5k plastic radiator failure: repair or replace

[Enzeder]

My vote goes to replace.  I tried repairing mine, but I guess because the
plastic I was mending into was as brittle as the broken parts, mixed with
heating, cooling, and pressure, caused my repair to fail fairly quickly.

I basically bumped the small vent to the coolant reservoir and it broke off
too.

I bought a basic plastic replacement as the car isn't raced, and as you
said, the original lasted ~15 years.  I also replaced the upper mounts (one
was completely dead, the other nearly dead).

Arryn


At 09:09 PM 5/14/02 -0700, Wallace White wrote:
>I just broke my radiator (probably original). I was replacing the
>coolant overflow hose, which was in bad shape, and the plastic nipple or
>neck broke off at its base--just like I knew it might from stories I've
>read here. Durn.
>
>So, repair or replace? I understand that there's a repair kit from Audi:
>
>         200 121 003  glue  sugg retail $10.05
>         200 121 001  insert     retail $11.20
>
>I'm tempted to repair because I'd like to get the car going again
>tomorrow without spending the day repairing it... but my gut--and some
>messages in the archives--say that the repair won't last very long.
>
>Metal vs. plastic replacement? Looks like my plastic one made it fifteen
>years, so I hold no prejudice against it.
>
>Thanks,
>
>- Wallace
>   '87 5kcstq 185k