new pipe assembly while it was laid out on the floor. I dragged the new pipe assembly sideways under the car and lifted it into place without ever noticing my son's contribution to the effort. The screwdriver laid quietly in the pipe until its plastic handle, source of the aroma, was completely melted away.

Jim in Wisconsin

Picture a hapless June Bug fluttering across a road when the left outside mirror on a RAM 2500 pickup hits it. The bug is pulverized, but surprisingly, the massive pickup truck suffers too. The check engine light comes on, and the air conditioner stops working. The bug happened to hit the Ambient Air Temperature Sensor, one of the sensors used to control the truck's heat and air conditioning system.

Ambient Air Temperature Sensor (measures outside temperature): On most vehicles, this sensor is behind the grille or front bumper cover. On some RAM pickups, the sensor is in the drivers side mirror. If the sensor is damaged then the outside air temperature readout on the dash or rearview mirror may suddenly display numbers that are impossibly cold (or hot). The air conditioning may turn off because the computer now thinks it is too cold outside to safely run the AC compressor. The check engine light may come on because the extremely cold (or hot) ambient air temperature is incompatible with signals from other temperature sensors (engine air intake temperature, engine coolant temperature...).

Bug guts or mud may just block rather than damage the sensor. The vehicle owner might also inadvertently block airflow to the sensor by installing something like a license plate or fog lights in front of it. A RAM truck owner might accidentally completely remove the sensor by replacing the truck's sensor-equipped outside mirror with a sensor-less mirror made for a different option package (towing mirrors, unheated mirrors...).

RAM 2500 Outside Mirror & Glass Assembly and Ambient Air Temperature Sensor

Cabin Air Temperature Sensor (measures interior temperature): These sensors are typically tucked under the dash, but may be attached to the plastic cladding on the steering column or mounted somewhere in the ductwork. If the interior climate control system does not maintain the correct temperature or is always running the heat or AC at full blast, then a cabin air temperature sensor may be dirty or worn out.

Humidity Sensor (measures interior humidity): Many newer vehicles also have a humidity sensor. It is typically installed on the windshield at the base of the rearview mirror. When the humidity sensor fails, the climate control system often will default to erroneously thinking that the humidity is extremely high and the windshield must be fogging up. The computer may disable the recirculate-air button on the heat/AC control panel so that drier outside air is brought in.

Find these sensors under "Heat & Air Conditioning" in the RockAuto.com online catalog. Outside mirrors, including any with built-in ambient air temperature sensors, are found under "Body & Lamp Assembly."

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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