April Newsletter
Early Edition
Go to the RockAuto Catalog
Current Promotions & Rebates

Through April 2024, Advics is offering RockAuto customers an instant 10% rebateStar in catalog on all of their Brake Parts. Aisin is also offering an instant 10% rebateStar in catalog on their Window Motors, Window Regulators and Window Regulator & Motor Assemblies through May of 2024.

Advics is a leading supplier of Original Equipment (OE) brake system products to vehicle manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda, Subaru, GM, Ford and Chrysler. Advics ultra-premium brake pads are engineered with advanced ceramic friction technology for minimal pad wear, low noise levels, and a consistent pedal feel. Their ultra-premium rotors are manufactured with certified high-carbon steel for consistent heat diffusion and better fade resistance. Advics also offers brake boosters, hydraulics, calipers, wheel cylinders and brake fluid.

Aisin Window Regulators are 100% new assemblies, many with improvements from factory design. Step by step installation instructions are included with every Regulator.

Current Promotions and Rebates

Take advantage of other current Promotions & Rebates on Mobil 1 Diesel Engine Oil, ACDelco Filters, ACDelco Spark Plugs, and more at RockAuto!

Another Happy Customer!
Another Happy Customer!

I like the way RockAuto is organized and the ease of use. Their inventory is substantial even for those minor items that can hold up repairs. I have several older vehicles and rely on RockAuto for the parts I need to keep them going.

Brian in California

Automotive Trivia
Automotive Trivia

What did Russia's Vladimir Putin gift North Korea's Kim Jong Un in February?

A. Aurus Senat limousine

B. Bear Skin Seat Covers

C. Solid gold hood ornament of the North Korean flag

D. All of the above


Answer below

Repair Mistakes & Blunders
Repair Mistakes & Blunders

My son, who lives in another state, called me up one day to ask how to get a stripped lug nut off. He was replacing the rear brakes on his old Ford Ranger and couldn’t get the wheel off because one nut was rounded off. He had spent hours and tried everything, but since the nut was recessed deep into the wheel, he was limited to what he could do. I told him to look in the hole with a light to see if any flats were left on the nut. He said there weren’t. We discussed various possible solutions, and he unsuccessfully tried them all. Finally, I suggested that an impact wrench with an extractor socket might work, so he went out and bought a wrench, a compressor, an air hose, and a set of impact sockets.

I didn’t hear back from him that day, so I called him the following day to find out if he got the wheel off. He did succeed in doing so, but only after discovering that it was a locking lug nut, and the key was in the glove box!

Dan in Arizona

Typical Locking Lug Nut & Key
Typical Locking Lug Nut & Key

Share Your Story

Desiccant & A/C System Maintenance
Tom's Story

Tesla's maintenance page says, "We recommend replacing your A/C desiccant bag every 2 years for Model S vehicles produced in 2012-2020..." The owners manuals for many late-model GM vehicles (Corvette, Malibu...) recommend replacing the A/C desiccant bag every 7 years. Other brand vehicles (Chrysler, Ford, Hyundai...) also have A/C desiccant bags but may not have any, or at least any easy to find, recommended replacement intervals.

Here is how refrigerant typically flows through an automotive A/C system:

  1. Compressor pressurizes (and heats) refrigerant gas
  2. Pressurized refrigerant cools from gas to liquid in the condenser (typically located in front of the engine's radiator)
  3. During the trip from the condenser to the evaporator, a fixed orifice tube inserted in the refrigerant hose or an adjustable expansion valve reduce pressure to cool the refrigerant and allow it to turn back into a gas inside the evaporator (located in the vehicle's interior)
  4. Low pressure refrigerant gas flows back to the compressor
A/C System Image

Absorption of harmful moisture and metering of refrigerant flow/pressure/temperature differ depending on if the system uses an orifice tube or an expansion valve.

Orifice tube systems have another part called an accumulator between the evaporator and compressor. The accumulator canister gives the refrigerant more time and space to completely turn from liquid to gas before entering the compressor. Desiccant in the accumulator absorbs moisture.

Expansion valve systems do not have an accumulator (the expansion valve itself controls flow/pressure/temperature). To absorb moisture, there is either a receiver drier canister or a replaceable desiccant bag (a.k.a. "A/C Receiver Drier Desiccant Element") between the condenser and evaporator. A replaceable desiccant bag will typically be inside a tube mounted on the side of the condenser.

Automotive A/C maintenance used to tend towards, "if it ain't broken then don't fix it." If A/C repairs and/or refrigerant recharging is necessary then the accumulator or the receiver drier is also replaced to get rid of any moisture and contaminants that have accumulated in those parts. A replaceable desiccant bag (often accompanied by a small filter element) instead of a receiver drier now makes it more practical to do preventative maintenance. Typically a plug is unscrewed to access the desiccant bag (and often a filter element). The refrigerant must also be extracted and replaced (requiring specialized tools), but the system will now have freshened refrigerant, oil and desiccant which hopefully will extend the life of more expensive A/C system parts like the compressor.

GM's 7 year replacement interval seems reasonable. Desiccant bags might be saturated and filters might be grimy after 7 years. On the other hand, Tesla's 2 year desiccant bag replacement interval for the Model S is quite short. I have not heard or read anything about new refrigerants (R1234yf) being more likely to attract moisture. A clue might be that for the Model 3, Tesla's maintenance page says the replacement interval is two years longer "if it doesn’t have a heat pump." Tesla may have conservative maintenance intervals to better protect the remarkable (and expensive) heat pump system which provides A/C and heat for both the vehicle interior and propulsion batteries.

See the components that make up your specific vehicle's A/C system under "Heat & Air Conditioning" in the RockAuto.com catalog. The "A/C Compressor & Component Kit" section offers quick examples of all the parts that should be replaced to better eliminate moisture and other contaminants from the system (including shards from a failed compressor...).

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

Mark's 1992 Acura Vigor
Mark's 1992 Acura Vigor

I am a long time customer of RockAuto. I love your parts and service, and your catalog has helped me many, many times in cross referencing and finding parts for difficult to fit applications!

My 1992 Acura Vigor is a perfect example. With your catalog I was able to find parts from other cars to keep this rare five-cylinder treasure on the road! With over 400,000 KM (250,000 Miles) things are starting to wear out, but the body and paint are still in good condition, so it's worth keeping it going.

RockAuto was the only place I was able to find reasonably priced parts to repair a slipping clutch, find a blower motor from a similar car that I managed to make work, and rebuild the front suspension and steering. To celebrate, I went on a long road trip through the southwest United States, stopping in Arizona, the Grand Canyon and even the Bonneville Salt Flats, and the Acura drove perfectly!

Thanks RockAuto!
Mark in British Columbia, Canada

Share Your Hard Work

Automotive Trivia Answer
Automotive Trivia
Up


What did Russia's Vladimir Putin gift North Korea's Kim Jong Un in February?

Answer: A. Aurus Senat limousine (source: www.reuters.com  - Aurus info: www.autoweek.com)

B. Bear Skin Seat Covers

C. Solid gold hood ornament of the North Korean flag

D. All of the above

Share Your Hard Work & Stories
Up

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 other commercial use. New, old, import, domestic, daily driver, trailer queen, classic, antique, we want to see them all! For submission instructions and tips for taking pictures of your car, please visit our Photography Tips & Submission Info page.

Up

Your Most Infamous Auto Repair Blunder Use your woe to help others avoid similar mistakes. Please email your story to marketing@rockauto.com. Include your mailing address and if you would like a RockAuto Hat if we publish your story. See the 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!