Just based on what I had to pay when I carried mine in to a small shop. There have been recent posts of even $50. The larger shops almost always charge by the MSRP of the vehicle, I think. Or maybe the old bait and switch.

And of course, your rad could have been really bad. I took one out of a Chevy truck at work that seemed to weigh about 150 pounds, because of all the calcium buildup in it. I would caution those who seek a used rad from salvage to test fully. I tried that route, got it installed in the Disco, was checking for leaks after crank up, no leaks for several minutes - but oil light was on, the oil cooler was 95% restricted and had killed the donor vehicle.

And for the forum members who have yet to experience this - avoid it by using distilled water, changing coolant and flushing system on a periodic basis based on months, not miles.

And I shall use your feedback to ammend my sermons.

 

Holy cow!!! Did they provide a good explanation as to what was so challenging about your radiator to warrant such a high price? I'm curious as to why so high - higher than buying a new one IIRC.

 

The only explanation they gave me was that the radiator "was spot welded on and that is going to take a lot of work" then he told me how bad it was when they flow tested it 40% which "also means its going to take a lot of time" when I asked wouldn't it still take the same amount of time if it was flowing at 90%? He said "yeah, but it is just a dirtier job." REALLY? YOU CHARGE ON HOW DIRTY IT IS? Thats what I asked.. He told me I needed to pay $35.00 for the inspection, (originally told free estimate, flow test) I flipped out and called him just about everything. I told him I would let him take me to court but oh I am a minor so you (in iowa) can't take a minor to court for money... BAM.. I did give him $35.00 told him off one more time and left.
I made fun of how grossly over weight he was. Must be at least 400lbs.
Hope I don't offend anyone.

 

Now thats funny!!

 

Not to sure about that shop. The tanks are soldered on, not welded (but who knows what evil lurks in the mind of a PO?). And not informing you of an inspection fee up front is poor service. Always ask. But most places don't run their business that way, or they would be out of business. Now as far as flipping out, etc., hollering, etc., that does nothing to fix your problem and in some jurisdictions can get you in more trouble than you might imagine. His high price was just their way of telling you to take it somewhere else, in their opinion the likelyhood of success was too slim for them to warranty the results.

Getting really upset and then jumping behind the wheel of a truck is not a formula for happy outcomes. Count to 10, if still hot, make it an even hundred. No one wants to be in your crumple zone.

 

Your totally right. I did count to 25, took a few breaths and told myself hes not going to ruin my day. My new radiator will be here tomorrow and if all goes well then I will have it in my rover tomorrow night..

 

I'm still waiting for my fan clutch to come in. I broke down and took it to my mech as it's my DD and now that I have a job, don't have time to fix it. Long story short, AB came through big time. No one had an aftermarket and the dealer wanted almost $400 but they had to overnight it. AB had one in their NV warehouse, overnight was painful but bam, should be done today. So rad cleaned, check, t-stat, hoses, water pump, check. All that's left now if she overheats is head gasket. If that's the case, I'll be driving her to the desert and having a bon fire.

 

Well, after all that, if it overheats, one other fix might be to put on an HD extreme fan clutch, they pretty much stay at high rate all the time and push more air through there, just don't do so good on gas. I have been running one for a 2000 Chevy S10 w/air. I don't like the noise, or the mpg, but I am not in the desert.

 

There are some good dudes on this board. Nice and useful thread for guys new to the game...even if there are a 1000 other OH threads. I'm 90% through this overheating check and might be doing the fan clutch replacement this weekend. Gotta check everything blows the right way. Just had my timing cover done by the LR mechanic so the belt should be threaded properly...you would think. I may actually have that HD in now as a mechanic did an AutoZone replacement a few years back and it roars, even after I turn of the engine. I like it. Sounds like a real machine. Hopefully, it doesn't mean something is screwed up somewhere.

 

slanginsanjuan - pix of HD clutch, it is the thick one on right, OEM on left. There is also a standard duty Chevy model that is "slick" without most of the "heat sink".