All of us here at RockAuto would like to wish you Happy Holidays and a New Year filled with health and happiness! Thank you for being our customer and letting us serve as your auto parts supplier!

Last Minute Gift Solution!
Need a Christmas gift in a hurry? RockAuto Email Gift Certificate delivery is immediate and free. Simply choose the Email format and your friends and family will conveniently receive the E-Gift in their inbox. RockAuto Gift Certificates are available for any amount, are easy to purchase and even easier to use!

Resolve to improve your vehicle's braking in the New Year. From now through December 31, 2020, Power Stop is offering RockAuto customers 10% off on two of their popular Rotor & Brake Pad Kits. Simply put a featured (watch for the ) Power Stop kit in your cart to instantly save 10% off RockAuto's already reliably low prices.

Evolution Geomet Coated  - If you want to prevent rust related braking problems ("warped" rotors, decreased braking performance, noise...) and maintain nice through-wheel brake appearance, the Evolution Geomet Coated Rotor & Brake Pad Kits by Power Stop are a cost-effective solution! Brake rotors are fully coated to prevent corrosion. Power Stop’s Clean Ride Ceramic brake pads provide both stopping power and significantly reduced brake dust. Kits also include the correct high temperature brake lubricant.

Z36 Truck & Tow  - Power Stop’s Z36 Truck & Tow Rotor & Brake Pad Kits are specifically designed for trucks and SUVs used for towing and hauling, or modified trucks with lifted suspension and/or larger wheel upgrades. Each kit includes drilled and slotted performance rotors that run cooler and prevent gas/debris buildup. Reinforced Carbon-Fiber Ceramic brake pads provide severe-duty stopping power without sacrificing everyday drivability.

All Power Stop brake parts are precision made to match strict OE tolerances, ensuring trouble-free installation. To see the Power Stop Rotor & Brake Pad Kits we have for your specific vehicle, go to the RockAuto catalog and click on the "Brake & Wheel Hub" category.

TriFive.com is an online community dedicated to 1955, 1956 and 1957 Chevy owners and enthusiasts. Join the discussion about restoration, engine swaps, reviews, performance, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance and more! Open to all models including Bel Air, 210, 150, Sedans and Nomads.

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.

It was the late '50s when I got my driver's license and my dad would occasionally let me drive his red and white Studebaker station wagon. It soon became apparent that I would have to find a job to pay for gas, but luckily my dad's WWII friend, Jerry, owned a service station and hired me.

Jerry started me pumping gas and showed me how to check the oil and wash windshields ("service" stations used to do that). Then I moved to doing oil changes in his one-bay garage, but I also watched Jerry do other repairs like rebuilding carburetors, generators, replacing mufflers and repacking wheel bearings.

One day when things were slow and Jerry was not around, for no apparent reason I decided to try my hand repacking the wheel bearings on dad's Studebaker. With a big smile I was pleased that I was able to do it and all seemed well.

A few days later, my dad was late getting home after work, and we were all worried. He was not in a good mood when he finally arrived home. Apparently I had not yet learned that some wheel bearings had to be properly "pre-loaded." So on the way home from work, one of the wheel bearings I repacked overheated, failed and left him stranded on the side of the road. He never told me how he got out of that mess, but my days of wrenching on dad's Studebaker came to a screeching halt.

Steve in Virginia

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 RockAuto 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!

Are you tired of putting money into your '85 Chevy K10 pickup? What is the starting price for that newfangled electric Hummer EV Edition 1 pickup?

A. $73,910
B. $112,595
C. $179,390

Answer below

My first car, a '77 Dodge Monaco, came to me with primitive Stop/Start capability. The engine frequently stalled at stoplights. Too many stalls led to a dead battery. I had to remember to shift into neutral or park before attempting to restart the engine. If I was too quick to turn the ignition key, then the starter's gear crashed noisily into the moving flywheel. The engine was easily flooded if I was too aggressive pushing the gas pedal. It was obvious to my passengers and other drivers when the car's engine stopped.

I was happy to lose that Stop/Start "feature" after installing a new carburetor and figuring out how to adjust the choke and idle speed. I understand how difficult it must be to design today's Stop/Start fuel-conserving systems so they seamlessly control all those pieces that I frantically attempted to juggle manually as a 16-year-old driver.

Jeep Wrangler's Owners Manual

The acronyms and designs car manufacturers use for their Stop/Start systems vary considerably; sometimes varying for different engines installed in the same model. It is important for vehicle owners to read the Stop/Start sections of their owners manuals; the thick owners manual, not the condensed version. The Jeep Wrangler's "User Guide" just says Stop/Start vehicles have been "upgraded" with an "enhanced battery." "Enhanced" actually means a second 12V battery is wired in parallel with the primary battery. The Wrangler's Owners Manual has more details: "Your vehicle may be equipped with a secondary battery used to power the Stop/Start system and the 12 volt vehicle electrical system... WARNING! Serious injury or death could result if you do not disconnect both batteries..."

Even more likely than "serious injury or death," is accidental damage to an electrical component and/or blown fuses when someone thinks they have powered down the car by disconnecting the primary 12V battery, but they don't know the car is still getting power from a smaller auxiliary 12V battery hidden under the primary battery (2018 Jeep Wrangler 3.6L) or stashed in the trunk (2014 Chevy Malibu 2.5L). Someone might also repeatedly charge or replace the primary battery because they keep seeing battery trouble codes, but the trouble codes are actually coming from a dead auxiliary battery.

Not every Stop/Start system has a second 12V battery, but many models built by BMW, Chevrolet, Dodge, Jeep, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, etc. do. Replacement auxiliary batteries are listed alongside the primary batteries for these vehicles under "Electrical" in the RockAuto.com catalog. It is always good to use a voltmeter to confirm a modern vehicle is powered down after the battery or batteries have been disconnected. Stop/Start vehicles without auxiliary batteries may instead have large capacitors which retain voltage and must be allowed to discharge and/or be disconnected.

Stop/Start systems all share some fundamental design objectives: protect the people, protect the car and don't be annoying. To accomplish those goals, Stop/Start systems typically defer to most other systems on the vehicle and turn themselves off without hesitation. The system may be deactivated and/or the engine restarted if anything (engine, transmission, vehicle interior...) is too hot or cold, the front wheels are turned too far, something is plugged into the trailer hitch wiring, battery voltage is too low, the vehicle is on a steep slope and so on. A Stop/Start system which seems to not be working or even has illuminated its warning light may cure itself after some other system's data has returned to its normal range. A persistent Stop/Start warning light could very well mean a sensor or other part in a seemingly unrelated system is not working properly (steering wheel angle sensor, door switch, climate control module, etc.)

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

This is a 1996 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer 5.8L I purchased a few years back with intentions of restoring it to like new condition. I had a Bronco similar to this one back in my younger years. I made lots of memories in that old Bronco and plan on having more good times with my family and friends in this one.

Doing all the work myself, I was only able to work on the restoration on the weekends, until Covid-19 hit in the spring. Then, with more idle time during the lock down, I got busy with the rebuild. It was great to just go online and get "ALL THE PARTS MY BRONCO WILL EVER NEED" without having to drive to the parts store.

RockAuto was instrumental in providing reliable parts for the re-build, at the lowest prices anywhere. The "Rock" supplied parts for the fuel system, engine rebuild, distributor, wires, plugs, coolant hoses, belts, emissions, A/C, sensors, lights, LED bulbs, weatherstrips, window motors, mirrors, shocks, brakes, ball joints, carpet and even custom "BRONCO" logo floor mats.

RockAuto’s customer service, fast shipping, and prices were beyond compare.

Thanks!
JB in Mississippi

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, RockAuto social media or other commercial use. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! Please email flamur@RockAuto.com with the vehicle history, interesting details, your favorite images (tips for taking pictures of your car) and what parts from RockAuto you have used.

Are you tired of putting money into your '85 Chevy K10 pickup? What is the starting price for that newfangled electric Hummer EV Edition 1 pickup?

A. $73,910
Answer: B. $112,595 (Or, you could use that money to buy about fifty long-block 350cid motors for your old Chevy pickup from RockAuto.com, which would help ensure you and your descendants will have transportation and the ability to haul stuff until roughly the year 3020.)
C. $179,390

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