300tdi radiators - specs, reviews & general rant!?

[Pastycrimper]

I'm finding it really hard to actually get technical details for various brands of radiator, so I thought I'd post here to see what brands others have used for replacement.

On a simple search the Britpart radiator will be almost always be the one offered, however when it comes to a rad I'd rather buy one that has better build and materials. Furthermore (as usual) I have read/heard tales of poor quality Britpart rads (e.g. here).

So I have set myself the task of finding out what alternatives are available. Some of the more (or not) reputable mail-order suppliers offer Bearmach and AllMakes versions. I have even heard Bearmach make two - an HD brass/copper version as well as an alloy/plastic type. AllMakes have a PR2 version and I believe PR2 is Allmakes "premium" range. However (and please correct me if I'm wrong) I have searched Bearmach and Allmakes websites and I cant find any tech info or pictures explaining why these are: a) better than the Britpart one & b) how they're actually constructed. Personally I dont like the idea of just buying one of these because it is more expensive and not Britpart - I want to know why these are better alternatives and I would have thought Bearmach and Allmakes would make this clear for selling purposes.

Additionally I know smaller companies make specialist uprated rads for a high price tag. Alisport made them out of alluminium (like their intercoolers) with a very high build quality but very costly as a consequence (link here). Oddly I have looked at Alisports website and they dont list any LR rads but they have them on ebay??? I also found MD Engineering make rads - a standard copper landrover one and also an uprated one. The uprated one would look to me to be a good purchase as I'd suspect M&D Engineering have it in their own interests to make good radiators but not much info is given other than the number of cores (one additonal compared with standard). Additionally I found Aaron Radiator Co who have this model which I am guessing is entirely Aluminium but at £360 I guess/hope it would compare to Alisport.

Anyway why cant I found out things like materials/ number of cores easily? Also there seems to be a lot of radiators with different part numbers that all seem to be for a 300tdi defender and appear the same....yet they have different prices! (e.g.PCC500170, BTP2275, BTP2601s, ESR3684) I've also heard that Disco1 rads fit in a defender yet these all have different part numbers! It feels like half the time you could be paying more for exactly the same item but it just depends which vehicle section you were in......

It feels like a mine field and as I'm willing to pay more to get something I have confidence in, I'm really frustrated that none of the manufacturers or suppliers seem to give any detail. Final rant: a lot of the suppliers, failing to supply tech specs don't even tell you who made it....for example what is this? I'd suspect its Britpart but hey it maybe a much better one and at a good price.The trouble is its actually very time consuming ringing all these various sellers to try and get a handle on what it is they are actually selling. Please tell me I'm blind and show me a link with some useful data on how many different rads are made.

So if anyone has purchased and used any of the above (or other alternatives) then I'd be grateful for reviews and opinions and maybe this thread could become a useful reference for others. Many thanks!

[Litch]

Having already contributed to similar threads on other forums I suspect you might have already seen my comments.

The plastic/alloy construction is very common nowadys so don't immediately discount it as a cheap but poor option.

That said, when I bought a new rad for my 2004 300TDi the other week I decided I wanted like for like so went for the Bearmach brass/copper one and it is practically identical in design & weight as the original LR one. As it turns out it wasn't the rad that was at fault anyway so the original one is probably good for another 7-years but hey-ho, it was only £170!

The dealer I bought my new rad off (R&C) was concerned that the correct rad should be ordered (he has some experience of people ording the wrong one thinking they are all exactly the same) so he measured my orginal rad and sure enough it was the BTP2275 as I suspected but it was nice to be certain.

[Tetsu0san]

I bought a Britpart alloy and plastic one and the build quality was pretty shoddy. It was slightly too tall one side and way to tall the other. I complained and I got sent a metal one which fitted prefectly. However, I have no idea who it was made or branded by.

This metal one was fine except I had to resolder the bottom pipe as it had come out, but apart from that it was a very good radiator. Just wish I could tell you who it was made by.

[Mutz]

i too looked into the difference of the rads but mainly because of price!

I eventually bought the cheaper plastic and alloy one from ebay ( champion i believe) quality is good and fitted perfectly and so far has kept engine temp gauge in the middle, whilst sitting in traffic or moving.

No complaints and saved a lot!!!!!!

[Pastycrimper]

Having already contributed to similar threads on other forums I suspect you might have already seen my comments.

Litch - Indeed it was some of your other posts that had useful info....thanks. I just wish Bearmach had some decent online specs.......I cant find anything on their website. Same applies for other manufacturers.

Anyway just found this which I missed before http://forums.lr4x4....showtopic=47694 which gets a good Bearmach vote

No complaints and saved a lot!!!!!!

Cheers - exactly why I asked the question. I accidently obtained what is actually a really good german 100A alternator for what was relatively cheap compared with unbranded OEM alternatives - I'd never heard of them and no search referenced it to a land rover except that the label on the box said it would (a long with many other vehicles). I was desperate however and needed one then. I examined it prior to purchase and was surprised to find it looked of really good quality and has proven to be excellent to date (I had a really annoying experience with a Britpart one!). I figure the same must be true for radiators.

[Sirocco]

well I dont usually say this, but I bought a Britpart Rad around 3 years ago and it has worked really well with no fitment or cooling issues to date. I beleive it was all metal. which bit would be plastic? the frame? Got it from paddocks, just ordered a rad for a 300tdi, thought no more of it. £100 at the time.

I think its the only bit of britpart on the truck.

G

[Pastycrimper]

well I dont usually say this, but I bought a Britpart Rad around 3 years ago and it has worked really well with no fitment or cooling issues to date. I beleive it was all metal. which bit would be plastic? the frame? Got it from paddocks, just ordered a rad for a 300tdi, thought no more of it. £100 at the time.

I think its the only bit of britpart on the truck.

G

Interesting! I kind of wish I lived near a big supplier who had a range in stock just so I could compare myself. I "think" it is the hose connections that were plastic plugs???

[reb78]

What did you go for in the end? The Champion ones on ebay look like they should be good, BUT the plastic tanks put me off. I had a bad experience with a BMW rad where the plastic tank broke and the car overheated. It seems like a backwards step to used a weaker (plastic) material to construct something that is vital for the vehicles good health.

Been looking at the Allisport ones but they are £££!!

An alloy core would make sense as it should cool better, but does noone do one with an alloy core and metal tanks at a reasonable price?

[Mutz]

What did you go for in the end? The Champion ones on ebay look like they should be good, BUT the plastic tanks put me off. I had a bad experience with a BMW rad where the plastic tank broke and the car overheated. It seems like a backwards step to used a weaker (plastic) material to construct something that is vital for the vehicles good health.

Been looking at the Allisport ones but they are £££!!

An alloy core would make sense as it should cool better, but does noone do one with an alloy core and metal tanks at a reasonable price?

Well i have no complaints with the champion i got off ebay, i was put off by the plastic ends as you are but a lot of modern cars are fitted with them.( Champion has a 2yr guarntee IIRC.)

as for metal ends and ally cores at a reasonable price!!!! I dont think they exist.

[Pastycrimper]

Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to get one yet as I had to fly to work offshore. However I did ring Bearmach before I left and they make two types - one which is plastic/alloy and similarly priced to Britpart but as Litch mentioned they also do a brass copper one which I think is more similar to the Landrover original type and about £170 so that's my current plan. However in my OP I linked to an HD version that MD engineering make for their International HS2.8 engines which has an extra core and only £199 so when I return I will ring them and ask them personally about its build spec as MD have a good reputation (or so I am led to believe). It's certainly in their interests to produce something with extra cooling ability for their engine.

The Allisport ones look great but at close to £400 I'm not sure I can justify for a radiator. The reason I started this thread is that for non-LR vehicles I have owned I have bought cheap plastic alloy and despite working they were very flimsy (especially the plugs) so I'd prefer to get something more solid for my Defender.

I'll update when I get to shore with whether I go MD Engineering or Bearmach

Cheers

[reb78]

I just gave MD a ring to ask about their rads.

Basically, it sounds like they can supply the 300tdi ones off of the shelf. They have metal side tanks and an uprated core. The uprated core is a 4 row core sourced from Caterpillar.

I'm interested in a 200tdi one in a similar style and they will produce these on an exchange basis so they can use the original metal side tanks on my current rad and re-core it with the uprated core (about a week turnaround to do this - luckily i kept an old rad which i can send them for this, so no downtime!)

This sounds promising to me and all for ~£200 plus postage, so i think i will go ahead with this. Hope the info is helpful.

[mmgemini]

Normally I wouldn't buy a new radiator. I have a good radiator specialist repairer near me at Thornaby. If the cores gone then having a new core fitted to your existing taqnks makes sure you have the correct rad.

Otherwise I'd go to the manufacturer. MARSTEN RADIATORS.

[reb78]

I have a good radiator specialist repairer near me at Thornaby.

Is the re-core process normally pretty thorough Mike? Do they check the tanks etc fully for any damage etc? Just been in the garage looking at the old rad i was intending to send off to be re-cored and noticed that the tank has been repaired previously with solder in the region of the oil cooler. Would a good re-core company use these tanks and simply ensure that the repair is still good and reliable?

[mmgemini]

The tanks have to come off the core completly, so it's a proper job. When I worked at Sunblest in the workshop we had both rads and fyuel tanks repaired many time. Sometime there would be a 'phone call to say that a new rad was needed as the one sent in a BR.

I was told where I go that for the 300Tdi it's best to re-core as you then have the correct tanks still fitted to the rad.

The tanks are only, well were in my day, soft soldered to the matrix.

[Pastycrimper]

I just gave MD a ring to ask about their rads.

Basically, it sounds like they can supply the 300tdi ones off of the shelf. They have metal side tanks and an uprated core. The uprated core is a 4 row core sourced from Caterpillar.

I'm interested in a 200tdi one in a similar style and they will produce these on an exchange basis so they can use the original metal side tanks on my current rad and re-core it with the uprated core (about a week turnaround to do this - luckily i kept an old rad which i can send them for this, so no downtime!)

This sounds promising to me and all for ~£200 plus postage, so i think i will go ahead with this. Hope the info is helpful.

Brilliant - you've done the research for me. I really like the idea of an extra core and at that price all in isn't much more than the bearmach one I was considering. When I get to the UK I'll check in and see where you've got with this. Thanks!

[reb78]

Brilliant - you've done the research for me. I really like the idea of an extra core and at that price all in isn't much more than the bearmach one I was considering. When I get to the UK I'll check in and see where you've got with this. Thanks!

It felt wrong to just sit back and expect you to do all of the leg work!

I'm going to pack my old rad up at the weekend and send it off on Monday i think. I'll report back when its done. As it seems you are pretty much getting a new rad, uprated and retaining the brass side tanks, i think it should be well worth the money (especially considering you could pay almost the same/more for a standard item).

[Litch]

I was going to go for M&D 4-core one but they weren't available at the time (neither was their standard one) and while they are only £25 more than the Bearmach item there was also £20 delivery while I get Bearmach parts delivered to my house for free (the local supplier lives in my village and drops them off).

The additional cooling sounds a good idea but I wasn't going to loose any sleep about it as the standard one does the job perfectly well (it would wouldn't it!) and I can confirm that the Bearmach copper/brass one is top quality so I have no worries about long term performance.

The only thing that anoys me is that I didn't need a new rad anyway as having replaced the rad & main coolant pipe it turned out the problem was a damaged hose clip that was going oval when closed and allowing a leak only when the system was up to temp and pressurised (the old rad is still in excellent nick and is in storage in my shed).

The damm thing leaked when it was brand new and had to go into the main dealer at the time, how I managed to forget I don't know but who would have throught that the same thing would come back to haunt me years later?

[Pastycrimper]

I have an issue that when I'm driving long distances on motorways/dual carriageways (i.e. in 5th gear permanently) even the slightest uphill slope can cause my temp to rise to 3/4s so I'm interested in seeing if a new rad will improve things. I have a full-size allisport intercooler which I thought may reduce the ram effect of air intake, so maybe the extra core will help. My landy is quite heavy as I've done it as an expedition camper with lots of ancillaries .....that said a new rad my not change anything however the current one is the original and is beginning to look shoddy so I am going to go through with this.