1997 Accord Cracked Radiator

Hi,

My mechanic tells me that my radiator is cracked and needs replacement. This is going to cost $350. Yikes!! Does this sound like a fair price?? I just had my 150k mile service done 3 months ago. Shouldn't this have been caught then??

Thanks,

swb1

I haven't priced a radiator for that gen Accord before but it might be correct....what was the breakdown of labor/parts?

An option to consider would be to take it to a radiator shop...if it just has a cracked tank they can replace the tanks, clean the core out and reassemble and paint, reconditioning the entire unit. Generally costs less than half of what a new radiator costs, and their labor rate is usually a bit cheaper than the typical shop.

*** I just looked up a new radiator for it....found units for as little as $94 and as high as $350 for an all-aluminum performance radiator...but the SPI (the brand I used in the shop, good OEM quality replacement) is $329...

So be sure of what they are putting in there. If they are using a crapola $94 Autozone special and taking $250 for labor, it's a screw job. It'll do the job, but might not last long. I'd actually expect to pay a little more for a quality replacement.

But I'd look into reconditioning first...

OH, and to answer your other question....

Not neccessarily. spontaneous things like that can happen without warning, the plastic tanks on those radiators shrink a bit and get brittle with age, cracking is not uncommon. It's been a hot summer (at least here...) running in the extreme heat with A/C loads might have punched it's ticket this summer...

They just gave me a general quote nothing written, but on there wall they have posted that their labor cost is $80 per hr and he said it was a 2-2.5 hr job. There was no quote as to what the part costs. I guess I have to give them a call.

swb1

I have bought a radiator from www.rockauto.com. It was the cheapest. After installation I had lots of problems with the radiator cap: none fit in this radiator. So if you buy it yourself I suggest you to buy it with the cap. If you want to pay somebody to do it for you, like jeff said make sure they will put a quality radiator for that amount of money. Labor should not run more than a hundred dollars.

Good luck,

Sam

I called the mechanic shop and they said that the radiator is $169 and it is good quality. How will I know whether it is a good quality radiator or just a cheap one marked up? Therefore, I am paying about $175 for labor.

Thanks,

swb1

how about this u supply the parts and they supply the labor that way u know ur not getting ripped

how about this u supply the parts and they supply the labor that way u know ur not getting ripped

just do it yourself!!!! its pretty easy, but maybe thats just the mechanic in me speakin.

The mechanic gave me a break down of the costs:
1. $148 for the radiator (all aluminum)
2. $16 for 50/50 coolant
3. $5 for 4 hose clamps
4. $150 for 2 hrs Labor

Totaling $320

Does this sound reasonable??

That sounds reasonable. Good price for an all aluminum unit...

Actually it doesn't look like an all aluminum radiator. Seems like the frame around is plastic (black) and the grill is aluminum. Still seem reasonable??

swb1

Actually it doesn't look like an all aluminum radiator. Seems like the frame around is plastic (black) and the grill is aluminum. Still seem reasonable??

swb1

I wondered, that was awful good. Plastic tanks are the OE design. Like I said earlier, you can buy that radiator for probably about $100 at the parts store, 50% markup is not unreasonable as shops go...some go 100% or more...

They are probably just charging retail list price, that's on the level.

Thanks!