We are excited to announce that RockAuto now carries brake kits from Raybestos. Raybestos has been a leader in the replacement brake industry for over a century. They are committed to manufacturing high-quality products that offer unparalleled performance and safety, and their new Rotor & Brake Pad Kits are no exception. Brake pads and rotors are optimally matched. With two performance levels to choose from, you will find a Raybestos brake kit that fits your driving style, provides the stopping power you need and is best suited for the road/environmental conditions in your area.

R-Line brake kits by Raybestos deliver a dependable and reliable braking system focused on the everyday driver. Each kit contains a set of semi-metallic or ceramic brake pads to match what was originally on the vehicle. The rotors included in each R-Line kit feature a non-directional ground finish that minimizes thickness variation and helps increase pad life. The R-Line kits are perfect for drivers looking for a dependable, economic, original equipment (OE) level brake solution.

Raybestos Element3 brake kits provide increased rust and corrosion protection. The rotors included in each Element3 kit are fully covered (including the cooling vanes) with a Grey Fusion 4.0™ coating that helps resist corrosion and significantly delays rust-induced performance issues. These coated rotors are paired with a set of Enhanced Hybrid Technology brake pads that offer improved pad wear and durability. If you live in a region that uses snow and ice melt chemicals or a region that has a high level of humidity in the air, consider an Element3 brake kit to delay rust related performance problems and keep your brakes and rotors looking like new through the spokes of your wheels.

You can find Rotor & Brake Pad Kits for your specific vehicles in the "Brake & Wheel Hub" category of the RockAuto catalog.

R-Line and Element3 Brake Kits for a Chevrolet Silverado

RockAuto provides the most durable and affordable differential rebuild parts available through USA Standard Gear. Find the complete solution for SUVs, light-duty trucks and passenger cars from today back to 1949. Offering a complete selection of ring & pinion sets, master install kits, bearing kits, drive shafts, positractions and spider gears, RockAuto has what you need in stock, all at reliably low prices. USA Standard Gear is the right choice for installers who need straightforward installation, quality, durability and minimal comebacks.

USA Standard Gear is offering RockAuto customers an exclusive rebate through May 10, 2019. The rebate covers USA’s line of Positraction Differentials, Spartan Lockers, Ring & Pinion Sets, Differential Bearing Installation Kits, front and rear Axle Shafts, Drive Shafts and Spider Gear Kits. Find the complete selection under the “Drivetrain” category for your specific vehicle.

See USA Standard Gear rebate details and learn about other current manufacturer rebates on RockAuto’s Promotions and Rebates page. While shopping, watch for the yellow "Promotion/Rebate" next to the part names to help you save even more on RockAuto’s reliably low prices!

GM B-Body Forum.com is a forum with a focus on 1977-1979 Chevrolet Impalas and Caprices, but owners and enthusiasts of all General Motors B-Bodies from 1965-1996 will find valuable information here.

From general knowledge on GM's prolific full-size rear wheel drive platform, to more specific advice on projects and "how-tos," chances are if you have a question about a GM B-Body, you can find the answer in this forum.

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.

Back when I was 17 years old, I changed the starter on my '75 VW Beetle. I chocked the front wheels with pieces of 2x4, disconnected the battery before jacking up the rear wheels and placed jack stands under the rear torsion bar tube. The only deviation from my standard safety procedure was putting the Beetle's transmission into neutral. Seeing that it was rear wheel drive I figured it would not be a big deal since the rear end was in the air. And being in a hurry, I just left the wheels on since their removal was not necessary to access the starter.

Now, living on a small farm there were always outdoor pets roaming around. It just so happened that at the same time I touched the solenoid wire to remove it, Rocky the barn cat jumped up on the rear tire thus making it turn since it was not in gear. In a hectic split second, I was out from under the car thinking I had forgotten to undo the battery and that the car was starting with me underneath it! The cat’s timing to jump on the tire could not have been any worse! Both the cat and I simultaneously bolted out of the barn! I guess even when we follow safety measures performing car repairs, things happen that make you second guess if you might have forgotten something important to disconnect. And even if you think it is safe to perch on a tire to hunt mice, there is risk there as well!

Ben in Ohio

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 battery pack on one version of the Tesla Model S contains how many pounds of lithium compounds?

A. 140 lbs (64 kg)
B. 290 lbs (132 kg)
C. 510 lbs (231 kg)

Answer below

Electronic suspensions are available on more models every year. You used to have to buy the Lincoln to get an electronic suspension, now you can get it on the Ford. With computers already controlling antilock braking (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC or ESP) systems, why not extend computer control to the shocks/struts as well. Computers pressurize air shocks, activate electromagnets to thicken the mixture of oil/iron particles in magnetic shocks or switch solenoids that open/close valves to control oil flow inside more traditional shocks.

Conventional OE shocks/struts should typically be replaced at 50,000 miles (80,000 km). It is sometimes difficult for owners to notice as their vehicles' shocks/struts gradually deteriorate over time. About ten years ago, I became a firm believer in the 50,000 mile replacement interval when Monroe provided an opportunity to drive identical cars and SUVs, one equipped with OE shocks/struts with 50,000 miles on them and another equipped with new replacement shocks /struts. The vehicles equipped with the new shocks/struts had markedly better handling, ride and braking. Not only do new shocks/struts make vehicles safer and more enjoyable to drive, but they also can reduce wear and tear on other suspension and steering parts.

Typical Electronic Shocks and Conversion Kits

The shocks/struts used in electronic suspensions may share the same or similar seals, mounts and other parts with conventional shocks/struts and may be equally likely to be worn out by 50,000 miles. It can sometimes be more obvious that electronic suspension shocks/struts need to be replaced. A computer might generate an OBDII trouble code or an air compressor might be running continuously as it tries to pressurize a leaky air shock. The dash switch the driver uses to bias the suspension for city streets or the racetrack may have no effect. Sometimes the car may start riding and handling skittishly as a befuddled computer fruitlessly tries to pressurize a failed shock/strut and inadvertently adjusts the still functioning shocks/struts incorrectly.

Failing air springs or electronic shocks used to send some cars to the junkyard because replacement parts were either unavailable or only available at car dealer prices. I remember seeing cheap, immaculate, only-driven-to-and-from-church luxury cars almost resting on the ground because their air shocks were shot. Those sad cars can be affordably fixed. RockAuto now carries OE style replacement air and electronic shocks/struts for even more models. There is often even a choice of brands.

Suspension Conversion Kits that switch from an electronic system to conventional shocks/struts are also available for some vehicles. Some drivers choose a conversion kit because they want to reduce complexity and cost and some simply prefer to not have a computer making the ride/handling decisions.

The selection can be surprising. Owners of newer cars like the 2004-2009 Jaguar XJ8 and older cars like the 1993-1998 Mark VIII may have a choice of OE style Air Springs or Suspension Conversion Kits from multiple brands such as Arnott, Bilstein (XJ8), Cardone, Monroe (Mark VIII), SKP (XJ8), Ultra-Power and Westar (Mark VIII). See the shock/strut choices for your particular car or truck under the "Suspension" category at RockAuto.com.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

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 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 battery pack on one version of the Tesla Model S contains how many pounds of lithium compounds?

Answer: A. 140 lbs (64 kg) (This is equivalent to the lithium in 10,000 typical cell phones. Source: Goldman Sachs and "National Geographic")
B. 290 lbs (132 kg)
C. 510 lbs (231 kg)

Back up to trivia question