best buy replacement radiator

londonTiger

I have a minor leak on the radiaor on the car. I was having a coolant leak on my car for a long time, I have to top up around 150ml per month.

I was worried that it might be the heater matrix or worse a crack in the engine. All the hoses are dry and there's no white resident on them.

But there is a damp spot under one corner of the radiator.

On ECP there are numerous prices banded around by different makes. Was hoping for some guidance.

For mk4 golf 1.6

EIS - £32 (too many bad reviews for EIS online, so will pass)
frigair - £53
hella - £56
Valeo - £97

all prices with discounts.

I'm going to rule out EIS as there are so many bad reviews, the choice would really be between frigair and hella. At a stretch possibly go value too. Which brands are reliable?

forgotmyname

If your keeping the car and need reliable then Valeo all day long.

Flying-High_2

OE Part number should be 1J0 121 253 N

Outta that List I'd be looking at the Hella or Valeo. I had CAT C VR6 Corrado some years back that needed a new rad and that was a Hella Unit. The whole running gear and rad still lives on in another vehicle today..

But Have a look at Ebay Item number 290891169782.. 2 year warranty blah de blah... I think it could be worth a punt.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

you sure a clip hasnt come loose?

i would be more inclined to first identify the source of the leak with a UV water leak test dye about £4.00 and buy a uv pen about £6.00, if the leaks is sourced to the plastic parts on the outer sides then i would buy some bumper plastic filler and fill in the crack saving me falking out a new rad coolant and a half a days work.

if sourced to the alu rad unit itself then i would opt for valeo for top durability and quality

londonTiger

taking out the rad to inspect will be a two hour job.


If I'm being honest, I'd rather just replace it if I'm going to take it out to have a look at it the bumper & grill need to come off to get access to the radiator and that is time consuming process.. When I drained out the coolant to do a flush and fill the water came out copper coloured. All rusty water (coolant is pink) So there's been a serious corrosion in there.

londonTiger

Thanks, the valeo is a bit pricey for a non urgent repair on the car. So far I've been managing by topping up with deioised water every couple of months.

£50 would be an ideal price range for a replacement radiator.

I'll see how much the quality differs between the valeo and the mid priced parts at the ECP counter. If there is a significant difference and worth shelling out £40 extra then I don't mind paying a bit more of longer lasting items.

Ebay parts are a big no-no for me personally. You have no idea what brand they are, if they are unbranded assume the worst quality chinese brands.

Case in point with the EIS parts that I looked up, there seems to be a lot of people complaining that quality control is a bit hit and miss, some people go back to EPC to get replacement, a lot of people compain that the hose size is wrong causing a loose connection causing coolant leak etc,

With ebay parts - if the parts are bad you have to pay return postage to get a replacement and that sometimes costs more than part itself for a consumer without a business account. At least with ECP it's a short drive away to change it out for a working one.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

rusty water is sign of someone topping up without antifreeze as antifreeze is an anti corrosive.

dont have to remove the rad to find the leak with a uv test kit and a 2 second job, fill up with uv dye curculate the water (engine on) and aim a blacklight at the rad and pipes where theres uv liquid theres a leak that simple.

its not a 2 hour job to remove and replace either, my BIL had 2.0 GTI with a leaky rad, it took less than that to completely install and fill up and bleed if neccessary.

londonTiger

Just changed the radiator today.

I actually put a UV test dye into the rad long time ago and I couldn't get a reading. Modern cars are absolutely cramped and you can never get a complete look at a component. You can barely see the radiator as the AC condenser is at the front and the fan assembly is behind it.

After taking out the radiator I took out a UV torch and managed to confirm my leak - it was on the corner of the radiator.

Fitted the radiator in 3 hours. Started at 4 and ended at 7 although it felt like it took all day.

Out of curiosity how much would a mechanic charge for a radiator replacement?

Inch_High_2

londonTiger wrote: »

I have a minor leak on the radiaor on the car. I was having a coolant leak on my car for a long time, I have to top up around 150ml per month.

I was worried that it might be the heater matrix or worse a crack in the engine. All the hoses are dry and there's no white resident on them.

But there is a damp spot under one corner of the radiator.

On ECP there are numerous prices banded around by different makes. Was hoping for some guidance.

For mk4 golf 1.6

EIS - £32 (too many bad reviews for EIS online, so will pass)
frigair - £53
hella - £56
Valeo - £97

all prices with discounts.

I'm going to rule out EIS as there are so many bad reviews, the choice would really be between frigair and hella. At a stretch possibly go value too. Which brands are reliable?

What's the colour of the residents round your way got to do with it?

londonTiger

typo: residue

londonTiger

yikes, just topped up some coolant this morning and notice some grease in the coolant reservoior. Checked the oil cap and there is no coffee colour residue to indicate a head gasket leak.

Just curious, how like is it that the grease is from the inside of the new radiator? I know that some metal tools and stuff have a bit of grease on them to protect from rusting from atmospheric moisture during storage.

I guess the best way to rectify this is to flush the coolant after a few more journeys and then check the coolant again - hopefully the oil should come out.

When I did the coolant drain during the radiator replacement I did not see any grease in the bucket which indicates to me the grease is new.