95 Corolla Radiator Repair?

A radiator replacement is not technically difficult and something that an independent shop should be able to do without any problems for less money. I would get the quote in writing and then ask an independent shop that has ASE certified technicians for a quote. If you are not in a hurry, the radiator could be sent to a radiator shop for re-coring, depending on where the leak is.

It seems a little strange to me that (since you don't indicate you've had to refill the radiator because of this leak) that they've suddenly found a leak in it. I'd want to have a good hard look at the radiator before authorizing them to replace it. I'd also check around and find out competing quotes for replacing it if necessary. Not necessarily related, but years ago I had a Peugeot which had a faulty head gasket allowing coolant into the engine, and making an emulsion of the oil. The only available Peugeot mechanic wanted about $1200 to replace the head gasket (and was quite surly to boot, making it a "take it or leave it" deal) so I went home, got a bottle of black gook called "radiator stop-leak", poured the stuff in and changed the oil, and drove it without problems for a year or more before I sold it, still with the repaired gasket doing its job. Try it out. It may be $5 well spent.

In my experience, those stop-leak products often cause more problems than they cure, clogging internal passages. They often work by solidifying in the presence of air, much like a blood clot, and any air in the system can cause internal clogs. Of course, if there is a leak, there is a good chance that there will be air in the system. I have seen quite a few vehicles at dealerships with cooling systems and transmissions ruined by those products when a proper repair would have been less expensive.

They may be giving a parts price quote for an OEM radiator. To me it seems high, but then again, I don't own a Corolla. I changed out my Previa radiator a few years ago using a new radiator from an independent shop. Seem to recall it cost in the low $200 range. No labor charge since I did the work myself.

A perfectly decent non-Toyota new replacement radiator can be had for $200-300. As for the replacement labour ... lets see what has to be done.

- drain the current radiator 5 minutes

- remove the existing rad hoses 10 minutes

- remove the clips that hold the rad in place 10 minutes

- remove the old rad and drop the new one in place 1 minute

- replace the clips and rad hoses 15 minutes

- fill the rad with new coolant, and blead the air out of the system 15 minutes

I make this 56 minutes, buts lets make it 1.5 hours to allow for goof ups and profit margin. So, 1.5 h at $50 / hour = $75. I'd ask the dealer explain exactly what the other $235 labour is supposed to be for.

SD

AutoZone: SPI CU1409 LLT $148.99

Looks like a decent price to me! Probably good for 30,000-75,000 miles or more, if you do regular service on your cooling system.

Oh, btw, as Ray says, it's not a hard job. Not hard at all, In fact, all it requires is a 10mm wrench, a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. Maybe take half an hour if you can spin a wrench, 75 minutes if you can't...

Dealer gives you fancy waiting areas. That cost money. ;)

Rockauto.com has these prices but you have to pay shipping, which adds a bit. SPI had reboxed Koyo before which was good, then they switched over to other low cost source. I wouldn't use SPI. Get Proliance (formerly Modine).

So a rad can be changed by home mechanics for a little over $100.

SPECTRA PREMIUM Part # CU1409 {#1409} Radiator Cap >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Where do you live that labor is $50 per hour? When I went to the Toyota dealer last month, his labor rate was $88 per hour. Maybe he has a bigger boat with bigger payments.

I had it replaced on my '93 Corolla 1.6 XLI a few weeks ago, they asked about ?180 ($240) for the radiator and then something for labor, I'm pretty sure that was below ?100 ($130).

My repairshop told me just like you that they can't patch it.

Hans

Damn! Got one of those for my 'hachiroku'?! Dealer was about $375, and my employee discount brought an aftermarket one down to $124 (I think it was SPI...)

$50us/hour ??? I don't think so....

Where are you located: I want your mechanic to service my TOYs.

Oh, wait: LABOUR not labor.... so, I must assume that you do not mean US currency.

de Vince Long Island, NY (too far to drive to Canada for the $50/hr labour rate. )