Radiator suggestions?.....

[hyperbuzzin]

So, a little over 2 years ago a deer took out the front end on my '04 Unlimited.
Got it all replaced thru insurance.... cool.
About 14 months later the rad started leaking. Got it replaced under warranty.... cool again.
Well.... now that rad is leaking! :angry:
It's the stock type with crimped on plastic tanks.:lame:

Still waiting to hear if that one will be covered under warranty but if this is gonna keep happening, I figure I might as well go with something better.
What's people out there in cyber-land suggest? My Jeep is mostly a DD, but does get off road now & then. Never had any over-heating problems with the stock rad, so I don't need anything larger. Price is a slight concern, but figure anything better is going to be at the very least a couple hundred $$'s+

[The_War_Wagon]

Doesn't Rock Auto carry REAL radiators, as opposed to the Chinese crap that Autoshack & others carry? :017:

[hyperbuzzin]

Seems they are plastic tank also. The cheaper ones definitely are and the more expensive ones are Mopar and say
the same parts that are put into your vehicle at the factory
so I would guess they are plastic also?
May stop at Meridian Off Road on my way home (stopping a couple times for a water fill!! LOL) and get an aluminum one there.
Plan on calling them in the morning

[sethman15210]

Look into Csf radiators. They're all aluminum and priced usually only slightly over a stocker.

[hyperbuzzin]

Well, Meridian didn't have any rads in stock.
Seems the earliest I could get one from any where local is probably Tuesday.
Not sure how long it'd take to get one from CSF, seems the closest dealer is a Canadian company so shipping may be at least a week.
I need this thing two days ago! LOL

I've had a couple people mention that the rad support may be tweaked, causing the rad to eventually fatigue and blow the seal.
Tried calling the shop that originally put it in to get their input on this possible issue, but the guy who knows what's going on is off until Monday.

Looks like I may be using the wife's Liberty to get to work for a couple days. That's not too much of a problem..... except for the sticker on the rear window that say... "Silly Boys, Jeeps are for girls" :paranoid:

[sethman15210]

Look into radiatorbarn for the Csf radiators. They're shipping is quick.

[funnyguy595]

1-800 radiators has a place on Mc Neilly road in the south hills. You can order it and pick it up right from their place. I know you said you wanted to get something better but if you need it now, that could be an option for you. I do believe they also have a warranty with there stuff too.

[Wrecker]

What shop did the work? Did the insurance company suggest this shop? If they did, I would call insurance company and raise hell. If you chose the shop, still call and explain the issue. Tell them the vehicle is down. Explain it needs Re inspected for a possible supplement and inquire about a rental. If you have any questions, contact me trough PM. I might know a few things on how to deal with it.

[hyperbuzzin]

The shop that did the work (Kozminski's, in Mars) is certified by my insurance company (State Farm) I didn't think of seeing what can be done about this with involving the insurance company. Thanks!

1800radiator.com has an all aluminum one. Decent price too.... $248 (as compared to $500+ I was given for a place on Rt8 ) $120 for plastic tank.

Don't know if I'm search wrong, but all I find for CSF, thru radiatorbarn, is plastic tank ones.

[Azzy]

Radiator barn is junk. I went through 3 of their in my saturn in a week. 1 came bent... with a solid intact box.

the ones that I have sourced on Amazon for XJs have been fine, pretty close to OEM. Most of them rot out at the fittings well before they start leaking at the end caps.

[hyperbuzzin]

Well, Kozminski's is replacing it under warranty. But just with the same plastic tank one. Guess I'll keep a close eye on it and at the first sign of leaks, I'll go aluminum or copper/brass and install it myself.
Here's to hoping it was just a case of 2 bad rads in a row :icon_jook:

Thanks for all the replies

[Wrecker]

I would push for State Farm to pay for an OEM.

[DMG]

Oem will be plastic/aluminum. Something else may be wrong if you are going through that many radiators.