GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I was going to use a stiff-bristled brush or broom head to brush all the dead buggies outta my radiator...that's sturdy metal, right? I don't have to worry about damaging it?

I'd be very careful if I used a brush. Those fins aren't that sturdy. I take my hose and get out what I can with that and call it good.

I haven't messed with the Vibe radiator, but have with other radiators. They had very thin bendable fins and it was easy to fold them over, effectively blocking air flow through that spot. A lot of copper in them which is a soft metal. As long as it's not a wire brush, you should be able to do it if you move the brush parallel to the radiator fins, but I would recommend not going across them.IMHO

Hmm...glad I asked first!

a soft broom wouldnt hurt it. be careful with the hose using too powerful of a spray too. use a soft bristle brush or something to get it out.

use a spray hose only the fins are thin and will bend easy. the more bent fins the less cooling.

Sounds like someone is getting their Vibe ready for the Ohio Meet... am I right?

i use the power wand down the car wash. it gets most of the little buggers out.

I must say that all the cars I have owned I have never had a problem with excessive bugs on my radiator. Maybe some of you others live in a more bug prone area than I.

Depending on the car, I get a fair amount of bugs, too. I would suggest, as someone already has, to take the car to a self-car wash and use a high-pressure washer to spray them off. Just don't get the nozzle end of the power washer too close to the radiator and the fins won't bend. I use the power washer at work all the time for this purpose, but I haven't tried it on my Vibe yet. The sooner you remove the bugs, the easier they will be to squirt off. If you squirt off the radiator with your hose at home every time you wash the car, they won't build up and should come off pretty easily.

Weirdest thing I ever found plastered to the front of my radiator was a bat. Was in a different car, doubt if a bat could get through the Vibe grill.

What you can do is install a piece of window screen in front of the rad for the summer""""

or you could chuck a wire brush into a drill and go at it for a while. then you can smear peanut butter all over it to make it shiney again!

quote:or you could chuck a wire brush into a drill and go at it for a while. then you can smear peanut butter all over it to make it shiney again!MMMMMMMM PEANUT BUTTER. ROFL

My suggestion is to use a light pressure nozzle and spray from the engine area out this will push the buggy guts out. To reduce the bugs in your rad add a screen between your front grill and rad. But HEY what do I know I just work on tanks for a living!! HA! HA! HA!