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OEM or non-OEM Radiator?; three times the price
Topic Started: Sat May 15, 2010 5:39 pm (3,159 Views)
nullogik
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More than part of things
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Talking to a nearby indie, it would appear my radiator has sprung a leak. Thing is a OEM radiator (I presume its a Behr) is nearly £290 from the dealership whereas they are roughly £90 from GSF and Eurocar Parts.

The indie recommended I put in a Behr radiator because, and I'm paraphrasing, something to do with pattern parts being not so good quality and coolant somehow making its way to the transmission and ruining that as well (?). Obviously I don't want the tranny to go pear shaped so thats why I'd be interested in hearing any opinions.

Is it really worth spending nearly three times as much on an OEM? Have you replaced your radiator? What brand was it? Any problems so far?

Thanks in advance,

Nu
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Richy190E
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bubble bubble
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I think ECP supply BEHR.....
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alan
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hmmmm interesting
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I had to do mine a while back and being skint I went for the knock off its only been a few months so haven't noticed any difference yet and never heard about it cooking the gearbox kinda worrying hopefully some one can clear that worry up
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chrismatheou
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Enthusiastic Bad Boy
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Rayson Radiators
Unit 25 Venture 20, Brympton Way, Yeovil, BA20 2HP

Telephone:
01935 471474

These guys supply OEM Hella/Behr radiators with the MB emblem ground of the top of the raditor for some reason for almost half the price! I'm not the only one on here that recommends them either ;)
Edited by chrismatheou, Sat May 15, 2010 6:25 pm.
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Will
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I'd either go for a reputable branded part supplied by a 3rd party, a second hand replacement in good order or have your existing radiator re-cored.

Little point in spending £290 for a radiatior on an 8v M102 engined 190E unless you really have to. A good used radiator should only come to about £30-50 I'd expect, and a recored rad would still be much cheaper than £290.

Fitting is an absolute doddle, 10 minutes work max. Make sure you use distilled water and ideally MB coolant if possible. If you want to see the results of hard water or poor/infrequent coolant replacement have a look at this thread:

http://mercedes-190.co.uk/topic/6621319/
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cossie connoisseur
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there can be only one ;-)
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you get what you pay for...end of really!
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balamb37
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Grumpy Old Grampa with Dog
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I picked up a second hand one for mine from a Scrappy, looked like new, £20 for an 'Auto' with oil cooler in the bottom.

After seeing the price of a new one £200+, I also priced up recoreing, £140 up here in Carlisle, maybe cheaper elsewhere.
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alan
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hmmmm interesting
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cossie connoisseur
Sat May 15, 2010 6:50 pm
you get what you pay for...end of really!
I agree whole hartedly but if an orig will last about 20 years and being realistic will most of our cars still be around in 5-10 so a new fake part would be favourable to an unkown used one even if you only get 5 years outta it and replace again would it be a big prob your still quids in
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nullogik
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More than part of things
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Thanks for the replies.

I'll give Rayson Radiators a call first to see what they quote as I'd like an OEM Behr. Otherwise, I'll enquire at GSF & ECP to see what brands they sell and for exactly how much (a quick check online shows that they retail for around £90 but I don't know what the brand is).

I shall keep you all updated.
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RobertE
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Serial victim...
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Raysons are magnificent; I've done business with them for 30 years - Mini Cooper, Aston Martin, Jaguar and Merecedes. The Behr brand is now owned by Hella and the Rads are made, I believe, in South Africa. Raysons are an old-fashioned company, but deliver (literally) the goods.

What you have to note is that the radiator core is possibly too dense, as the killer is Silicon build-up, which can clog it. This comes from anti-freeze. The whole cooling system needs regular (annual) flushing.

Don't risk a used radiator, as you can never tell whether the thermoplastic parts have been stressed. And another thing - the thermostat housing has been changed again! I bought three the other week...
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nullogik
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RobertE
Sun May 16, 2010 8:29 am
Don't risk a used radiator, as you can never tell whether the thermoplastic parts have been stressed. And another thing - the thermostat housing has been changed again! I bought three the other week...


Yep, a used radiator is a no go for me. One, I don't have a good scrapyard nearby and two, buying one is a bit of risk. You might get a good one or you might get a dud and I don't want to be traveling to and fro the workshop with good and bad used radiators.

Considering that a new one can be had for £90 from GSF with a warranty/guarantee its not really worth the risk or time potentially involved IMO.
Edited by nullogik, Sun May 16, 2010 4:31 pm.
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Will
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Yep - as in my post, the order of priority would be - GSF/ECP item if of good quality from a reputable manufacturer, then a good used item, finally a re-core of your original one.

There's just no point in spending £290 for a radiator on your car, that's all my point was.

Fitting is a 100% DIY job - you would not even need to buy a single tool as I expect everything would be in the MB kit. The radiator is held in place with two metal clips that pull upwards and some small plastic rivet-type screws. One hose clip at the top and one at the bottom (screwdriver on the jubilee clip or a small (7/8mm) socket if you have one.

Finally, as your car is an automatic you'll just need to undo two pipes at the bottom for the ATF lines - 17 or 19mm from memory, only about 100/200ml of fluid will be drained when undone.

A ten minute job to remove and same again to replace :)
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nullogik
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More than part of things
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chrismatheou
Sat May 15, 2010 6:24 pm
Rayson Radiators
Unit 25 Venture 20, Brympton Way, Yeovil, BA20 2HP

Telephone:
01935 471474

These guys supply OEM Hella/Behr radiators with the MB emblem...
Top man! Thanks.

Raysons have come up trumps. A BEHR from them costs £140 including postage. Very reasonable considering the dealership were selling one for £290

Eurocar Parts is £79.80 for a "Ruian" (?)

GSF do a Nissen Radiator for £110 inc VAT (before discount).

So I'll spend the little extra and get a BEHR.
Edited by nullogik, Mon May 17, 2010 1:15 pm.
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G3MAW
Part of things
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The Nissens Rad. from GSF appears to be decent quality ( they're fitted as OEM on some BMW's ) but the ATF oil cooler section does not have the heat exchanger fins on the internal pipe which are on the Behr original. I would think that the beefed up cooler on the Behr is more essential for hotter climates and/or towing duties.
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stwat
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Nissens are very good. My valver has an aluminium one fitted
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