Let me tell you something about my truck. I love it.

Now before all of you hybrid car driving environmentalists show up on my doorstep with pitchforks and torches, allow me to clarify. I’m one of the few pickup truck drivers that actually use the vehicle for functional purposes. I tow things. I lift things. I move things. I truck, dammit.

Now, I’ve been through all brands of trucks. I’ve had a Ford truck, Chevy truck and a Dodge truck. And no matter how dependable those commercials on television (Y’know, the ones with the cowboys and John Cougar Mellencamp songs) say that their truck is, there is one part that invariably goes out every time. The radiator.

Truck radiators are magnets for destruction, I kid you not. Whether you’re towing a trailer, carrying a load of dirt, or simply strapping a giant elephant into the bed of the truck (Which I do every Wednesday. Don’t ask.) you should know that your truck radiator is eventually going to blow. There’s only so much cooling a radiator can do on an overstressed engine and, trust me on this one, radiator repair will only get you so far. A repaired radiator will at best cool to 80% capacity as a new radiator will because even if they flushed it, it’s still full of buildup that is now somehow physically part of the radiator. I’m not even sure how it gets that bad. Clearly, I should have watched more Mr. Wizard as a kid.

So needless to say, with all of the truckery (I just made that word up) that I do, I find myself buying a new truck radiator at least once every 4-5 years or so. It’s not like the radiators I buy are defective; in fact they’re some of the highest quality parts I’ve ever seen, it’s that I put that much strain on my trucks. Still, it doesn’t hurt to do some research to ensure that one gets a discounted truck radiator. Personally, I know I’ll get as much mileage out of it as I would an OEM Ford, Chevy, or Dodge truck radiator, so why would I throw away up to 200 extra dollars that can be better spent on can after can of alphabet soup? God I love alphabet soup. I’m eating a bowl right now. I spilled a “Q” in my keyboard. It’s wedged in the little space between the “N” key and the “M” key which ironically isn’t anywhere near the “Q” key.

That’s all for now.

- Geno

In 2003 I was teaching 6th graders in the Oakland CA Unified School District when I had an epiphany. I was cleaning a smeared Grape Jelly sandwich off of my chalkboard while admonishing a student who, while criticizing another student with a “Your Mom” joke had used a double negative, when it hit me. I really love teaching but there must be another way to make a living in California. The job hunt was on.

I am not good with cars. As a matter of fact, I’ve never changed my own oil, a tire and if truth be told, I do not even know how to program a radio station in our Volkswagen Jetta. I never saw myself in the auto parts industry, let alone working for the nation’s largest distributors of radiators, Radiator Warehouse. Yet at the end of the summer, I started learning about the difference between plastic tanks, radiator repair, when you need a new radiator and other car part components that help cool your car’s engine. Somehow I was able to parlay my experience teaching kids into a call center environment managing students of The Radiator.

I quickly came to realize how much radiators were in demand and found myself talking to friends and relatives about the difference in core measurement between a Chevy truck radiator and a Honda Civic radiator. As the company grew and eventually started franchising, I became more enthusiastic about the radiator market. Though I still miss the occasional “Your Mom” joke.