Auto Parts Blog

Congratulations to Michael Chin of Northborough, Massachusetts, who won a brand-new 2016 Ford® Mustang GT as the Grand Prize Winner of the CARDONE Ultra® Car Giveaway Sweepstakes!

We launched the sweepstakes last year to promote our new brand of premium remanufactured brake calipers. Service dealers and DIYers were invited to enter for a chance to win the Grand Prize and one of seven monthly drawings for a $250 Visa® Gift Card.

The seven gift card winners were:

• Bob Bischel - Zimbrick Honda Service Center - Madison, WI
• David Hess - Park Street Garage - Madison, WI
• Cindy Sirois - Charlie's Toyota - Augusta, ME
• Kyle Shanahan - DuPage Tire & Auto - Lombard, IL
• Mike Courtemanche - Mike's Service Centre - Orangeville, ON
• Joe Haash - DIYer - Milwaukee, WI
• Tim Krawczyk - Tim's Alignment - Fond du Lac, WI

The holidays are a great time to show those around us that we care for and appreciate all the things they’ve done for us in the past year. This year CARDONE chose to make a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project to help meet the need of some injured service members in honor and appreciation of their amazing customers.

Almost everyone has either served themselves or knows someone who has served in our armed forces and can recognize the sacrifice that is involved. Some give the ultimate sacrifice, while others come home with serious physical or emotional injuries. The Wounded Warrior Project’s mission is “To Honor and empower Wounded Warriors” and CARDONE is proud to help support this mission.

Image: Denis Spizuoco (middle) from Wounded Warrior Project thanks George Zauflik, Sr. VP of Compliance and Government Relations (right), and Cory Lippert, Marketing Coordinator (left)

 

 

November 15th will be “America Recycles Day”  www.americarecyclesday.org.  Of course at CARDONE, every day is recycle day.

For example – CARDONE takes used auto parts, known as “cores”  -- rebuilds them and returns them to the market for continued use, in as good as (or better than) new condition.   Last year alone, CARDONE remanufactured 152 million pounds of existing parts, all at an affordable price which allows our customers to keep their vehicles on the road longer. 

CARDONE is one of the world’s leading recyclers, taking auto parts that otherwise would end up in the landfill and rebuilding them for continued use. We are built on principles of sustainability.  That is managing resources from cradle to cradle rather than cradle to grave.

Our value proposition that we offer to our customers is that we can remanufacture existing parts and return them to the market at an affordable price, which will extend the life of their vehicles.

Consider these facts:

• Last year, CARDONE saved over 79,000 tons of “cores” from the scrap yard – enough to fill two ocean liners.

• CARDONE recycled more than 21,000 tons of scrap metal, nearly 1,500 tons of municipal trash, 7,000 tons of cardboard and 86,000 gallons of waste oil.

• CARDONE reclaimed over 50 tons of electronic circuit boards, remanufacturing the boards for reuse as a key component of today’s ever growing computer-dependent vehicles.

• By remanufacturing these used parts, CARDONE reduces the environmental impact, using only 15% of the energy it would take to make new.  This represents savings in energy and water consumption, use of raw materials, and a large reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases.

This all adds up to a sustainable, world class business, which is what CARDONE is all about. 

Glenn DePalantino
Director of Corporate Environmental Compliance

 

 

Today the Mount Laurel Fire Department brought over their 1951 Seagrave 75ft ladder truck for us as a "Thank You" for helping to get their truck up and running again. We remanufactured a few parts for them that were no longer available and now the truck can be used once again to honor families of Fire Fighters who have fallen in the line of duty.

         

 

CARDONE has been remanufacturing auto parts for over 44 years. We see where parts fail and why. If we notice an original part has a common weak area our engineering team steps in to make design improvements that help prevent the same failures from happening again. This concept doesn't just apply to the manufacturing of our products, it extends to all areas of our business. When something is not right, we take steps to correct the problem and make it better.

As vehicles become more complex, we realized there was room to improve our technical education. Our latest efforts went into the Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor Installation Tips video you see below. You might think, "I don't need a video to show me how to install a MAF sensor!" True, installing a MAF sensor is easy, but diagnosing what caused a MAF to fail takes a little more thought. That's where these videos really help. Sometimes parts simply go bad, but often times something causes them to go bad and the replacement part gets the blame.

So, check out the video below. If you like it, you can subscribe to our YouTube Channel and get email alerts whenever we post new videos. We have several new videos planned for 2014, but there is plenty of room for your input. So, comment below about a problem area you encounter frequently and maybe we'll make that the topic for our next video!

I think we can all agree that it’s important to take good care of our planet. Planting a tree, installing solar panels or considering alternative fuel vehicles are all important steps towards a cleaner, greener Earth.  So you might be asking, “What does that have to do with auto parts?”

Our A1 CARDONE reman parts begin their journey at CARDONE as cores. Cores are parts that have been removed from a vehicle that are worn and in need of repair. Each core is disassembled, carefully cleaned, worn components are replaced and then the part is thoroughly inspected to ensure it performs like new or even better than it did originally. Not only does the process of remanufacturing auto parts save the customer money (up to 40% over new), it is even better for the environment than traditional recycling. Reman products use up to 85% less energy and raw materials required to build a new unit. That equates to greenhouse gas savings of up to 25lbs. per unit.

At CARDONE we’re proud to do our part for the planet. We take a worn part destined for the scrap heap, make it like new and put it back on the road where it can help someone get to work, drop their kids off at school or deliver your mail. Now that is recycling!

Every November, automotive industry professionals from around the globe gather in sunny Las Vegas to attend AWDA and the AAPEX (Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo) and SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) trade shows. Companies spend enormous amounts of time and resources to promote their new products and services to current and prospective customers at their booth and in meetings held throughout the week… and CARDONE is no exception.

We’ve been hard at work designing the perfect booth, setting up vendor meetings, finalizing sales presentations, gathering product samples, printing marketing materials and editing video — all to demonstrate how we can help customers grow their business in 2014 with A1 CARDONE reman and CARDONE Select new automotive products.

Soon, we’ll be jumping on planes and heading to Vegas. Some of us hope to feel the warmth of the sun, others to catch a show or to be served a great meal. But most importantly, we look forward to meeting our customers (and future customers) face to face and shaking their hands. The world of email and video conferencing is fantastic, but nothing beats a face-to-face conversation for productivity. That is why we devote so much time and energy to ensure we are prepared for this valuable time together. We’ll be ready to talk, but mostly we’ll be listening. We want to hear what is important to our customers, so we can stay committed to providing the products and service they need to be successful.

If you are attending AAPEX this year, visit our new booth location #4261 in the remanufacturing section. Stop by, say hi and we’ll save a handshake for you!

A once popular Saturday morning cartoon used to end each episode with a short public service announcement, "So now you know, and knowing is half the battle!" You may or may not remember that cartoon, but even so, you can understand the importance of having the proper knowledge for wise decision-making. 

Technicians and Shop Owners are fully aware that getting customers to understand why repairs need to be made can be as difficult as the repair itself. Some of your customers have earned your trust and accept your word, but others might need extra convincing. They want to know why.  

Take a look at our new 2-minute “Simple Power Steering Contamination Test” video recently posted on YouTube. It shows a quick and easy way to prove to your customers the condition of their steering system and why they might need to have their system flushed and/or hoses replaced. 

Are you tired of paying for overpriced O.E. parts? Vehicles are already expensive to operate and maintain, so many drivers are looking for a way to soften the blow when it comes to repairs. This isn't possible if your only choice for parts is the new car dealer.

We have a solution! We now offer over 290 SKU's that were previously dealer-only parts, providing you with a high-quality, low-cost alternative. To give you an idea of what's available, below are a few of our most in-demand, exclusive part numbers:

78-9053F, ECM that fits Ford Thunderbird, Lincoln LS 2003-2004

1R-2822, Master Cylinder Reservoir that fits Chrysler vehicles 1996-2000

60-5391, CV that fits Toyota Camry 2010-2011

32-3513M, Smog Pump that fits GM vehicles 2003

47-1390, Window Lift Motor that fits Nissan Pathfinder 2010-2012

2T-113, Turbocharger that fits Chevy/GMC 6.6L trucks 2007-2010

21-534, Power Steering Pump that fits Honda Odyssey 2011-2012

Click here to view our complete list of exclusive part numbers.

Today's new cars and trucks are more complex than ever. With the introduction of mechatronic (mechanical and electrical) parts, projects that used to be somewhat simple can be much more difficult to complete in your home garage. Does that mean DIY is dead? I don't think so and neither do the team at  the Car Care Council. With help from your local auto parts store, manufacturer technical bulletins and a few special tools, there are still jobs vehicle owners can tackle on their own. Check out this 6 min video put together by the Car Care Council and let us know what YOU think. 

 

We mentioned in our last blog post that summer will be here soon (Friday, June 21st to be exact). In that post, we touched on the importance of keeping your engine comfortable by maintaining your cooling system. But what about you, the passenger? Is your vehicle prepared to keep you comfortable? When you jump into your vehicle after it's been baking in the sun all afternoon you want to be able to drop the windows to cool off, right? What if your windows didn't go down or went down very slowly? Yikes, I can feel the sweat forming now! 

If you run into window problems this summer, this video from APDTY might interest you. This 2-part detailed video shows you how to replace a Window Lift Motor on a Nissan Titan truck. What window lift motor are they using? You got it, A1 CARDONE!

 

The summer sun will soon be shining on all of us. You might be ready for the warm rays of the sun, but have you thought about your vehicle and it's cooling system? Is it prepared to sit in traffic on a steamy 4th of July weekend? How about you Auto Technicians- are you letting your customers know the advantages of proper cooling system maintenance?  A coolant flush, faulty hose replacement or possibly a new water pump may save a few summer motorists time sitting on the side of the road and might cause one less traffic jam.

Check out this 4 minute video from AutoNetTV on cooling system basics. You'll learn why it's impossible to determine coolant condition based on simply how it looks in the reservoir.

 

2001-2004 Dodge and Chrysler vehicles that have been trudging through the ice, snow and salt this winter are especially susceptible to Electronic Automatic Transmission Control (EATX) Module Problems. This is evident through poor shift quality, hesitation, decreased fuel mileage or even the vehicle switching into Limp Mode!

Until now, your only option for replacement EATX modules was the expensive O.E. dealer. Our 11 exclusive part numbers of A1 CARDONE Reman EATX Modules offer O.E. performance without the high price and are in stock, ready to ship. Save money today with CARDONE!

Part #                    Application

73-80158              Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Sebring 2004

73-80162              Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Sebring 2001

73-80163              Dodge Caravan/Chrysler T & C 2001

73-80165              Dodge Neon 2001

73-80177              Dodge Intrepid/Chrysler 300M 2001

73-80178              Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Sebring 2002

73-80181              Chrysler PT Cruiser 2001

73-80183              Dodge Neon/Chrysler PT Cruiser 2002

73-80184              Dodge Neon 2002

73-80185              Chrysler PT Cruiser 2002

73-80186              Dodge Caravan/Chrysler T & C 2003

 

Additional EATX part numbers coming soon!