During April 2019, AutoLine Products is offering RockAuto customers an Exclusive 10% Instant Rebate on select fuel injectors. AutoLine is a family-owned parts remanufacturer based in Winnipeg. They have been making parts better than new since the 60s. On average, their employees have twenty years of experience with AutoLine.

AutoLine Products specializes in remanufacturing fuel injectors, carburetors, throttle bodies and other crucial fuel system parts. All AutoLine products are precision remanufactured using original equipment castings. Only premium quality replacement parts are installed. Throughout the remanufacturing process, components and sub-assemblies are continuously tested prior to final assembly. Finished part assemblies are completely tested under simulated operating conditions before being carefully packaged.

The AutoLine April rebate is instant. While shopping, put the select AutoLine parts in your cart to immediately save 10% off RockAuto's already reliably low prices.

For April 2019, Lund International is offering RockAuto customers an Exclusive 10% Instant Rebate on all Lund and Rampage branded parts! Whether you need a Tonneau Cover for your Chevy Silverado, a new Soft Top Cover for your Jeep Wrangler, or upgraded Step/Nerf Bars on your Ford Explorer, now is the time to take advantage of these exclusive savings.

The Lund and Rampage April rebate is instant. While shopping, put Lund or Rampage parts in your cart to immediately save 10% off RockAuto's already reliably low prices. You can find Lund and Rampage parts available for your specific vehicle in the "Accessories" and "Body" categories of the RockAuto.com catalog. You can also find Rampage Car Covers, Spare Tire Covers, and Grab Bars under "Accessories" in the "Tools & Universal Parts" section of the RockAuto.com catalog. Go to the Promotions and Rebates page to see details for all the current rebates.

FordForum.com is a forum for Ford lovers. Get together to discuss anything related to "modern" Ford vehicles. F-150, Mustang, Explorer, GT, Focus, Ranger, Escape, 500, Bronco, Escort, Expedition, Windstar/Aerostar...if Ford made it, chances are you will find topics related to a particular vehicle in this expansive 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.

Decades ago, when I was 16 with a newly issued license, my family visited my dad's cousin in a college town. The adults were enjoying their beverages and swapping stories, and dad's cousin noticed I was bored. He offered me his old late 50s Mercedes sedan to drive to the campus and look around. I eagerly accepted the keys but found out when I got in the car I would also be learning to drive a manual transmission - without any help. The old Benz had a 4-on-the-tree shifter, and before long I figured out how to run through the gears, except for reverse (which was a pull past first and down the same way).

Soon I was stopped at a red light, facing steeply uphill, trying to juggle how to release the brake, add some gas, and let out the clutch without stalling. But I had mistakenly put the shifter in reverse, so at the green light I lurched backward at the surprised driver behind me! Somehow I did not hit him! I found first and drove off, but when I tried to shift from second to third it was racing the engine back into first! Trying fourth did not work either - I had only two gears. I pulled over and lifted the hood and saw that my panicked shifting had caused one linkage rod end to pop off the ball on the shifter arm, and the socket insert part of it was missing so it would not stay connected. As luck would have it, a passing student carrying laundry just happened to have a spare wire hanger, which I used to wire the linkage together long enough to get the car back to its home. I was afraid my cousins would be angry, but they were all laughing about it the rest of the afternoon.

Lee in Texas

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!

Walt Disney appeared in magazine ads for a car with "color symphonies between upholstery and enamel," "big wide seats provide enough room for six well-fed adults," and a speedometer with warning lights that begin "flushing [sic] an indignant red at 50 and up." What car is this?

A. 1939 DeSoto S-6
B. 1953 Buick Century
C. 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300

Answer below

Somehow the '71 Ford LTD convertible I bought a few years ago still only has its original speedometer, fuel level gauge and idiot lights that may or may not still work. Usually when I buy an old car, I immediately add a few gauges. Gauges are fun to install, reduce worry and look cool. However, with this Ford I have been relying on blissful ignorance. The temperature gauge needle never moved when I drove over the mountain range because the car has no temperature gauge. Time to stop relying on dumb luck and give this nearly half century old survivor the gauges it deserves!

My old Ford is starting out with a Multi-Gauge Kit that can measure the basics: temperature, oil pressure and volts. Many newer cars have original equipment (OE) gauges that cover the basics, but there are lots of fun and helpful new gauges available now. Click on the RockAuto.com catalog "Tools & Universal Parts" tab and then look under "Interior" and "Gauge" to see the amazing choice of gauges. Also look under "Interior" to see gauges and gauge panels (A-pillar, steering column...) built for specific cars and trucks. AutoMeter has a rebate on tachometers that ends this month (April 2019).

One useful gauge for new vehicles, especially diesels, is the pyrometer or exhaust temperature gauge. Higher than normal exhaust temperatures can indicate a problem like too much fuel in the exhaust or that the engine is working too hard and needs a chance to cool down. Extreme exhaust temperatures can melt turbochargers and other costly parts.

Another great one is the air/fuel ratio gauge. Drivers of old cars can watch to see if their carburetors are adjusted properly. Drivers of newer cars can stop guessing the meaning of oxygen sensor related computer trouble codes. Is the air/fuel ratio out of spec because of a problem with a part upstream or does the oxygen sensor itself have a problem? An air/fuel ratio gauge is like an oxygen sensor that communicates directly with the driver rather than the engine computer.

Some gauges have new features that I could only dream about when I got my first car. Microcontrollers precisely move gauge needles with stepper motors. Gauges can take a more active role in protecting the engine by giving high and/or low warnings, recalling peak values and activating relays that turn on devices such as cooling fans. Many of the highest tech gauges are also available with faces that do not look out of place in an antique car. A retro analog clock can sit comfortably in the same gauge panel as a nitrous oxide pressure gauge and tachometer. My LTD could use a clock...

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

To read more of Toms 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 vehicles history, interesting details, your favorite images (tips for taking pictures of your car) and what parts from RockAuto you have used.

Walt Disney appeared in magazine ads for a car with "color symphonies between upholstery and enamel," "big wide seats provide enough room for six well-fed adults," and a speedometer with warning lights that begin "flushing [sic] an indignant red at 50 and up." What car is this?

Answer A. 1939 DeSoto S-6 (source: "WALT ADVERTISED A CAR BRAND.")
B. 1953 Buick Century
C. 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300

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