Replacement radiator brands??

[JBradley500]

Sometime I'm going to need to replace my radiator, or have it fixed. I think the upper tank is separating slightly from the aluminum... also it has a tiny hole in it which weeps slightly.

Are there any aftermarket brands that people have success with? I talked to my honda service guy and he said they don't even use the honda ones because the prices are outrageous and just order the ones from napa or somewhere. I see they start at like 45 dollars on ebay and go up from there. Any opinions or experience?

[Jarrett]

Aluminum ones are nice and most people think they look cool. But don't cheap out on them. If you look at the pictures of the cheap aluminum ones and a Koyo for example, you'll see an unmistakable difference in weld quality. That doesn't mean you have to buy a Koyo. Only that radiators are very susceptible to following the "you get what you pay for" rule.

[JBradley500]

Is Koyo one of the better brands? I honestly have no idea.

[STL_92_Accord]

Is Koyo one of the better brands? I honestly have no idea.

I have heard that they are a decent brand Mishimoto is another. I know of a place here in St Louis that will make 2 and 4 core radiators custom ftw

[cloudasc]

I've been using a CSF aluminum/plastic radiator without issues for over 4 years, its even survived through a bad headgasket.

[5sp5drCB]

I put a generic ebay dual-core aluminum radiator in my 92 Civic hatchback 2 years ago and it immediately had a leak at the draincock...then late last year the radiator cap took a sh!t on my way back home from Cincinnati(45min drive) and it lost alot of fluid resulting in a blown HG.

On the other side of the coin I also put a generic ebay aluminum radiator in my 93 CB9 about 2 years ago and it works great. When people see it they call it a "race radiator"..haha.

I'd say buy one from a local place like advanceautoparts or something...that way you are close to the place of purchase incase you have a problem with it. You can start an account at advanceautoparts.com and then google some pretty good discount codes. Also, factory radiator caps usually don't fit on aluminum radiators, ebay or not.

The thing I'm wondering about the most is this..Does your honda guy work at a dealership? If so, you're saying that the dealership doesn't even use their own parts?

[JBradley500]

that guy said they don't use the honda radiators... they use the cheaper local parts store ones (unless the customer wants to pay more of course)

[5sp5drCB]

Oh OK. I knew the dealership was bad but I didn't think they were THAT bad. A little piece of mind I guess, although I work on my own cars.

I ran downstairs to take a look at the replacement radiator I got for my civic after the ebay aluminum radiator/headgasket problem. It is a Ready-Rad brand radiator that I got from the local advanceauto. I think it was between $60-$70 after the online discounts.

I also recently put an advanceauto radiator in my sisters 92 Accord. I'm not pro-advanceauto because I'm sure all the parts places use roughly the same stuff but that's where I'm able to get them the cheapest around here.

[JBradley500]

I ordered a Koyo that is labeled under another brand name. We'll see how it goes. It gets great ratings online.

[Chris2388]

What rad did you get im looking at getting a new one as well?