quality difference in radiator caps

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toyota oem (is that Denso?) $15 from Amazon , dont know what the dealer wants.
stant and gates are in the $5-$7 range

any opinions on stant vs gates?

or how to find the toyota 2004 highlander v6 highlander oem stock number? amazon lists the numbers on the stats they sell, but don't say what it fits.
 
My n=1 story: Replaced the factory cap on my Rav4 last year with a Stant from Amazon. Cap arrived looking very generic and then failed 9 months later. Coolant was evaporating. I'd stick with the OEM in the future.
 
Well the cap on my Corolla is only 14 years old my guess is its going to last until the car stops running. But I did have to add a cup of coolant last year? Since then it hasn't dropped?
 
RE: finding OEM part number

Do the online OEM parts suppliers have the correct information regarding OEM part numbers?:

For instance, I plugged in 2004 Highlander at this site: https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/parts-list/2004-toyota-highlander/radiator-water-outlet.html?Filter=(1=1MZFE;6=4FC;7=05S)

Maybe 16401-31520, $13.xx on Ebay delivered.
 
For Japanese cars, Denso/T-Rad/Calsonic OEM no question. In some cases, a Stant/Gates does work fine. The old Nissan Quest my parents had sad a Stant cap until we unloaded it, it held up to pressure. A Subaru I worked on had a Stant instead of the OEM Calsonic and it worked fine. Toyota and Honda tend to be more finicky for caps.

The Americans use Stant or Indian-made TVS caps.

Amazon does sell fakes, but it's actually easy to tell a fake/real Denso apart.
 
I buy motorad personally

Yeah the afore mentioned TVS brand is oem for a lot of makes
 
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Stant makes for Gates on a lot of Japanese models.

Use OEM. My Stant cap stuck shut and caused a head warp / head gasket problem. I called them and they basically said they are only responsible for the cap cost and can send me a replacement cap. Don't take a chance for $10 saving like me.
 
Stay away from GATES!!! I had 2 different failures on 2 different vehicles. First the caps are CHEAPLY made and do not fit correctly. Secondly - they will leak. Happened to me on 2 different applications: Honda Civic and Honda Accord. I'm glad I caught the issues before giving the car back to the owners. They literaly lasted just days!
 
OEM or bust. Not worth trying to save a few bucks on a part that can potentially overheat the engine.

When I changed my cap last year I went straight to the dealer parts counter.
 
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I will never trust Stant again after I had one of their brand new thermostats that wouldn't open up in a pan of boiling water. Certain critical parts I'll stay with O.E.M.
 
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
toyota oem (is that Denso?) $15 from Amazon , dont know what the dealer wants.
stant and gates are in the $5-$7 range

any opinions on stant vs gates?

or how to find the toyota 2004 highlander v6 highlander oem stock number? amazon lists the numbers on the stats they sell, but don't say what it fits.


why you replacing it?
 
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Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
toyota oem (is that Denso?) $15 from Amazon , dont know what the dealer wants.
stant and gates are in the $5-$7 range

any opinions on stant vs gates?

or how to find the toyota 2004 highlander v6 highlander oem stock number? amazon lists the numbers on the stats they sell, but don't say what it fits.


why you replacing it?


I found some cooland residue around the cap,no liquid, just evidence of a past leak, \around the cap and also leak line down from the cap.onto top of rad. I have not seen wet coolant there , just the "trail" of a past leak. have not had to add coolant
 
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