Radiator advice

[cobram at juno.com]

Go to:   http://discountradiators.com/ , they sell all metal radiators. 
I recently put one in the 1990 TQA, and it fit perfectly,  one of the
weld nuts under the radiator was a different size from the original,
quickly remedied with a different size stud buffer...you should change
all the clamps and hardware anyway.  Good time to change ALL the hoses
and the thermostat as long as you're there.  Put all the old hoses in a
bag and keep them in the trunk in case of an emergency, and you won't
have to go chasing around hardware and parts stores on Saturday mornings
pulling a "McGiver".  
If you plan on keeping the car the all metal radiator is your best bet. 
The other big advantage is the line that goes to the reservoir, these
have a tendency to break off of the plastic radiators rather easily, on
the metal replacement there is a nice long SOLID metal line for attaching
the reservoir.  
I think the radiator in your car is the same as the 200TQA, $124.00
delivered to your door.   Your mechanic is wrong about them not fitting. 

I went through the receipts for the Avant, and the radiator was changed
at the dealer about 6 years ago (charged owner almost $500), this OEM
radiator blew the top hose right off about 3 weeks ago.  I would only opt
for a plastic radiator if I was selling the car, or there is no other
option available. IMHO
It's a very simple job, only thing that might complicate it is
frozen/rusted hardware.

BCNU,
Cobram at Juno.Com
http://www.geocities.com/cobramsri/index.html

Martin Suryadarma <msuryadarma at mail.wesleyan.edu> writes:

> I think the time has come for me to replace my car's radiator. It's 
> 89 Audi 100 btw. I talked to my mechanic about it, he told me he 
> doesn't really like the metal radiator because it can't really fit in
the 
> car. 
> for $180. How much is the metal radiator? Also, how long does it 
> normally
> take for shops to replace it? I'm going to call my mechanic again on
> Monday and compare what you guys suggest with his price. Thanks a 
> lot in
> advance, as always.

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