Welcome back, readers and video watchers!

I have a simple question for you: What are friends for? Giving you good advice for one thing, but if your friends suggest using Radiator sealant, run the other way! This is a very short (and angry) video but if you’ve ever thought about using a radiator sealant, you should pay attention to it. Seeing what sealant did to this radiator should stop you dead in your tracks. Why would you consider using this kind of product when the dangers of using a radiator sealant far outweigh the benefits?

I suppose that a sealant could sound appealing if you have a radiator, block or cylinder head leak and you want to delay a radiator repair, or buying a used radiator or a new radiator to handle the problem. At a time like this, a sealant has just the kind of properties that you think you need. When you apply a sealant, it changes state and becomes hard, plugging up the nasty little crack or leak that is making your life miserable.

In other words, it closes that small opening and stops the radiator coolant leak, which meets your immediate goal. The problem comes when the sealant does more than you bargained for and works its ways through your radiator, resulting in the kind of completely clogged radiator that you see in this video. Sealant can even make its way to your heater core and ruin your auto’s heating system. Yes, it seals that leak, but it can do a lot of other damage, too, as this video graphically illustrates.

The bottom line? Unless you want your radiator clogged for good, pull out that leaky radiator and get it replaced or repaired the right way. With the lowest cost radiators on the market and a lifetime guarantee, a visit to radiator.com can prove to be far more cost effective than this foolish, temporary solution.

- Susie

Hello again, auto repair lovers and seekers of automobile truth! I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this video will give you free auto repair tips in any large sense. It is actually just an excerpt from a larger video, but the one piece of advice that it does illustrate, how to replace car headlight, is actually quite helpful if you’ve never tried to do this task before.

Car parts can be hard to find under the hood, or at least they are for me since I am still pretty much of an auto repair beginner. Unless you know what you’re looking for, the whole thing can be quite daunting but Danny shows us the area where the headlight resides and what the little devils look like. He also demonstrates that a quarter turn clockwise does the trick for removing an old bulb, hopefully eliminating a lot of counter-productive twisting and turning that could damage it or the headlight housing.

If you are trying to cultivate a do it yourself car repair mentality like I am, every little task you can master really helps. My advice is to focus on how Danny gets the little headlight removed quickly and easily because this video doesn’t get to how to replace taillights. Nor, do you ever get to find out why you needed to lay out those car part repair tools – a Phillips head screw driver, a standards head screwdriver and a hand towel.

As for the towel, I didn’t even break a fingernail doing this, let alone get grimy. I’ve got to search around for the second part of this lesson so see why you need those tools, but in the meantime, my quest to maintain the auto parts that are under my car’s hood all by myself has moved another step ahead!

– Susie

Goodness gracious auto repair lovers! Here’s a radiator video that you can do without. Its only redeeming factor is that it sends a clear message that some people just shouldn’t own cars – even clunkers like this car. The two guys in the video don’t have half a brain between them. I’m not sure who they are, but someone should take away their video camera along with their wreck of a car. As a viewer, you already have a suspicion that the car is in the shape it is in thanks to their idiocy. They certainly aren’t doing a radiator repair. I doubt that they could even find the radiator under the hood.

It starts out with the driver (a loose description of the guy sitting at the steering wheel) gunning the engine so hard, it stops turning over at all. Then, we have to watch him repeatedly jam the key in the ignition as the whole frame convulses in its death-throes. He has no idea what he is doing to his auto car radiator but the next things we see is the passenger who has the hood open. He is banging at the radiator with some kind of pliers, hopping back at each swing from the radiator smoking. If it isn’t clear already, he ought to know by now that he needs a new radiator. He succeeds in knocking off the radiator cap without burning himself which is pretty amazing with the engine smoking at this point. Boiling water spurts out and he jumps back, laughing like a maniac.

So there it is – everything not to do when you have car trouble. And besides that, if you ever see one of these guys walking down the street (they couldn’t possibly be driving) move to the other side of the street because they could be dangerous!

- Susie

Hello again, auto repair lovers and those of you who are just plain curious about what’s under the hood.  If you need a pat on the back before you begin a do it yourself radiator replacement project, this video is a great place to start.  You won’t learn anything to help you with the actual task, but it can help to psych you up as you get ready to tackle the job.

The gentleman in this video – Chris – is about to pull out an old radiator and put a new one into his 1998 Honda Civic.  For someone who doesn’t know what he is doing, he has a lot more confidence than I would have.  I have no idea where his cavalier attitude comes from because he freely admits that he isn’t a mechanic and that he is going to rely on his auto repair book to guide him through the process.  This is certainly not the way I would go about it for the first time, but I have to admire his enthusiasm.  I were being filmed for this radiator video about an installation, I’d want someone by my side to point here and there and give me some direction.   Faced with a leaky radiator under his hood and a new Honda Civic Radiator replacement by his side, Chris experiences none of my qualms as he prepares to launch forth following the install radiator chapter, which I hope comes equipped with a few good photos.

I can only wish Chris the best of luck.  I think I’d rather learn live from a friend – or anyone else willing to guide me through removing a leaky and on-its-way-out radiator, let alone installing a new radiator.  But as I said in the beginning, the attitude that Chris has might be contagious so check this out before you get started – particularly if you are a radiator novice.

- Susie

Greetings to you music and radiator lovers,
This radiator video might best be described as of giant thank-you card from the folks at Garden Grove to all of their loyal (and yet to be discovered) customers in Southern California. It was enough to make me want to jump in my car and drive the 600 miles to shake hands with the people who have such a nice way of looking at the world of the automobile radiator and car parts business. What better way to say ‘thank you’ than to bring to life a well-used disc jockey phrase - “more rock, less talk.” The video assumes that when you want to thank someone, you aren’t trying to sell them a product or educate them about a radiator flush or the workings of a plastic radiator. In fact, this video isn’t just less talk. It is no talk at all! Click “play” and you get treated to an upbeat light rock music background that provides a well-deserved break in your busy day. The music is accompanied by some fast and even classic car racing images. The shots will take you back to your own past with a little background music and lots of room to dream and reminisce. Thanks a bunch, Garden Grove ! I loved it and hope others will drop in and watch this quick and very pleasant video!

Susie

If you’re in the market for car parts for your Acura, you have come to the right place. I suppose you could consider radiator.com as the Acura Radiator specialist.

We do have auto radiators for all makes and models of Acura, including Acura MDX Radiators, Acura Integra, Acura Legend, and the CL Series. When your radiator begins to show signs of wear, you have several options in terms of repair vs. replacement. Call us to discuss your situation so we can give you the information you need to help you choose which is best for you. If you plan on driving your Acura for a while, our life time warranty and discount pricing should be an attractive alternative to refurbishing your existing radiator, which could cost almost as much as new a one.

One of the reasons you probably chose to purchase an Acura in the first place was because of its great track record for reliability. Proper maintenance, including replacing your radiator about once every five or six years will help insure many more years of dependable driving from your Acura.

Radiator.com’s expert technicians are available 24/7 to answer your questions. Give us a call on our toll free number; you’ll get the best price around on a new Acura radiator and we’ll throw in a free life time warranty! Don’t let that rusty leaky radiator cause your Acura engine to overheat. This could cost you lots of money in repairs. Call us now and you’ll have a new radiator as soon as tomorrow!

Welcome back to the video reviews,

This week, basic car care and maintenance. If you were like me, you were indoctrinated into a fear of hot things under the car hood from an early age. With me, it followed an innocent question about why somebody’s car was pulled off to the side of the road with flames shooting out from the hood. My father mumbled something about how he hoped that the fool didn’t try to open the hood when it was so hot. So, this video reminder that I should use a towel or glove to remove the radiator cap – and ONLY after things were cooled down and I had done a touch-check of the hoses – was fine with me. And although we have all heard that warning, and it is printed right on the radiator cap, I didn’t mind hearing it again.

However, from the female point of view, what I liked best in this video is that I can now walk into an auto shop and buy coolant without looking like a fool. Neither my mother, nor my father thought that it was important for me to know that coolant comes in both diluted or non-diluted solutions before I moved out of the house. I guess they just didn’t think it was a critical piece of life information. Unfortunately, I was taught how to check coolant level so I was one of those “little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing” people. I’ve made auto supplies purchases many times based on the teensy-weensy bit of auto knowledge that I have picked up along the way. Sometimes, I actually pull off a purchase without looking dumb. At least I can now feel confident in one more auto products aisle – radiator coolant.

And by the way, based on this video, give me a good 50-50 radiator coolant any day. It suits my lifestyle. I have no idea if it suites yours, but thanks to this video we can both understand the choice!

Susie

Hello again video viewers,

This video makes me feel good about the 1-800-Radiator approach to doing business. Rapid franchise growth can be risky but Chief Operating Officer, Joseph Rippey, explains the company’s expansion in a way that makes sense. Jumping from a two store mom-and-pop operation to 120 stores in less than two years is a gutsy move for any company. When you franchise that fast, lots of things can go wrong – everything from cash flow to critical elements like service and quality that people came for in the first place. Joseph explains that 1-800-Radiator strength is actually in those growth numbers that gives some key advantages.

Volume lets them use sophisticated purchasing systems that can compare prices and quality with 16 vendors at a time. That is more than just impressive. It is the kind of buying power can only be done when you are big and growing and it benefits the owners and the customers. Their warehouses are huge (which is clear from the video shots) but equally impressive is the way that franchises share inventory, which translates into satisfied customers who get what they are looking for when they want it, and always at discount radiator and auto parts prices. With 250 stores planned by the end of the year, it’s a good bet that if one store doesn’t have what you need, another will. Kudos for a smart business model that supports local community franchise owners by giving them a big-company edge and their customer the savings through genuine price breaks.

Susie

How to Install a Radiator in your Chevy Engine (in a Ford)- Part 2 : That’s a mouthful.

As a female, I am sometimes annoyed by what sometimes seems like a conspiracy on the part of male inventors who go out of their way to make certain that parts of similar products are incompatible. Give me one good reason why Mac and IBM computers had to go their own separate ways. And why can’t I find a compatible adaptor for my (OK, it’s old) Yamaha electronic keyboard? Yadda, yadda, yadda with the seventeen electric cords that are stuffed in my kitchen drawers for when I need to charge up one of my assorted small household electronics and appliances.

Well, after watching this video of Doug Jenkins installing a Chevy radiator in a Ford, I confess that I may have judged too quickly and too harshly. Perhaps men are beginning to see the light – or, at least men like Doug the quick-change artist are. And all it took, according to Doug, was planning - mocking the whole thing up carefully before installation to be sure that everything fit perfectly. I watched him with my own eyes as he took a slightly modified Chevy radiator and dropped it into its new Ford engine home like it was born there. Part of the trick was what he calls “captive nuts,” of which he has a seemingly endless supply of sizes, because they hold the intake and outlet holes in the exact place they need to be for everything to work. Bravo Doug, you’ve restored my faith in progress!