Bluemoon Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I am in the market for a new radiator for my defender 300, just wondering which option I should take and thought I'd ask you what you thought was the best option 1 new aftermaket rad(paddocks or the like) 2 refurbished by specialist company 3 second hand (would 300disco be straight swap or good enough as I'm moving it to the middle in anycase) whats your thoughts cheers Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBMUD Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 2. You will get the best quality and, should you need it, the best backup. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharger Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I've got a 300Tdi Defender rad in my garage, swapped out because it was leaking enough to stain the fins and I was lifting it anyway for a timing belt job. Yours for £postage if you want to get it recored and then swap in your own time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_d Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Get yours recored. That way you are only paying for some new fins not the whole carcass. It will be away a few days so not the best if it is your daily driver. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelr4x4 Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 The last rad I bought was £99 off eBay brand new. Been on for 10000 so far and no issues. Regards, Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v8bertha Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 I spent some time scouring ebay for a rad a couple of months ago and ended up with a £99 jobbie that came in a Britpart box And guess what... it didn't fit properly. It was one of them with the plastic side tanks rather than a full copper one. In order to get it to fit I had to remove the top rubber mounts adn then bend the top part of the radiator frame around it. Having removed the rubber mounts this then meant that the bolts that hold the top frame on were rubbing against the left hand side tank. I'm not saying this is typical of these cheapy rads, maybe I was just unlucky,but given the reputation of Britpart its at least something to aware of. Fortunately the company I bought from were good enough to send me a proper one when I phoned up and complained about it. Prior to that we had an Alisport full width rad in there... luuuuuuuurly bit'o kit ... tbh I just wanted to hang it on the wall in the living room but SWMBO insisted that it would be more use in the truck! However having stuck a fan blade though it I opted for a standard one this time around cos they are blinkin expensive! Recore will be the way to go for me next time now that I have a normal metal rad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Custom with a big fat core and wide spaced fins - goodbye to clogging up with mud: This was completely custom made because of the shape but if you are using standard end tanks I think they can just re-core with the same style core & fins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redben101 Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Mr Freezer, What sort of price did that cost? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Completely made from scratch it was about £240, that was because I wanted a size/shape for which there were no easy off-the-shelf end tanks. Re-coring a standard rad I imagine would be a lot less dosh. The co that did it are Wessex Radiators in Southampton, 02380 40 2848. The core is something like an earthmover one and the fins are the least number of fins per inch you can possibly have, but it holds gallons of water and never clogs up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmy_neutron Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I just put a £99 cheapo on mine a couple of years ago and its been ok. TBH its more likely to die from a high speed pheasant with a death wish than old age, so i'd much rather loose less money when this happens again, if ya see what i mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calle-fas Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Metal tanks is the way to go IMHO. I found out when the viscous fan on my Td5 turned stiff it created a nice plastic hole-saw that ate a chunk out of the rad. Went to a radiator repair shop where they said that the risc of melting the plastic tanks was to high. In my case I cut away the fins, and a bit of the core, then bent the core-pipes twice to make them tight. Had to get a new radiator. £££ I used my field repair without leakage for approx. 5000Km before the new one arrived though. B) But this has nothing with the topic above to do I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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