Mb oem radiator or aftermarket

[markenelson1959]

bought a nissen radiator for my s55 as small leak just below upper hose, saw it weeping out of fins, four people have let me down so am taking it to nigel at njs solutions in brands hatch...i really don't want to pay the exobanant price mercedes want to charge, £650. Does an oeb warrant that, a lot of people say not,

 

[Gazwould]

Try and find out who the OEM is and buy that , identical product usually cheaper .

 

[219]

Mercedes OEM is usually Behr

Avoid Valeo , which is an alternative supplier

 

[Will]

At lot of the aftermarket BEHR radiators are not OEM quality anymore - made in China etc. Nothing wrong with that in general, but they’re not the same as the ones MB use AFAIK.

It’s worth considering when pricing up your options.

There was an issue with some Valeo radiators about 15-20 years ago but I would imagine that they have overcome that by now.

 

[MarkPortugal]

Aftermarket radiator; I've installed many, had trouble with none.
Radiators are very, very simple things. they have to have the required capacity and that's about it.
They are destroyed by physical damage or corrosion.

 

[219]

The other option is to have the original radiator recored by a reputable repairer .

Serck were one of the best known names , I think they were bought by Unipart .

 

[Will]

Aftermarket radiator; I've installed many, had trouble with none.
Radiators are very, very simple things. they have to have the required capacity and that's about it.
They are destroyed by physical damage or corrosion.

They’re a simple design but a crucial part. As evidenced by the Valeo situation on some older MBs.

They may be simple but if they crack/burst/leak (or mix coolant and ATF!) then they can be a headache, hence it’s important to find one of decent quality.

It’s often the simple things that let you down - a leaking radiator or a punctured tyre etc!

 

[alabbasi]

S55 radiator is usually cheap and Nissens is a good brand.. Unfortunately, the labor involved in changing the radiator is mammoth which is where I suspect that 650GBP is coming from.

 

[markenelson1959]

No, that was what the main dealer quoted me in Dartford just for the rad.

 

[Skd884]

Ask Mb Edinburgh for a price via Ebay, let us know -

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If you want the number of a competent mechanic in Bexley who is far better value than Njs pm me.

 

[markenelson1959]

Ok, I know nigel at njs, he fitted my new eis a couple of months ago and only charged me £180 thats with the coding.
Will keep you in mind if needed. Never understand why garages when you mention you have the part they all spout the same lines, we don't like using parts we can't guarantee.

 

[Teego]

My indie says "You get the parts and we'll fit 'em"

 

[MarkPortugal]

Garages get a deep discount on the part, and that's a big chunk of their profit.
When there's a warranty claim, there can be dispute over whether the problem stems from the work or the part; if the garage made a profit selling the part, all is clear.
I worked in a garage when I was young, and got the shop discount for parts when I needed them for my own car.
Around 50%.
Maybe things have changed by now.

 

[markjay]

Many years ago I bought a secondhand engine from a reputable seller and got a local garage to fit it in my car.

The seller provider a warranty for the engine. The garage warranted their work.

After fitting the engine, it turned-out that it was knocking. The engine supplier agreed to replace it with another engine, under their warranty scheme. I had, however, to pay the garage again for the labour.

Had I asked the garage to supply and fit the secondhand engine, I wouldn't have had to pay for the labour twice.

I am not suggesting that you should never supply your own parts, I still do sometimes (and I am aware I am taking a risk), just that when you do, you should keep in mind that if the part is defective then you will likely to have to pay for the labour again.

As for MarkPortugal's point, this hasn't actually happened to me yet, but it is of course another risk involved in getting the garage to fit parts you supply - i.e. a dispute on whether the part is faulty, or wasn't fitted correctly. And another potential issue is if the part supplier claims that the part was damaged due to incorrect installation.