Best place to buy a radiator/ Best Radiator to buy

[VK56VD]

The radiator on my '99 Nissan Maxima has sprung a leak at the top plastic portion.

I'm looking at Rockauto and they carry a "various mfr" brand for $67 + shipping. Sounds like a generic brand. Radiatorbarn.com has a "Csf" brand radiator for $76.40 shipped to me with lifetime warranty. A Maxima.org forum is currently running a group deal for a "Koyo" brand radiator for $106 shipped. Has anyone heard of any of these brands? So far Radiatorbarn.com looks like the best option. Has anyone dealt with them in the past?

Thanks

 

[Chris142]

If given a choice of those 3 I'd go with csf

 

[VK56VD]

Is CSF a widely known reputable brand? I am not at all familiar with radiator brands as this is the first one that has failed me. Then again, I've never had a car with 175k miles and being 13 years old.

 

[bullwinkle]

I had a CSF years ago in a Civic & it was really good (a brass/copper replacement for an OEM aluminum/plastic radiator).

 

[ag_ghost]

Originally Posted By: Spartuss
I'm looking at Rockauto and they carry a "various mfr" brand for $67 + shipping.

+1 on the previous replies. 3 years ago, I called Rock Auto and they couldn't or wouldn't tell me what kind of radiator I'd get if I ordered a "various mfr" SKU, much less whether it was made of plastic or metal...

 

[zzyzzx]

I don't know if you can get an all metal radiator off Rock Auto or at a local chain store. I think you might still be able to get some from radiator specialty stores or eBay.

Also, for my car the price at Rock Auto and at my local store is the same for a radiator.

 

[Oldwolf]

I bought one from Advance Auto years ago for my Cavalier. My Daughter is still driving it. It was the same brand that RockAuto offered and I could use a coupon. Iirc it was built in Canada.

Ready Rad

 

[DBMaster]

Koyo is made in Japan. It is a good radiator. I have installed both CSF and Koyo and neither was worn out nine years later. Both brands are fine.

 

[PandaBear]

I previously bought from Radiator Barn a CSF brass/copper radiator, and it developed a hairline leak. I called them for warranty replacement and they ask me to go to get a compression test in to prove that it is before sending me a replacement. I told them it has noticeable green tint and compression test is not free, and they agree to send me a plastic tank one (which I request due to CSF brass/copper's reputation of hairline crack).

So it is a matter of how much hoops you want to jump through for the "lifetime warranty". If you don't have the time to wait and send in radiator, it is not very useful. The price difference between a local radiator shop vs radiator barn is only $20, but their warranty is only 1 year. Quality seems similar between them.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: Spartuss
Is CSF a widely known reputable brand?
CSF has been making Radiators longer than I have been in the business.

The all metal Radiators are getting scarce so the days of replacing a plastic Radiator with an all metal are pretty slim.

 

[quint]

I had a Radiator Barn metal unit in my 240sx for about a year when the engine started pinging and running warm. I removed the foam strip at the top that separates the a/c condensor and the radiator and looked down to see if there were leaves or a plastic bag or whatever that might be restricting airflow, only to notice that most of the fins on the bottom third of the radiator were gone, and what was left above that area was flaking off and would crumble merely by being lightly touched. I talked to radiator barn about their "lifetime" warranty to get a replacement and was promptly informed that their "warranty" didnt cover corrosion, especially in a state where road salt was used. I asked them why their fine print didnt say this, they didnt have an answer. I quickly decided the two hours I spend going round and round with them wasnt worth the $130 or so I had into this, so I gave up on this warranty nonsense. In desperation to get the car back on the road I ordered a cheapy $75 Chinese plastic/aluminum unit off eBay and two years later other than some light road dirt it still looks almost brand new.

 

[DBMaster]

I actually do not like all metal radiators. Psychologically, I think a lot of us think that "all metal" sounds better than "metal and plastic," however, my experience with an all metal CSF radiator in my Accord in 2000 was that within three years the solder joint on the lower tank had cracked and the thing was leaking. I had no problem redeeming the warranty. The seller shipped me a new one, no questions asked. My instructions were to place the bad one into the same box and use the included UPS shipping label to send it back. The new radiator was an aluminum/plastic design and was leak-free for nine years. It probably still is, but I got rid of the car a few months ago. I installed a $100 aluminum/plastic Koyo on my ex-wife's Oasis about seven years ago. It has been nice and leak free as well.

 

[VK56VD]

I ordered the csf unit from radiatorbarn.com. It's not a all metal radiator. It's the oe style. Under description it shows; "ONE ROW, OE STYLE PLASTIC TANKS ALUMINUM CORE." Hopefully this $76 part will last.

 

[DBMaster]

It should be just fine. That's almost exactly what I bought from Rock Auto to replace the radiator on my daughter's 99 Infiniti I30 after she wrecked it. It's been almost three years with no problems.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: DBMaster
I actually do not like all metal radiators. Psychologically, I think a lot of us think that "all metal" sounds better than "metal and plastic,"


The older folks think plastic crack much easier than copper / brass corrosion. The problem is it is very hard to build a good all metal radiator and CSF is not a good quality one. A welded all aluminum radiator can cost $300, enough for 3 plastic tank radiators that will last 120k miles each.

Today's plastic last much longer than the low quality all metal that everyone thought is durable.

 

[DBMaster]

^Yes, agreed. The all aluminum ones are nice, but pricey, as you said.

 

[chevys10]

I prefer to get one locally in case I need to use the warranty. I replaced the radiator 3 times on my old s-10 but only paid once for the radiator. It was the same brand that I could have gotten online and was priced similarly.