Dorman's Convertible Tops & Seat Heater Kits

Cooler fall (or spring, depending on where you are) temperatures make for great convertible driving weather! Stay comfortable and extend your convertible season with Dorman's replacement convertible tops and universal seat heater kits.

Dorman now offers power and manual convertible tops for Ford Mustangs, Chrysler Sebrings, and Mazda Miatas. These are made from high quality materials that match OE in form, fit, and function and feature a DOT compliant rear window. Get your convertible back on the road without fear of inclement weather! Convertible tops can be found for a wide variety of specific models in the “Body” section of the RockAuto catalog.

Dorman Convertible Tops

Dorman's universal seat heater kit can be installed on any vehicle but makes driving with the top down especially nice on crisp days. The kit features two heat pads - one for the seat and one for the seat back - and has a high and low temperature setting. DIY installation is easy with the comprehensive instructions and even a video! Dorman's seat heater kit can be found in the "Interior" section of the Tools & Universal Parts tab in the RockAuto catalog.

Dorman Seat Heater Kit

Forum of the Month

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Join PontiacRegistry.com, and join the growing group of Pontiac hobbyists who are working to preserve and share the rich history and heritage of these great automobiles.

Repair Mistakes & Blunders

I got my driver's license in 1984, and my first car was a 1966 Volkswagen Beetle. With that little flat-four, the oil change procedure was a little different. There is a bolt in the bottom of the crankcase to drain the oil. Once the oil is drained, there are six bolts that hold in a round plate. You take those out, remove the plate and pull out a metal screen that filters the oil. Clean it, put it all back together and fill it up with new oil.

I only had this car for about a year and a half, and then I traded with my dad because the bug was unreliable - "a money pit," as he called it. He took the bug and loaned me his 1984 Dodge D-50 pickup in the fall of 1985. By 1990, I was in college and still driving the truck. I was home one weekend and getting ready to head back to school on a Sunday afternoon - a 200 mile trip. I decided at the last minute to wash the truck and change the oil before leaving.

After about two hours of driving, I noticed a whine which gradually increased in volume under the car. I also noticed that I had difficulty shifting. I later realized that I had drained the oil by unscrewing the plug in the middle of a round plate under the truck, like I used to do on my VW, except that this plate was in the center of the transmission. The oil drain plug was at the front of the car. I had drained all the oil out of the transmission! I'm still not sure how the crankcase didn't overflow when I added new oil to it.

I had changed the oil many, many times before. I don't know why I made the mistake that day except that I was in a hurry. It was an expensive mistake. My dad and I obtained a replacement transmission, and together replaced it in his driveway. The funny thing is that we forgot the throwout bearing and had to take it all back out again, install the bearing and put it all back together a second time!

Andy 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 e-mail 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!

Automotive Trivia

A friend said his 2009 BMW was making noise and shuddering so he replaced the Giubo. What is a Giubo?
(pronounced jew-boh)

A. It is a magnetorheological engine mount.
B. It is a drive shaft flex joint mostly made of rubber, designed to absorb vibration.
C. The friend made up the word as a joke.


Answer below

The Problem is Clogged Filters

If an original equipment part wears out or has problems, then the part manufacturers come up with solutions. A1-Cardone, Dorman and other manufacturers build power steering pump reservoirs for RockAuto customers with late-model vehicles such as the 2007 Dodge Caravan, 2008 Acura TL and 2011 Toyota Avalon.

Why do owners of such new vehicles need replacement power steering pump reservoirs? The power steering reservoir on my wife’s ’93 Ford Tempo still works fine. Like the newer reservoirs, it is made of plastic and is located remotely, separate from the power steering pump. Is there a problem with new, original equipment plastics?

There are not new problems with plastics. The problem is clogged filters. Many newer power steering reservoirs have internal filters. The filters help protect the power steering system, but like any filter, they capture crud and eventually clog up. The filters are often difficult or impossible to clean because they are inaccessible, fragile and/or their fine mesh is designed to hold onto tiny debris.

2001-2007 Dodge/Chrysler minivan reservoir

When the filter inside a reservoir clogs, the power steering system may make noise and/or there is less steering assist. The same symptoms might indicate a failing power steering pump. Many people have replaced the power steering pumps on their late model vehicles only to find the noise and hard steering are still present. Before changing the power steering pump, check to see if a filter inside the reservoir is clogged. One way to do that is remove the outlet hose from the reservoir (with the engine off to avoid running the power steering pump dry) and see if fluid freely drains out.

When changing power steering parts, it is a good idea to flush and replace as much of the power steering fluid as possible to protect the parts and avoid premature clogging of the filter in the reservoir. Read power steering fluid flush and bleed instructions by ATSCO here.

Another way to make the filter in the reservoir last longer is protect it (and other power steering parts) by adding an inline filter by A1-Cardone or AAE to the low pressure power steering hose.

New reservoirs may cost as little as $15 or more than $70 depending on their complexity. Power steering reservoirs, inline filters and other steering parts are found in the RockAuto catalog under the “Steering” category for specific vehicles. Inline filters by A1-Cardone and AAE are under “Tools & Universal Parts”

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 have owned my 1970 Plymouth Cuda for 17 years now. It’s an original big block 4-speed car that came with the premium interior, so it included leather bucket seats, floor console and overhead console. I had it repainted the original FE5 Ralley Red about 12 years ago and have been using it as a fair weather car since.

I recently went through the entire drive train to freshen everything up and replace/restore some items that I didn’t do the first time around. I used RockAuto for most of the parts, including a complete front suspension rebuild, all new brakes, and seals/gaskets for the engine, transmission and rear end.

Love shopping the RockAuto website for the great prices! Keep up the good work.

Aaron in Ohio

Automotive Trivia Answer
	A friend said his 2009 BMW was making noise and shuddering so he replaced the Giubo. What is a Giubo? (pronounced jew-boh) A. It is a magnetorheological engine mount. Answer: B. It is a drive shaft flex joint mostly made of rubber, designed to absorb vibration. C. The friend made up the word as a joke. Back up to trivia question

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