Practical and Useful Gift Idea:
Give a gift that your family and friends will appreciate year-round! Floor Mats and Cargo Area Mats will help keep a vehicle's interior looking like new. For serious protection against winter grime and spills, choose Aries Style Guard, Outland Deep Tread, Wade Sure Fit or Westin Profile rubber Floor Mats. Precise laser measured fit, breathable layers, raised edges, factory retainer hook connections, and shape retention under heavy loads/extreme temperatures are just some of the features built into mats RockAuto carries that ensure they fit, last, protect and make interiors look polished.

For an exact match to a vehicle's carpet, choose die cut ACC carpet floor mats, available in a wide variety of OE yarns and colors with the option to add logos (Buick shield, Charger R/T, 4X4...) available for some models.

Through February 28, 2018, take advantage of Westin's Winter Rebate which includes Profile Floor Mats (up to $15 back!). Find the Floor Mats and Cargo Area Mats we have for specific vehicles in the "Interior" category of the RockAuto catalog.

Gift Idea (or X-Large Stocking Stuffer) for Less Than $10:
Need gifts for clients or coworkers that are useful and make a good impression? SolarGuard Windshield Covers are effective, premium quality and Wholesaler Closeout priced at less than $4! SolarGuards are individually boxed; even the packaging is classy!

Find your SolarGuard Reflective Sunshade Windshield Cover under Window in the "Accessories" category of the "Tools & Universal Parts" tab or simply click here.

Let Them Choose the Part, Repair Manual or Tool They Need Most:
Make your gift giving easy this year with a RockAuto Gift Certificate! A Gift Certificate will let the recipient get the parts or tools he/she most needs! They are available for any amount, are easy to purchase and even easier to use!

Purchase combinations of two or four qualifying Monroe or Rancho ride control products and get up to an $80 Visa Prepaid Card from Monroe through January 31, 2018. While shopping, watch for the yellow star and "Rebate/Promotion Available!" link next to the part names to help you save even more on RockAuto’s reliably low prices!

See Monroe and Rancho rebate details and learn about other current manufacturer rebates on RockAuto’s Promotions & Rebates page.

Hotrodders.com is a website for enthusiasts of hot rods, street rods, muscle cars and custom cars. With over 100,000 members, and over 1.3 million posts, the Hotrodders.com forum is one of the largest and most active websites in the online hot rodding community. Members can ask and respond to hot rodding questions of all types. The members include a vast assortment of mechanics, body techs, metal shapers, drag racers, engineers and hot rodders from all over the world.

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 megant@rockauto.com

Last year I had a teaching moment with my 16-year-old son and his '99 Chevy Blazer. The water pump failed so I showed him how to research and order a replacement water pump, radiator hoses and clamps from RockAuto. The parts arrived, and we set about the task of removing the fan, water pump and radiator hoses. We worked with the radiator in-place, and although a little more challenging, we were able to get the fan and pump removed without disturbing the radiator. I showed him how to carefully compare the new part to the original and ensure the installation would proceed with no surprises. We scraped the old gasket surface, installed the new gasket and pump.

I showed him how to tighten the bolts by "feel" and how to tell when they were tight enough and to not overly tighten and strip the threads. I left him to tighten the water pump bolts and went about working on the radiator upper and lower hose replacements. With the fan and viscous clutch re-attached and everything checked, we added fluids and started the engine. The pump immediately started gushing fluids! On closer inspection, we discovered that the water pump bolts were only snugged-up and not tight. The next lesson involved the proper use of a torque wrench! A lesson I am sure that he will remember after having to do the water pump job TWICE!

Marshall in Florida

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!

The high performance DOHC V6 engine in the '89 to '95 Ford Taurus SHO was made by which manufacturer?

A. Mazda
B. Volvo
C. Yamaha

Answer below

Skydivingdutch at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Last weekend, my spouse commented that she was forced to unlock the passenger door of her '93 Ford Tempo because it was too hard to turn the key in the driver's door lock. The problem door unlocked OK with the power locks, and I was sure I must have replaced all four of the Tempo's Door Lock Actuators over the years. I sprayed lubricant in the keyhole, unsuccessfully tried another key, and then started removing the door panel expecting to find some unusual problem with the door lock linkage.

I was surprised to discover that the water barrier plastic under the door panel was still pristinely attached with the original factory adhesive. I opened my RockAuto customer account (upper right corner of RockAuto.com) and quickly confirmed that I had only ordered and replaced two of the Tempo's Door Lock Actuators, one in 2010 and another in 2016. Sure enough, the driver's door still had its original Door Lock Actuator. Its heavily worn threaded shaft was resisting the turning of the key.

I was 50% wrong when I was certain that I had already replaced all the Door Lock Actuators (found under "Body" in the RockAuto.com catalog)! The years roll by and my family's fleet includes many '80s and '90s Ford vehicles with the same style Door Lock Actuators. Time and time again, I have found my account to be a great way to keep track of repairs I have made or not made to my cars. Creating a RockAuto account is an option available to all customers (once again, upper right corner of RockAuto.com).

What really amazed me was that I had also not yet replaced the Power Window Motor Gear in the Tempo's driver's door. Age and use takes a toll on the plastic pieces in the Ford window gears and the driver's window gets used most often. A check of my RockAuto account showed I have replaced many Ford Power Window Motor Gears (found under "Interior"), but only two of those went into the Tempo. I should go ahead and replace the gear as preventative maintenance, or I can just wait until my spouse eventually "comments" that her driver's window has stopped moving...

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

I started working on this 1978 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser in June of 2016. Every nut, bolt, screw, etc. was removed down to the bare frame. These trucks are known to rust and this one was no exception. The frame was so compromised that a donor parts truck was acquired to supply a replacement. Piece by piece everything was cleaned, painted and reassembled. The chassis and drivetrain were completed over the winter. RockAuto supplied new brake, clutch and engine components. I was impressed/pleased that so many parts were available for a 40-year-old vehicle from your website!

Warmer months brought on the challenges of body work and painting. All mechanical and cosmetic aspects were completed by myself except for a few specialty items (upholstery, carburetor work, wiring harness, etc.). The first official road trip took place in August 2017, quite a rewarding experience after so many months in the workshop.

A big Thank You again to RockAuto for quality parts (many the same as OEM) at great prices. Shopping on the website was easy and I will be sure to stop back for my next project!

Thanks Again!
Dave in Ohio

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.

The high performance DOHC V6 engine in the '89 to '95 Ford Taurus SHO was made by which manufacturer?

A. Mazda
B. Volvo
Answer C. Yamaha

Back up to trivia question

Skydivingdutch at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons