I’ve seen cars end up in some bizarre places – on top of other cars, on lawns, and through the front of store windows, but all of those feats have been put to shame by a California man who successfully landed his (he stole it actually, so not his) car on top of a house. No ramps were involved, just speed and idiocy. After stealing a 4 door sedan, the man reportedly lost control of the vehicle at a high speed before being launched into the air and perching cleanly on top of the slanted roof of a California home. After sticking the landing, the car thief fled from the scene (the first ‘hit’ of a rooftop I’m sure) and was apprehended shortly after.   No one was serio...

It might not be the kind of carnage you would imagine 2 million car crashes to look like, but the new BBC data graphic and corresponding video tells a much more valuable story than a pile of wreckage. The image on this post is actually a graphical map of every injury car crash on the roads of Great Britain at a point in time from 1999 – 2010. Each data point has also been strung together to animate a video that flashes every crash over 24 hours of every day during the entire 12 year period.  It’s actually about 2.4 million crashes total, the data from which have been used to create heat-map images and an animated video of every crash from the past decade. The picture may look like an aerial view of night city lights, but each flash represents an accident...

This past Friday, a car sold for $4.62 million dollars at An RM Auctions Event in Hershey Pennsylvania. It wasn’t a one-of-a-kind concept car, or a super sports car prototype, or even the amphibious Lotus Esprit featured in The Spy Who Loved Me. Instead, the vehicle up for purchase was a French made 1884 steam powered four-wheeler – the oldest running car in the world.  Properly named the De Dion Bouton Et Trapardoux Dos-a-Dos Steam Roundabout, this hot rod topped out at 38mph in its prime with a range of 20 miles on a tank of water. Only 20 were manufactured and 6 remain. The particular piece sold was also the winner (and the sole participant) in the world’s first auto race, which could be part of the reason it claimed such a high price at auction. ...

With gas prices rising like a flood tide, many drivers are looking for a way to get the highest possible fuel economy out of their vehicles. Though some find the answer in hybrid cars, and other new (expensive) technologies, there are also some good old basic auto maintenance fixes that can significantly increase your mileage. In this post we’ve listed three low-cost automotive parts that can be affordably checked and replaced to save you cash at the pumps. 1. Air Filters A dirty air filter limits air flow to the engine, causing immediate drops in horsepower, performance, and gas m...

Over the years. I have had many great and 'not so great' experiences with my car.  I have a 2005 Honda Civic, which I love deeply, but what I don't love is the repair aspect of my car... namely getting ripped off for the repair costs. My latest 'not so great ' experience was when I went to the Honda Dealer to get one of my visors replaced.  For some reason (I am guessing the intense Florida heat) my visors were coming apart at the seams. I expected that would be the only thing to get replaced, but unfortunately I was wrong.  I was told that I needed two tires replaced, plus I needed them rotated and alligned.  I wanted to see how much everything would cost, so I agreed to wait for the 45 min time period.  After TWO hours I was t...

Summertime is hell on your wheels. High temperatures. Long roadtrips. Your car takes a beating during summer and now that the season is winding down, it's time that you start thinking about giving your car a little post-summer TLC. Here are a few things to check and maintain to avoid any post-summer breakdowns: Coolant and Radiator Engines are fiery infernos that burn optimally at 200 degrees. Any hotter and the metal can actually melt and fuse. That, needless to say, is not good. To keep your engine running at an optimal temperature, flush your radiator before and after summer, and keep it filled with a good mixture of coolant. Windshield Wipe...

Auto Parts Network is proud to introduce our very own line of body replacement parts and supplies, APN Auto Body Parts.  APN Auto Body Parts offers the most comprehensive selection of high-quality in-stock auto body parts at the best prices.  Our quality auto parts are protected by a lifetime warranty.  APN Auto Body Parts maintains a full ready to ship inventory of all its collision parts, so you can be confident in knowing that you will have direct access to not only the leading auto body parts brand with the highest quality aftermarket replacement parts possible, but can also count on getting your vehicle back on the road in original condition without delays, with peace-of-mind that your v...

You may not realize it as you’re ordering parts at AutoPartsNetwork.com, but as you’re looking around at parts, putting in your vehicle make, model and year, you’re looking at actual, accurate real-time inventory.  This is a rare thing in the online automotive parts ordering world.  How many times have you ordered parts online, assuming you will see your parts in a few days, since you got no indication otherwise through the whole check-out process, only to find out later (sometimes even days later, since often you get no notification of a backorder situation and have to actually go yourself to the website to check on the status of your order before you find out), that one or more items are on backorder?  This is extremely frustrating and it can even t...

I have had the (in my opinion), good fortune to be born into a long line of mechanics.  Granted, they are all aircraft mechanics, but they all worked on cars, too.  I’ve never really been the “girly-girl” type.  All my life I’ve been much more interested in listening to my dad, brother and uncle talk about airplanes and cars than the conversations women have about babies, hair, makeup, clothes, shopping, etc.  Consequently, I love cars.  And motorcycles (yep, I ride a motorcycle, too – and I RIDE MY OWN, not 2-up).  Trucks are pretty cool, too.  But cars – I love the little Japanese tuners, as well as the big V8s; especially the big V8s, since I grew up with those.  The Chevelle rules!  My favorite from ...

Should you use (OEM) Original Equipment Auto Parts vs. Aftermarket Auto Parts when repairing your Vehicle? When taking your vehicle for service, do you ever think about what kind of parts are being installed on your vehicle? If you take it to the car dealership for service, you can expect Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts. If you take it to an aftermarket repair shop you'll most likely expect Aftermarket auto parts, although quality aftermarket service centers will offer consumers the option of using OEM Auto Parts or Aftermarket Auto Parts, which is an advantage for consumers, because Car Dealerships only offer OEM Parts.   What is the difference? Which has better quality? ...