Today’s mail just makes me smile.  We recieved one of the kindest messages we have ever recieved from a woman who was very satisfied with our low prices and fast delivery times.  Tracy writes:

” You have the most incredible service I have ever seen! I randomly came onto your site in desparation in immediate need of a radiator. Locally they wanted almost twice the price. I asked questions online and got answers in just seconds! At the end they asked for my number and said they would call. Literally 30 seconds later my cell rings. You had a life time warranty radiator for $112. Shipping was only $5! I’ve ordered books that charged more for shipping. This all happened at 10 am. And here is the jaw dropper, less than 45 minutes later a gentleman pulls into the drive way gets out of his car with my radiator. My dad was standing there and nearly fell over in disbelief as did I. Attached to the box was a bag of candy thanking me for doing business. This was absolutely amazing! Again I have never seen service like this. Please keep it up. I am telling everyone about you guys and they are all amazed! I almost hope I have another radiator go out just so I can use and see your service again. Thank You again!

Sincerely,

Tracy B.”

Notes like this one are always exciting.  It makes us all feel good to know that our warehouse managers, phone representatives and online systems are all working perfectly together to get parts to customers like Tracy.  Really, we are in this business to make sure that everyone has an experience as good as the one described here.

 Thank you for writing Tracy!  It was a pleasure doing business with you.

 -Emily

According to this interesting article in The Independent the reason Racehorses are able to run at such high speeds without overheating or losing consciousness, is because they are equipped with a biological radiator that keeps their brains cool.

Horses generate so much heat while galloping that their blood reaches temperatures of up to 104 degrees, enough to cause serious damage to a horse’s brain.  However, before the blood reaches the brain it is cooled by moving past internal pouches filled with cooler air.  This anatomical heat transfer system keeps the horse from damaging it’s brain in much the same way that the heat transfer systems in our cars keep our engines from suffering permanent damage or failure.

Of course, when a car overheats, the thing that suffers most is not the automobile itself but the cars owner.  He or she is the one that has to deal with the stress and expense of getting the vehicle up and running.  Fortunately Radiator.com is here to help.

Auto Mechanic: Tools for the Auto Mechanic in You is Frankie D’Antoni’s excellent automotive repair blog.  I stumbled across the site the other day and was immediately struck by the simply stated, practical advice Frankie offers about taking care of your car. 

When I read his entry on how to flush your car’s cooling system I knew I had to share this wonderful site with all of you do-it-yourself mechanics out there!  I was particularly happy to see that the first step in that tutorial was this one:

Step 1: Wait until you have a cool engine. If you’ve been driving, then it’s always best (not to mention safer) to wait for your engine to cool down before you start working under your vehicle’s hood.

We all know how I feel about the importance of letting your car cool down before messing with your cooling system.

 -Emily

Every week, as I scan the internet looking for radiator news to share with all of you I come across stories of men and women who injure themselves with hot coolant while trying to repair or remove their radiator.  This can result in serious injury to the eyes and face and in most cases it is a problem that could be easily avoided.  You simply need to let your engine sit and cool off before attempting to remove the radiator cap.  I’ll repeat that: LET YOUR ENGINE COOL DOWN!!!

Coolant works by coursing through the engine, absorbing it’s heat, returning to the radiator where that heat is released into the outside air.  The coolant is then sent back to the engine where it picks up more heat and heads back to the radiator to be cooled, fanned and prepared for another run.  This is why we refer to radiators and fan assemblies as part of a car’s heat transfer system.  Coolant transfers immense amounts of heat away from the car’s engine, and in the process the fluid is heated to scalding hot temperatures.

This increase in heat leads to a build up of pressure in the system.  This is because heat is energy, and molecules that are full of energy/heat bounce around more than molecules that are not full of energy (cooler ones).  The extra movement of the molecules in hot coolant means that the coolant takes up more room.  In a closed system, this means more pressure.  When this pressure is released through say, the sudden removal of a radiator cap, the result can be a veritable gyser of burning hot radiator fluid.  This is a recipe for injury to the eyes and face.

After reading story after story about people who don’t let their engine cool and are subsequently burned, I feel strongly for the safety of my readers.  It is a simple, easy, and safe thing to remove a radiator,  but make sure to read up on our car care articles and speak with a mechanic before embarking on a radiator removal or installation.  And whatever you do, for goodness sake, LET YOUR ENGINE COOL DOWN FIRST!

-Emily

Coming back to work after a particularly fun weekend can be a little difficult.  Fortunately my morning was made a whole lot cheerier when another happy customer email found its way into my inbox.  Today’s mail is from an enthusiastic man named Kevin:

The service you provide is TOP NOTCH and the BEST service I have ever received!!!!! The order had not even been placed for two hours and it was delivered to my door. I can’t thank you enough.

Kevin F.

Yep, that’s right.  Kevin gave us not one, but five exclamation points and he even sent a couple kind words in all caps.  In email terms this means high praise.  On behalf of all of us here at Radiator.com I’d like to say thank you Kevin!  It was our pleasure.

If you’ve ever ordered a part from Radiator.com than you are probably familiar with our amazing doorstep delivery.  Getting you back on the road is a top priority, and our speedy delivery has helped our customers out of some tight squeezes.    We get our parts out fast, sometimes even within an hour or two. 

Our awesome delivery service is made possible by the network of warehouses we share with our mother company, 1-800 Radiator, by the service-oriented franchisees who own and operate these warehouses, and by the delivery cars that help get these cars to your doorstep.  Radiator.com delivery vehicles range from simple white trucks and vans to cars that are decked out in Radiator.com and 1-800 Radiator decals and car wraps.  Below we have an example of one of our cooler delivery vehicles:

This picture of franchise owner John Czaplicki and his custom PT Cruiser shows how creative our franchisees can get with their delivery cars.  John operates two of our Illinois warehouses, and if you are lucky enough to be one of his customers your part might be dropped off at your doorstep by this fantastically awesome car.  With a car as hot as this one it sure is a good thing that John has a full stock of Chrysler radiators on hand (heehee!  Radiator humor never gets old).

 -Emily

With a long California stretching out in front of me my mind has been turning increasingly to thoughts of grand adventure and fun. I want to go camping, to visit relatives and friends in every corner of the state and maybe even cruise on down the coast and spend a couple days lounging on a warm beach or goofing around at Disneyland. Before embarking on any adventure though, it is important to make sure your car is in good working order. In the hot summer we have to be especially careful to avoid overheating our cars. The last thing anyone wants is to be stranded at the side of a road far from home in the blazing sun. An overheated engine is not only bad for your car, but terrifically inconvenient. In summer, when heat exposure can cause illness and discomfort, a roadside breakdown can even be hazardous to your health.

So, what can you do to avoid overheating your engine? Well, Anything that can interfere with your cooling system’s ability to transfer and discharge heat can cause your car to overheat. Make sure your hoses are not brittle or cracked, and that you have no coolant leaks (if your car is leaving any mysterious stains on the driveway it is a good idea to check them out before going on a road trip). Check to make sure the car’s fan is operable, that there are no signs of corrosion on the radiator. Make sure that your radiator cap fits tightly, a loose cap can lead to lost coolant and a loss of pressure in the system. Check to make sure the coolant levels are correct and inspect the coolant for oil, sediment, or muck. Dirty coolant can indicate corrosion of the radiator, or that you are in need of a radiator flush. Failure to take care of either problem could lead to an overheated engine.

According to the U.S. Department of transportation, cooling system failures are the number one cause of roadside breakdowns. So before you go on your road trip make sure to check out your radiator, fan assembly and hoses. It might save you from a breakdown, or prevent the engine damage that can be the result of a cooling system failure.

-Emily

Earlier this morning this email from a happy customer came our way:

“Just wanted to thank you for the excellent service you provided.  I ordered my radiator on Monday, received it on Tuesday, and installed it on Wednesday.  It was a perfect replacement and worked perfectly.  The delivery time was incredible, the driver called to let me know he in the area and the courtesy he displayed was incredible.  If every company I  had to deal with was like yours, I would never have any complaints.  Thank you again, it was a pleasure doing business with you and I will recommend you to all of my friends.”

-From Tim in Bristol, Tennessee

Why, thank you Tim in Bristol!  What a sweetie you are to say such nice things!

It is always wonderful to get positive feedback from our customers.  We all work pretty hard to take care of them and it makes us feel good to know that people notice.  Emails like Tim’s always make my week. 

-Emily

Last Sunday was a hot one at Watkins Glen International, as Bill Lester prepared to race in Sahlen’s Six Hours on the Glen and hoped to secure a Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series Victory.

Unfortunately it was not to be.  Shortly into the race Bill Lester’s radiator failed, his car overheated, and despite a speedy replacement by the pit crew, he was not able to make up the lost laps. 

Nine years ago Watkins Glen was where Bill Lester became the first African American to participate in a Busch Series race.  He is known as one of the most influential and trailblazing African-Americans in Nascar.  We congratulate him for finishing last weekends race even after suffering a radiator disaster.  Additionally we wish him much better luck in the Rolex Series’ future stops! 

The rest of us might not have as much riding on our radiators as a professional racecar driver like Lester, but it is still comforting to remember that Radiator.com can help us get back on the road without losing valuable time.

Bill Lester Blogs on the Watkins Glen Race

-Emily

 Greetings all!  My name is Emily, I’m also Radiator.com’s newest blogger.

I started working at Radiator.com five years ago.  I was in high school, it was my first summer job.  I spent June, July and August packaging Radiator.com t-shirts, notepads and stickers and mailing these goody filled envelopes out to loyal customers.   I enjoyed the responsibilities and challenges of a full-time workweek.  I learned valuable lessons from my bosses about taking care of the customer, basic job skills, and I got a little more familiar with how my car worked under the hood.  When I returned to school in September I was more mature, better at managing my schoolwork and interacting with my teachers, much more financially responsible and when my car started overheating I knew what to do.  I returned to the company the next summer and I’ve worked year-round at Radiator.com ever since, it’s where I learned to work, and it’s where I grew up.

I never left Radiator.com, but my job description has changed quite a bit since that first summer.  After spending some time honing my writing skills in college I started writing  press releases for the company.  After learning a bit about graphics editing programs I started designing ads and coupons for our customers.  Now (after spending countless hours whining in my LiveJournal)  I have the privilege of contributing to the Radiator.com blog.

I’m looking forward to sharing my excitement about the company and thoughts on the automotive industry with you in my next entries.   Thanks all for reading and it’s great to meet you!

-Emily