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Found your site
doing a Google search for the part
I needed. My local auto parts store
had the part for $20.99 each. I
was able to find it at RockAuto
for $10.23.
I'm adding your
site to my favorites list and will
be back again.
Thanks!
Jeff in Iowa
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10th
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Rebates, Rebates, Rebates! |
RockAuto Customer
Wins Grand Prize in Raybestos Promotion! |
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Marc
in Toledo won the Raybestos® Back
To School Promotion & Sweepstakes
after purchasing Raybestos brake
parts from RockAuto. Marc wrote: “...filling
out the promotional card was fast
and easy and as a reward they sent
me a $1400 (Dell) laptop. Thank
you RockAuto!”
Congratulations
Marc! Thanks Raybestos! Participate
in the latest manufacturer offers
by clicking the Promotions & Rebates
button on the RockAuto home page
or go directly to http://www.rockauto.com/lang/en/promo.html.
Sign up for the RSS feed and
receive automatic updates.
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Forum of the Month |
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Ford Forums is a
one-stop message board for anything
and everything Ford. We have some
of the most helpful staff members.
Our community is growing on a daily
basis. Knowledgeable members always
want to offer the best advice for
those seeking it. We want to make
sure each user has the best possible
experience on our forum. There are
no bad questions when it comes to
your Ford.
Visit our forum today and join one
of the best Ford communities online!
We welcome everyone with open arms.
Signing up for our forum is quick
and easy. So what are you waiting
for? Visit www.ford-forums.com today
and join our community!
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 jessa@rockauto.com. |
Repair Mistakes & Blunders |
|
I
was finishing up replacing the intake
manifold gasket on my 2000 Pontiac
Montana. It was getting really late,
so I decided to get up early the
next morning before work to finish
the job.
Out in the garage
at 6:30 AM, I was reaching back behind
the engine to put in a bolt that
holds the plenum. The bolt was about
1-1/2" long. I felt around (you
can't see anything on the back side
of a minivan engine), put the bolt
in the hole, and tightened it down
to the correct torque.
A few minutes later,
I was installing the coil pack on
the back of the plenum when I realized
that the bolt I installed earlier
was in a hole meant for the coil
pack. I removed the bolt, put it
in the correct hole in the plenum,
tightened it down and went about
my business putting everything back
together.
When I started
the van, it ran perfectly...for about
ten seconds...then, "BANG...BANG...BANG".
The worst noise I had ever heard.
The engine shook violently with every
bang. I couldn't figure out what
could possibly have gone wrong, so
I had the van towed to a local repair
shop. The mechanic tore into the
engine and found a wad of aluminum
about the size of a piece of chewing
gum in cylinder # 4. When I had put
the 1-1/2" bolt in the wrong
hole, it bottomed out in the plenum
(I swear I never felt it) and broke
off a chunk of aluminum that got
sucked into the cylinder, gouging
up the walls, and bending a whole
bunch of expensive stuff in the process.
Rather than rebuild the old engine,
we opted for a nice remanufactured
one. The mechanic assured me it could
happen to anybody, but my wife doesn't
agree. From now on, she questions
the wisdom of me doing anything more
complicated than adding wiper fluid.
Make sure you put the right bolt
in the right hole!
Guy in Ohio
Tell us about
your most infamous auto repair
blunder. Use your woe to help others
avoid similar mistakes. 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. 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!
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I Wish I Knew Then
What I Know Now! |
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Repair
manuals from the factory, Chilton,
and Haynes are
invaluable for most repairs. Use
their instructions and photos for
diagnosis, removal, and installation.
The problem is that
those manuals are researched and
written when the cars are new. Some
parts like shocks, heater cores,
valve cover gaskets, alternators,
brake pads, etc. always eventually
need replacement and so they get
thorough coverage in the manuals.
Unfortunately, there
are many model year specific problems
that crop up five, ten or twenty
years down the road. The repair manual
authors have no way of predicting
those problems and the manuals would
be a foot thick if they covered every
possibility. The thermostat housing
on most cars lasts the life of the
vehicle, but on the Ford Focus it
often fails in just a few years.
Most car owners never need to think
much about their exhaust manifolds,
but exhaust manifolds are a problem
for owners of certain Honda Civic
model years.
I used to put handwritten
notes in my repair manual after finishing
a repair with that, “I wish
I knew then what I know now” feeling.
Now I make notes in the RockAuto
Part Advice Wiki. Most often
replaced parts like that Focus thermostat
housing are highlighted in the RockAuto.com
catalog and every part listing has
a Wiki page (look for the )
where people can save their repair
notes. Tips on the tools used are
especially helpful when the service
manual only says something like “use
GM Tool A123”. Next time I
do the repair, I just click on the in
the RockAuto
catalog to see my notes and tips
from others.
Here are some examples
of the repair notes stored in wiki.rockauto.com.
1958 CADILLAC 365cid
Oil Pan Gasket: …the pan IS
removable with the engine in the
car. The idler arm has to be unbolted
from the frame (two bolts...machine
thread, be careful…
1996 GMC YUKON 5.7L
Intake Manifold Gasket: …when
everything is done, be prepared for
your "Check Engine" light
to be lit...if you have a scanner,
it will show up as a cam sensor alignment
error, but it is the distributor
that is off, not the sensor...
1989 Dodge B350
5.2L Rocker Arm: …the important
thing to remember is roller cam engines
will have a 6.75" (or so) push
rod. 1989 is hollow, the rockers
are oiled through them, and the 1988
is NOT, but they are still 6.75" long.
The flat tappet push rods are 7.5" long
and are solid…
2000 Ford F-250
7.3 L Diesel Ball Joint: …I
made a install tool for the axle
shaft seal by taking a 1 1/4 pipe
flange and grinding it down…
1998 Subaru Legacy
Outback 2.5L Strut Assembly: …put
the top gasket in place, try to line
up the end of the spring with the
end…
Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com
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Andrew's
Lotus 7 |
|
I
am a college student at Georgia Tech
and have spent the last 21 months
building a Lotus 7 replica out of
an '84 Toyota Celica. Everything
on the car has been designed and
hand fabricated by me, from the frame,
to the suspension, to the bodywork.
The 2.4L 22RE engine, drivetrain,
and many smaller parts (such as the
headlight buckets and gauge cluster)
came out of the Celica. I received
the Celica in barely running condition
and have used many RockAuto parts
(Brake Master Cylinder, Brake Pads,
Brake Caliper Repair Kits, Clutch
Master Cylinder, Clutch Alignment
Tool, Engine Rear Main Seal, Speedometer
Cable, Sealed Headlights, PCV Valve,Timing
Chain Kit, and Throttle Body Gasket)
to fix and upgrade it.
I have found
it to be much more
pleasant and cheaper to order parts
from RockAuto than to go to local
parts store. It usually takes a couple
of trips to one of those stores before
the counter person can select the
right part AND manage to get the
correct part off the shelf, and that
is IF they have anything in stock.
I really love RockAuto. The prices
are great, the service is great,
and the website and newsletter is
great (I look forward to reading
the "blunders" section
the most).
Andrew
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Share Your
Hard Work
Do you purchase
parts from RockAuto? If so, RockAuto
would like to feature you and your
car or truck in our monthly newsletter.
Please email flamur@rockauto.com with
details.
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LLC - Madison, Wisconsin USA. RockAuto
name and logo 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.
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