Looks like a dodge viper. Start with that and look online

Advance Auto Parts announced today, as part of their Q3 earnings release, that they are initiatiating the sale of their Worldpac and Canadian businesses (operates under Carquest).

Strategic Review Update

The company has initiated separate sale processes for the potential divestiture of Worldpac and the company’s Canada business. Worldpac, a leading automotive wholesale distributor of original equipment and aftermarket parts for all makes/all models, is highly recognized for its world class technology, catalog, product brand assortment and training. The company's Canadian business, which predominantly serves commercial customers, goes to market under the Carquest banner.

The company has engaged Centerview Partners to assist in the sale processes. The company has not set a timetable for the conclusion of the sale processes and does not intend to comment on or provide updates regarding these matters unless and until the processes are concluded or it determines that further disclosure is appropriate or required.

https://ir.advanceautoparts.com/investors/news-and-events/press-releases/press-release-details/2023/Advance-Auto-Parts-Reports-Third-Quarter-2023-Results-and-Provides-Updates-on-Strategic-and-Operational-Review/default.aspx

Who else is seeing industry shortages and inflation issues causing price and availability issues on auto parts? Manufacturers are short staff, supplies, and materials. Containers from China are backlogged and getting more expensive and add on top of that inflation, prices have and will continue to go up. 

Chip shortages and user car prices going up, means more more for everything. New car prices are getting over sticker in some cases. Its all relative because even groceries are going up in price. Gas and oil prices as well.  🥵

I've always liked carquest filters and like napa they used to be manufactured by Wix. They are now manufactured by Mann-Hummel who owns Wix and Purolator. This is for light duty but once you go into heavy duty the carquest filters are made by baldwin. You can buy them at any advance auto parts and carquest stores.

www.carquestfilters.com

That's a 12v toyota prius water pump. What year is it?

Not airtex, but here is GMB http://auto-house.pro/pdf catalogue/gmb water pump catalog 2012-13.pdf

Interesting article from http://www.aftermarketnews.com/will-self-driving-cars-boost-the-auto-repair-industry/

While there’s some debate about when self-driving cars will become commonplace – and precisely how they’ll be used by consumers – it’s fair to say that self-driving vehicles are coming. When they arrive, they will likely cause changes across society.

When it comes to changes in the auto repair industry, there’s reason to believe that self-driving cars will lead to overall growth. Here’s why:

1. More Vehicles On The Road

If the most optimistic projections for self-driving cars are correct, the cost of operating a self-driving car will be even lower than the cost of vehicle ownership today. If that’s the case, it’s likely that we’ll see an overall increase in the number of vehicles on the road. This is called “the Jevons effect,” and it’s been seen in history numerous times.

Essentially, the Jevons effect is that consumption increases as prices decrease. If using a vehicle becomes less expensive, people will use their vehicle more often…which would probably mean more vehicles on the road (and in the repair shop).

2. More Annual Miles Driven

If consumers can spend their time in a self-driving vehicle reading, sleeping, working, watching a movie, etc., why wouldn’t they use it for long trips? Instead of dealing with a commercial flight, consumers can get in their self-driving vehicle, enter a destination, and then read a book. It might take a few more hours to drive than it would to fly, but that’s not a big loss if that ‘extra’ travel time can be spent productively.

Not to mention, when you arrive at your destination, you have your vehicle (with all your stuff) at your disposal. No more messing around with airports, rental cars, etc.

Self-Driving Vehicles Will Be Good For Repair Shops

If self-driving vehicles are convenient, safe, and affordable, that can only be good news for the repair industry. Consumers will drive more vehicles more often, leading to more maintenance and repair work. Here’s to our self-driving future!

This article was sponsored by GMB North America, Inc. For more information, please visit our website at www.gmb.net

That's a plastic push pin that usually comes from the manufacturer as part of the assembly.  Whats the year, make, and model of the vehicle? I'm not sure if the dealer would sell it separately, you would need to look at the schematic, probably only as the complete unit. Might need to get the entire latch assembly. You could look through the Dorman hardware catalog and see if you can match something up that's close then search for the dorman part number: https://www.dormanproducts.com/flipbook/dorman/automotive-hardware/2006-Automotive-Hardware.pdf

MotoRad has some pretty good tech-tips on their website if you haven't seen it.

http://www.motoradusa.com/tech-tips

I don't know what that is, it might be a housing or part of the release bearing. Do you have a parts schematic you can refer to?

Looks like a fuse or relay cover mounted on the driver's side under the hood by the strut mount. Can you take a wider photo and see if that's a plastic cover that comes off? What are you looking to replace?

This is a great resources from https://www.kaiserwillys.com/tech-guide

WILLYS JEEPS - HISTORY, TECH AND TROUBLESHOOTING

Select a vehicle below for historical information, technical specifications, illustrations, photos, service guides and more!

The cold weather is definitely helping battery sales!

http://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/Car-battery-sales-up-due-to-cold-weather-467572473.html

BISMARCK, N.D. - It happens a lot this time of year. You go out to start your car in the morning and the battery is dead.

The staff at O'Reilly auto parts in Bismarck say sales have spiked for car batteries, fuel additives, and anything else people need to keep going in winter, which comes in handy for a lot of people.

"I came up here from Florida some years back. I never had those kinda issues, but here in Bismarck I've definitely had some issues like that, and thankfully I've had some help," said David Baxter, Bismarck resident.

O'Reiley says it's selling 10 batteries on a slow day, maybe 20-30 batteries a day on colder days.

• "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer tracked the recent weakness in three auto parts stocks and argued that the market overreacted to their shortfalls.
• O'Reilly Automotive, Advance Auto Parts and AutoZone all sold off earlier this year on worries that Amazon would disrupt their industry.
• But after a recent wave of positive earnings results, Cramer said the stocks could be picking up speed.

The midwinter bounce in auto parts stocks O'Reilly Automotive, Advance Auto Parts and AutoZone did not go unnoticed by CNBC's Jim Cramer.

"First AutoZone and O'Reilly bounced from their lows over the summer, then Advance Auto Parts seemed to bottom last month. It's now up 28 percent from its lows on Nov. 8," the "Mad Money" host said. "That's a magnificent move. More important, if the auto parts business is really back on track, then these stocks are dirt-cheap in a market where we're constantly hearing people fretting about sky-high valuations."

All three stocks served shareholders well from 2013 to 2016, when people were less eager to buy new cars following the financial crisis and, as a result, had to replace car parts more often.

But starting in 2017, all three fell off a cliff. The proximate cause? Amazon's rumored foray  into the auto parts industry.

In late January, Wall Street started buzzing about the e-commerce giant's potential disruption in auto parts, and shares of O'Reilly, Advance Auto and Autozone all got slammed.

Shortly after, auto parts retailers started issuing dismal earnings reports. Even though the weakness had nothing to do with Amazon, it looked bad given the worries about potential competition.

In February, Advance Auto and AutoZone both reported shortfalls. O'Reilly's results, usually the strongest of the three, still beat estimates.

By spring, all three were struggling: Advance Auto's earnings missed expectations by far, with same-store sales were down 2.7 percent; AutoZone reported a gigantic miss; and O'Reilly disappointed analysts despite giving decent guidance.

"So what caused these hideous numbers? The one thing that all three companies kept citing as an alibi for their poor performance was the very mild winter, [the] second mild one in a row," Cramer said.

Cold winters tend to raise the need for car maintenance and part replacement, so mild winters result in less overall demand for replacement car parts.

Last year's mild winter also resulted in dramatic sell-offs for the car parts plays. Advance Auto slid from $169 a share at the beginning of 2017 to $78 a share when it bottomed a month ago; AutoZone fell from $789 to $491 at its July lows; O'Reilly tumbled from $278 to $169.

But come fall, all three stocks started gaining strength. Advance Auto gave Wall Street a big earnings beat and re-affirmed its full-year guidance; AutoZone delivered a strong quarter; and O'Reilly beat estimates and raised its full-year forecast.

"I think the market may have overreacted in the first half when these companies reported a wave of shortfalls and everyone was freaking out about 'Death Star' Amazon," Cramer said.

"I've even recommended Advance Auto Parts as a takeover target at the Deal Economy conference a couple weeks ago because Jeff Smith, who runs Starboard Value, the activist fund, is Advance Auto's chairman. I bet he'd love to get [a deal] out of this one," he added.

And all three stocks are still fairly cheap, Cramer said: Advance Auto trades at 17 times next year's earnings estimates, AutoZone at 14 times and O'Reilly at 19 times.

"The sell-off was a total rush to judgment," the "Mad Money" host concluded. "Which one should you buy? ... You can take your pick. You can buy best of breed, that's O'Reilly. You can bargain-hunt with AutoZone or you can speculate on a takeout with Advance Auto Parts. Boy, this industry, it's got something for everybody."

 

Balance sheet problems should concern AutoZone stock owners

AutoZone, Inc. (NYSE:AZO) beat high expectations going into earnings. For the first quarter of 2018, AZO earnings came in at $9.96-per-share, 15 cents above estimates. Revenue came in at $2.59 billion, $50 million higher than expected — a 4.9% year-over-year increase. However, AZO stock still faces some notable challenges.

For example, same-store sales within the U.S. only rose 2.3%. Given the recent stock price increase and finance-related issues, current investors should treat this run-up in AZO stock as an opportunity to take profits.

AZO Stock Valuation Remains Lower Than Its Peers

To be sure, this earnings report has provided some welcome relief. AutoZone stock rose by nearly 4% the day before earnings in anticipation of its earnings report. Now with earnings released, the AZO stock price has been bid even further upward.

The increase in AutoZone stock comes despite some unique financial metrics. The Memphis, Tennessee-based auto parts retailer appears to hold up well against competitors when it comes to value.

Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (NYSE:AAP), Genuine Parts Company (NYSE:GPC) and O’Reilly Automotive Inc (NASDAQ:ORLY) all have price-to-earnings ratios at about 20. The P/E ratio for AZO stock remains at about 16. GPC has become the market leader with $15.3 billion in sales in its previous fiscal year. AZO remains second in sales at just under $11 billion.

That lower valuation could be the result of a mixed financial picture. On the surface, most of the financial metrics indicate a record unlikely to either attract or repel investment capital. Annual revenue growth has averaged almost 5% over the last five years. The company has reported average annual revenue growth of 6.6% in the same period. The PE ratio stands just above 16 currently and has remained in a 12-20 range for more than ten years.

AZO Stock’s Low Current Ratio

Looking deeper, one balance sheet metric that’s both odd and of great concern is the current ratio. Despite steady profits, the company’s current ratio remains below 1. A low current ratio often indicates a company has trouble meeting its current expenses.

What makes this odd is that most companies who have a current ratio below 1 lose money. AZO stock earns profits. What places its current ratio under 1 is high levels of accounts payable. For fiscal 2017, AZO reported accounts payable of $4.169 billion, even higher than $3.882 billion in inventory and the modest $293 million in cash.

Also, the low current ratio has led to a negative book value. Between the $4+ billion owed to suppliers and the over $5 billion in long-term debt, AZO owes over $9 billion. The debt liability alone almost exceeds the value of AZO’s total assets.

Furthermore, management appears to have prioritized the stock price over the health of the company. Management has applied profits to share buybacks instead of the balance sheet for several years. Since the beginning of 2016 alone, total shares have fallen from 30.21 million to just 27.49 million today, which is a 9% reduction in two years.

Negative Book Value

It is these factors that drove the book value of AZO stock to a loss of $1.428 billion. While this shows an improvement over the $1.788 billion from 2016, having a company with a negative book value places the company in a dangerous position.

Earnings profits in a recession-proof business like auto parts helps reduce this danger. Still, that only staves off issues in the near-term. Paying down accounts payable to increase the current ratio and the book value would likely be a more logical step to improving the company’s financial security and bolstering investor confidence.

Final Thoughts on AutoZone Stock

With the management team engaging in behavior that endangers the stability of AZO stock, stockholders should sell despite the positive earnings report.

AutoZone has over 6,000 worldwide locations and has a strong following in a recession-proof business. However, management’s tendency to prioritize share buybacks has given the company a negative book value. This extreme push for share buybacks should give investors pause.

Although investors should watch for balance sheet improvements, investors should avoid AutoZone stock as long as the negative book value remains a reality.

Source: https://investorplace.com/2017/12/dont-let-autozone-inc-stock-fool-you/

I always change my cabin filter every spring because I have allergies, helps tremendously to keep the car cabin free from pollen. Its amazing that back in the day you could get in teh car and all they ever smelled like was cigarette smoke. Climate control has come a long way. You can even get carbon activated filters.

These have been flooding the market in all different brands. As a DIYer it's pretty cool but a little more money and you can buy a scan tool. However, I'd be interested in how much value the app brings which would be the differentiation. Will it just tell you a code or can you see other data?

Here's an article about it https://www.tomsguide.com/us/fixd-car-sensor-faq,news-25213.html

This part is interesting...

Fixd Maintenance Club

To add a bit more value to owning a Fixd device, the company now offers a service called the Fixd Maintenance Club.

The premise behind the Fixd Maintenance Club is simple: you use the company's device to see what's wrong or when you need an oil change or new air filter, but then you head to the garage to have that work done. Instead, you can send your car information to Fixd and through its Maintenance Club, the company will send you the parts you need to do the work yourself.

Through its club, Fixd will send to you "specific maintenance items based on your upcoming maintenance interval," based on the year, make, and model of your car. 

Fixd's service lets you choose for yourself when your maintenance kit should ship, but you can customize when you get it and what's included in the box.

Being a member of the Fixd Maintenance Club is free, but the company does charge for the parts. Prices vary depending on the maintenance work and the parts you request.

Icahn Automotive Group has announced that BS&F Auto Parts, one of New York City’s leading auto parts suppliers for the past 37 years, is now part of the Icahn Automotive Group family.

BS&F is based in the Bronx, New York. Owner Joe Ferrer, who started working in his father’s auto parts business at age 11, says he owes his success to his commitment to his customers. Ferrer lives by the credo that his customers alwayscome first and that customer satisfaction is paramount at all times – whether it’s during the day or the middle of the night.

With this acquisition, Ferrer has become the regional vice president of commercial for Icahn Automotive Group in the New York City metropolitan area. Icahn Automotive Group stated with Ferrer’s drive and passion for being unsurpassed in customer service and parts availability, Pep Boys, Auto Plus and BS&F have an excellent opportunity to drive commercial growth in the region.

http://www.aftermarketnews.com/icahn-automotive-group-acquires-bsf-auto-parts/

http://www.bsfautoparts.com/

 

The Car Care Council's new video takes the unknown out of auto parts stores. Entitled "Explore an Auto Parts Store," this video opens the door to the neighborhood part store for all vehicle owners. You do not have to be an expert to get involved with car care and these few minutes give the jump start needed to save time and money at home!

 

They are growing their repair centers like crazy...

O'Reilly is moving further into regions in NY/Northeast....

Auto parts chain acquires more property in Albany region

O'Reilly Auto Parts purchased the site of a former fast-food restaurant in Queensbury, New York, for $800,000.

The nation's third-largest auto parts retailer has invested $2.8 million, acquiring four properties in Albany, Saratoga and Warren counties over the past 10 months. The investments come as the company makes an aggressive push into the region that will include a proposed retail store and warehouse at 1929 Central Ave. in Colonie.

O'Reilly is preparing to build stores in East Greenbush, Queensbury, South Glens Falls and Schenectady. Two stores are planned on Central Avenue in Colonie.

The company's latest purchase in the region was a three-quarter acre property at 682 Glen St. that was acquired from J&T Tsai Inc. for $800,000, according to a deed filed Thursday with the Warren County clerk's office. Bruce Ginsburg and Peter VanBortel of IKON Realty Group in Albany brokered the sale.

The property is the former site of the Fx3 Fit Food Fast restaurant. The property also served as a Friendly's Restaurant.

O'Reilly's, a publicly-traded Springfield, Missouri, retail chain (NASDAQ: ORLY) has said it plans to open 190 stores across the United States this year.

Article here:    https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2017/10/06/auto-parts-chain-acquires-fifth-property-in-albany.html

Looks like security will be tight...

AAPEX Working to Enhance Safety During Show

The Auto Care Association and the Motor &Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA), co-owners of the annual Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), issued a joint statement today regarding the tragic events in Las Vegas earlier this week and their efforts to enhance the safety of exhibitors and attendees to AAPEX 2017.

“We extend heartfelt condolences to the victims, their families and all those affected by the events that took place here on Oct. 1,” said Steve Handschuh, MEMA president. “AAPEX continuously evaluates show security measures to strengthen event participant safety. The associations and show managers are actively engaged this week with local officials, federal agencies, and venue security professionals, seeking expert advice on AAPEX security.”

“We are investigating and pursuing additional security protocols to enhance current AAPEX security practices during our events the week of Oct. 31 through Nov. 3,” said Bill Hanvey, Auto Care Association President. “We will communicate these measures as they materialize in the event that they might inconvenience our exhibitors and attendees, to allow them to plan accordingly.”

Wow, they seem pretty serious about creating their own ecosystem of parts and repair!

Advance Auto Parts stock dropped off today as it was downgraded due to analysts expectations. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/advance-auto-parts-down-as-raymond-james-cuts-to-market-perform/articleshow/60941596.cms

What's interesting is that out of the other BIG 4 (Autozone, O'reilly, Napa), the analysts states that Advance would not be a good acquisition for them because of the nearby locations that already exist and the added debt that it would bring. More likely would be an Amazon or Icahn. 

According to the article below, Amazon's automotive related purchases are up big, trending at 16% YoY in 2017. The big 3 (Autozone, Advance, and O'Reilly) aren't enjoying increases like this and in some cases are barely making prior year sales with same stores. There is something to be said about eCommerce sales vs Brick 'n Mortar store sales and how there is a dynamic shift to online buying that's happening in the US driven by more and more people becoming accustomed to going online rather than running to the store these days.

Is Amazon hurting traditional retailers? I would think yes on their retail channel but not as much on the wholesale where service and delivery time are what accompany parts purchases. Amazon doesn't really have than figured out outside of the metro areas they are delivering same day and maybe they don't need to, because that carries costs in itself.  Check out the article: 

Shoppers Fuel Up on Automotive Accessories: The Amazon Effect