RockAuto is excited to announce the addition of Facet parts to the RockAuto.com catalog. In 1946, Facet began manufacturing telephone system parts in Italy. In the early 1960s, they started producing automotive ignition parts. Today, Facet remains privately-owned and manufactures a wide range of engine management, climate control and ignition system parts in Europe.

Facet parts meet or exceed OEM standards. To ensure the highest quality, Facet controls the manufacturing process end-to-end, from the design, to the engineering, up to final inspection. Facet's state-of-the-art testing laboratory subjects each product design to verification cycles that simulate repeated, intensive use: turning on and off, thermal shock, vibration; any conditions of extreme stress that parts may encounter in a car during their life cycle can be reproduced in Facet's facility.

From a Throttle Position Sensor for a 1995 Nissan Altima, to a Knock/Detonation Sensor for a 2001 Kia Optima, to an Ignition Coil for a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser, to a Radiator Fan Switch for a 2010 Volkswagen Beetle, you can find Facet's wide range of parts throughout the RockAuto.com catalog at reliably low prices!

GREENhybrid.com is an online gathering place for owners and enthusiasts of electric, hybrid and other "green" vehicles. This friendly community discusses everything from EVs and Plug-In Hybrids, to alternative fuel vehicles that use fuel like propane and bio-diesel and even traditionally fueled gasoline cars that achieve high mileage.

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.

One of my favorite cars we have had in the family over the years was our 2001 Land Rover Discovery. It was surprisingly our most reliable car for many years despite its reputation, which is why I was taken aback one evening when my wife called and told me it would not start. I grabbed some tools and headed her way to get the truck going. When I got there, I expected a dead battery, but the headlights came on strong. I turned the ignition on and got all the indicators on the dash as normal, but when I turned the key...nothing. No click of a solenoid. No dimming of the dash lights or headlights...nothing.

I am not an automotive professional, but I have been around cars long enough to know the basics. It has an automatic transmission so it could have been the neutral interlock. I looked down at the shifter in the center console, but it was in "Park" where it should be. I thought of jumping the terminals on the starter solenoid, but it was buried under a forest of exhaust manifold, secondary air injection and heat shield parts. It was getting dark, and my wife was getting impatient so we gave in and called AAA.

When the AAA driver arrived, I updated him with my observations and what I had tried. He asked, "Can I give it a try?" to which I replied, "Knock yourself out. It won't do anything," and I handed him the keys. To my surprise, as soon as he got behind the wheel and turned the key, the engine fired right up. I could not believe it! He shut it off and gave me back the keys and asked, "Do you want to know what I did?" I almost did not want him to tell me. He said, "Your wife's purse on the center console was pushing back on the shifter just enough to hold the neutral interlock switch open. I gave the shifter a push forward and it started right up." After that, I never saw my wife put her purse on the console again, and we had many more good years in that car.

Joel in Washington

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 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!

Who is credited for inventing and patenting the windshield wiper in 1903?

A. Abdülhamid II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, had a roof, windshield and his rudimentary wiper system installed on an Oldsmobile Curved Dash he received as a gift from banker, J.P. Morgan.

B. Mary Anderson of Alabama got the idea while riding in a New York City trolley with rain streaked windows.

C. Henry Ford installed wipers on a prototype Ford Model A (different than the "Model A" later introduced in the 1920s).

Answer below

My belief that a car is still "new" if its model year starts with a "2" was recently shaken to the core when my brother reminded me that 2000 model year cars will soon be 20 years old and eligible for collector car license plates in Wisconsin! I also realized that the neighborhood kid with the turn-of-the-century Lexus GS300 is not a spoiled brat. He is a budding DIYer working on a car that is actually much older than my high school car was at the time.

The latest thing the GS300 needed was a new window regulator. This made me wonder if some older DIYers might still be struggling to prop up window glass with scraps of wood because they do not know helpful tools are available. Or, maybe they think buying specialized tools is an extravagance if you only replace window regulators every now and then.

I used to think that way until I started noticing all the inexpensive specialized tools I already owned, only used occasionally and could not live without. For example, replacing spark plugs with a spark plug socket is often easy and fun. Trying to replace spark plugs with an adjustable wrench or pliers would be frustrating and sad.

Here are a couple of handy, inexpensive Window Holder tools for safely propping up glass when replacing window regulators and window motors:

Apply heavy duty suction cups to both sides of the window glass with the cable looped over the top of the metal window frame. Working on an older car or convertible with frame-less windows? Push this pliable wedge between the bottom of the window glass and the door. It even comes with a couple of sockets that fit common regulator/motor bolts.

Both these tools also can be used as temporary fixes if the window system fails with the window glass flopping to the down position, and you need a quick way to keep the window up and the weather out until you are ready to perform the repair.

Tom Taylor,
RockAuto.com

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

This is the vehicle (a 1992 SAAB 900 SE Monte Carlo) that truly launched my passion for cars, and that is no small statement. This Saab taught me that a car was more than just an expensive toy or a simple transportation device. It taught me the value of working and finishing a job yourself and taking pride in it. From its quirky '80s Saab design inside and out, to its hilariously fun and laggy and relatively primitive turbo technology, I love this car! After acquiring it from the original owner several years ago, I have been meticulously maintaining it and caring for it, and I am just getting ready to join the "300k mile club," on an original drivetrain with a full service history.

From a new convertible top, to suspension bushings, to numerous belts and ignition parts, RockAuto has allowed me to keep the dream going. I hope to take this car past the next 300 thousand mile mark, and I look forward to being a RockAuto customer for the foreseeable future.

Ike in West Virginia (RockAuto customer for over nine years)

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.

Who is credited for inventing and patenting the windshield wiper in 1903?

A. Abdülhamid II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, had a roof, windshield and his rudimentary wiper system installed on an Oldsmobile Curved Dash he received as a gift from banker, J.P. Morgan.

Answer: B. Mary Anderson of Alabama got the idea while riding in a New York City trolley with rain streaked windows. (source: https://www.npr.org/2017/07/25/536835744/alabama-woman-stuck-in-nyc-traffic-in-1902-invented-the-windshield-wiper)

C. Henry Ford installed wipers on a prototype Ford Model A (different than the "Model A" later introduced in the 1920s).

Back up to trivia question