That Old Guy Can Fly!!

A hip young man goes out and buys the best car available: a brand new Ferrari 550. It is also the most expensive car in the world, and it costs him $500,000. He takes it out for a spin and stops for a red light.
An old man on a moped (about 75 years old) pulls up next to him. The old man looks over at the sleek, shiny car and asks, "What kind of car ya' got there, sonny?"
The young man replies, "A Ferrari 550. It cost half a million dollars!"
"That's a lot of money, "says the old man. "Why does it cost so much?"
"Because this car can do up to 320 miles an hour!" states the young dude proudly. The moped driver asks, "Mind if I take a look inside?"
"No problem," replies the owner.
So the old man pokes his head in the window and looks around. Then sitting
back on his moped, the old man says, "That's a pretty nice car, all right...but I'll stick with my moped!"
Just then the light changes so the guy decides to show the old man just what his car can do. He floors it, and within 30 seconds the speedometer reads 160 mph.
Suddenly, he notices a dot in his rear view mirror. It seems to be getting closer! He slows down to see what it could be and suddenly, whhhoooossshhh! Something whips by him, going much faster!!!!
"What on earth could be going faster than my Ferrari?!" the young man asks himself. He floors the accelerator and takes the Ferrari up to 250 mph. Then, up ahead of him, he sees that it's the old man on the moped.
Amazed that the moped could pass his Ferrari he gives it some more gas and passes the moped at 275 mph. Whoooooosh!
He's feeling pretty good until he looks in his mirror and sees the old man gaining on him again. Astounded by the speed of this old guy he floors the gas pedal and takes the Ferrari all the way up to 320 mph. Not ten seconds later he sees the moped bearing down on him again. The Ferrari is flat out and there's nothing he can do.
Suddenly the moped plows into the back of his Ferrari, demolishing the rear. The young man jumps out, and unbelievably, the old man is still alive!!! He runs up to the mangled old man and says, "Oh my God! Is there anything I can do for you?"
The old man whispers with his dying breath, " Yea Unhook...my suspenders from your side-view mirror.

Who You Gonna Call?

... and I can't get my kids to take out the trash?

How do I know that your parts are OE?

The answer to this question is becoming more obscure each year. We are an authorized distributor of, under contract with, ACDelco and Motorcraft. Our business model, beginning in 1924, is to play our role in the distribution chain for GM and Ford parts divisions. As such we buy millions of dollars in auto parts each month straight from the manufacturers regional warehouses so that we will have them locally available to dealerships in our areas. If you take your vehicle to a GM or Ford service department in our area, and they need a part that is not in stock, they will pick up the phone or order that part online from our parent company... and we will put it in a delivery truck and get it to them ASAP. Even if it comes from their stock, if it is ACDelco or Motorcraft, chances are they got it from us.

Now back to the complicated part of the question. Over the years GM and Ford have slowly changed the process by which they have their parts manufactured. It used to be that most parts were actually made in their own plants. Little by little they have offered the rights to supply these parts to other manufacturers who agree to build the parts to their very strict engineering guidelines, at the cost needed (a bidding process). As such, it is possible that the actual OE part that comes in a Motorcraft or ACDelco box may be marked as a Standard or Four Seasons or any other manufacturer. As an example, I was speaking with a woman just the other day who said the original ECM on her Pontiac Vibe had a Toyota label on it.

In today's interrelated world there are many opportunities to streamline manufacturing processes and save on production costs by using this bidding process. It should not however cause anyone to lose faith in the actual part provided in a manufacturer box. The same stringent engineering guidelines are applied to the process, whether the part is made next door in a warehouse owned by the manufacturer, or overseas on a contract basis. The company making the part understands that if at any point there is a breakdown in the quality standards dictated, they could lose the contract and potentially be out of business. It is different than the old days, but seems to be working better in cost, quality and speed of delivery. We will stand behind these products because we have seen that they are indeed the best available for OE applications.

Should Used Car Transactions Face Regulation

First of all, I am not a fan of over regulation because it creates tons of extra paperwork that makes EVERY transaction more expensive. I do believe we have room for more actual enforcement of predatory lending practices. New laws without the staff to enforce them are superfluous. Then at some point that brings us to the point of a police state... but I digress into my usual political diatribe.

Here is a good article that speaks of some of the reasons reform might be needed. Read it and add it to your knowledge base to make your own decision.

How to Send a Part Back

This icon is located on the left hand side of our home page (below Browse Catalog and above the Mustang picture). Just click the button and you will see our full Returns Policy along with a link at the bottom to Begin the Returns Process. If there are any problems you can always call us at Rightnowautoparts.com / 1-888-921-9154 and we will complete the process for you.

How Do I Get a Job Like This?

Conventional vs Synthetic Oil Video

Oil Change Basics Video

This may be basic for some people but it may be very helpful to others. I always suggest OE Oil Filters for GM and Ford, but we sell several different brands.

Replacing Your Own Brakes

Doing a front brake job on your car may be a lot easier than you imagined. I have added a link from our main web page to the About.com DIY Auto Repair site because of the great information that can be gathered there. If you just want to find out about replacing your brake pads, just click here.

ACDelco & Motorcraft vs. GM & Ford Parts

Rightnowautoparts.com is a wholesale warehouse distributor of AC Delco and Motorcraft auto parts for GM and Ford vehicles. Sometimes it can be confusing when a customer would like to buy a part for their GM or Ford car and we don't stock it. Sooo, I figured it might be good for me to put in writing the difference between the two.

AC Delco is an auto parts division of General Motors. They are tasked with making sure parts are available for Dealerships and Auto repair shops when a GM vehicle needs to be repaired. AC Delco covers the most replaced parts for service, like tune up pieces, alternators, starters, filters, radiators, ac parts, modules, switches, etc.. These parts only make up about 25%-40% of the actual parts on a vehicle, but typically are the pieces replaced in over 90% of the repairs needed. Our place in this distribution process is to make sure the parts are available as close to the replacement need as possible so that when a car goes down, the part can be there on the same or next day. GM "Dealer Only" parts would be items such as glass, body panels, interior pieces, emblems, wheels, etc..

A very similar business distribution model is also in place with Ford. Motorcraft is an auto parts division of Ford Motor Company. They are tasked with making sure parts are available for Dealerships and Auto repair shops when a Ford vehicle needs to be repaired. Motorcraft covers the most replaced parts for service, like tune up pieces, alternators, starters, filters, radiators, ac parts, modules, switches, etc.. These parts only make up about 25%-40% of the actual parts on a vehicle, but typically are the pieces replaced in over 90% of the repairs needed. Our place in this distribution process is to make sure the parts are available as close to the replacement need as possible so that when a car goes down, the part can be there on the same or next day. Ford "Dealer Only" parts would be items such as glass, body panels, interior pieces, emblems, wheels, etc..

Hopefully this helps clear up a little about why we are here and which pieces are available from us. If there is any confusion I have always suggested to find the part number first at a dealership and at least type it into our search to see if we have it. If we stock it you should be able to save quite a bit of money. If we don't then be thankful the dealership is there to help source those hard to find parts. We are all part of the same distribution chain, put in place by the manufacturers to make sure your vehicle is repaired as quickly as possible, with the highest quality O.E. auto parts available. If Rightnowautoparts.com can also help you save money in the process then that would be great as well!!

Mud Bog Pictures

Sometimes it is just fun to look for and post pictures...

How to Replace Your Starter by Popular Mechanics

Many people that buy auto parts from our site have a mechanic install them when they arrive, but there are a large percentage that do the work themselves and save the money. Replacing a starter is one of the easier jobs to do and this article will show you how.

Free Repairs on Recalled Cars

Great article from Jerry Edgerton at CBS Money Watch. With so many cars being recalled it is good to find a place to check on yours. Click on the article and all the resources are spelled out.

How Does an ABS Brake System Work?

ABS Brakes and the Facts
By Matthew Wright, About.com Guide

Since most cars on the road today have some form of Antilock Brakes (ABS) I think we should take a look at how they work and clear up some mis-information about them.As always, what I describe here is how most systems work in general. Since different manufacturers have their own versions of ABS their specifications and part names may differ. If you're having a problem with the ABS on your vehicle you should always refer to the specific service and repair manuals for your vehicle.

The ABS is a four-wheel system that prevents wheel lock-up by automatically modulating the brake pressure during an emergency stop. By preventing the wheels from locking, it enables the driver to maintain steering control and to stop in the shortest possible distance under most conditions. During normal braking, the ABS and non-ABS brake pedal feel will be the same. During ABS operation, a pulsation can be felt in the brake pedal, accompanied by a fall and then rise in brake pedal height and a clicking sound.

Read the rest of the article here...

This Guy has a Future in Auto Parts!

Notes on Shipping

While our company has been around since 1924 and we have been shipping boxes to customers around the country for decades, it is important for me to share some notes about our shipping procedures for customers who may not know because they have not.

First and probably most importantly are our shipping times in transit. We have warehouse locations ranging from Southern Georgia to Northern Pennsylvania, basically covering the entire Easterm United States with at most, two day UPS or Fedex Ground shipping. Second, and also important is to note that if an order is printed before 4PM E.S.T. it will ship out the same day. In our main Georgia warehouse we have extended shipping hours and can generally ship out Fedex Second and Overnight packages until 5PM E.S.T..

Occasionally we will need to ship packages from multiple locations from the same multi-line order. If that is the case we will make evry effort to ship from the same general region so that the boxes show up the same day, but occasionally you might recieve the second shipment a day later.

We are accustomed to dealing with businesses who need their parts very fast and at a good price. We really did not see a need to change the way we did business just because a consumer might only have need of our products one time. To us, a customer should always expect high levels of service and a very reasonable price. It has made us very successful in all we have done for over 80 years. We think you will see that commitment in the way we handle your order.

Thanks !!
Brad

Oil Spill Future Path

OK, so it may be a reach when I say that the oil spill is automotive related, but this is a compelling video that I felt everyone would want to see. It projects the path in pretty concise terms, and it is scary.

Politics, Money and the Internet

I will try not to burden this site with politics very often, but this article seems to fit into my criteria of "related to internet sales of auto parts". It has been a rumor for years that Congress wanted to somehow draw income from internet sales. In our current economic upheaval it seems that everything will now be taxable, at a higher rate and more often than it has been in the past. In addition to a possible internet tax we will soon see a revision to 1099-able occurrances for anything over $300. I wonder if anyone has analyzed the costs associated with overbearing paperwork requirements? Actually they probably have as the additional costs added to goods to pay for the extra people in the front office makes products more expensive and thus creates more tax revenue.

Cool New Paint Technology

I have been surfing around looking up info on some of the newest paint technologies for automotive paint. There really are quite a few amazing things you can do with paint these days. I don't know that you should paint your pristine classic car with color phase paint that changes color depending on angle or temperature but this new self healing polyurethane paint could be a great thing to make paint appear new for much longer.

Customer Car Photos

We have GREAT customers!! Check out these two beautiful classics sent in by Jeffrey Strahan from Louisiana! I would love to see more... just e-mail us at rightnowautoparts@gmail.com and I will try to get them on our blog. If I get enough we may try to create an interactive page on the site. I/we understand that without customers the site would be nothing. Let me know if there is something else that would make us better... and keep telling your friends!!