1997 Accord Cracked Radiator

[swb1]

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

[jeffcoslacker]

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...

[jeffcoslacker]

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...

[swb1]

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

[somick]

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

[swb1]

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

[wiseguy01]

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

[drew51074]

Originally Posted by wiseguy01

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.

[swb1]

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??

[jeffcoslacker]

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

[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

[jeffcoslacker]

Originally Posted by 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.

[swb1]

Thanks!