Ok. guys, i was on a ride with my Bimmer with this chic in the front seat. You know me, feeling all good about my Bimmer and all that shit untill smoke started coming from underneat my hood. I though my car was on fire and i opened the hood to find out that the part that goes into a pipe on my radiator has broken off leaving the pipe hanging in the air. My antifreeze all poured out and all that. Went to Braverian Auto around here and they told me that it's a common problem on the BMW and that i can't do nothing to the radiator but to change the whole thing. Cost $350 for the Radiator then $160 for labor. Guys, where can i get a cheap Radiator or can i fix that problem?.
Radiator Broken. Anyone seen this before?
- Thread starter Kenny2g
- Start date
Unfortunately the radiator is a constant problem with older BMW's. The price they want is a little steep, didn’t know they had a Braverian Auto in Ohio. They don’t say what radiator they use but good chance it is OEM so it would be Behr.
Well I checked all my sources; http://www.eap4parts.com/ has the best price. They want $149.95 for a Behr Radiator, which is OEM. The cheapest for non OEM was 20 less so I wouldn’t suggest it. I’m assuming you’re in a rush so I priced it with 2nd day air for $22.22 for shipping making your grand total $172.17. They use UPS unfortunately. If you ordered it today then you would likely get it Tuesday or Wednesday, not sure since it is Saturday. They do offer 2nd day air AM though which could be helpful, don’t know how much extra it is, it isn’t working on their website.
If you wanted to go with Taylor Automotive then it would cost a grand total of $191.41 with 2nd day air making it the second cheapest. They also use UPS.
I don’t know much about labor prices but all you need to do until you get it is call up mechanics near you and find out how much it would be to install it, remember to try to haggle. Also if you wanted Braverian Auto to install it there should be no problem with you bringing them a radiator in stead of buying it through them.
One last option which is to have Brav Auto price match it. It is the best option if they have it in stock. If they do have it then you can also save on shipping and get it now vs waithing for it to ship. Also just to note if another mechanic will give a better price, you can price match it at Brav Auto, buy it there, then take it to the other mechanic. This is probably your best choice. Price match eap4parts for 149.95 + tax = $160.50, a savings of $12.
Well I checked all my sources; http://www.eap4parts.com/ has the best price. They want $149.95 for a Behr Radiator, which is OEM. The cheapest for non OEM was 20 less so I wouldn’t suggest it. I’m assuming you’re in a rush so I priced it with 2nd day air for $22.22 for shipping making your grand total $172.17. They use UPS unfortunately. If you ordered it today then you would likely get it Tuesday or Wednesday, not sure since it is Saturday. They do offer 2nd day air AM though which could be helpful, don’t know how much extra it is, it isn’t working on their website.
If you wanted to go with Taylor Automotive then it would cost a grand total of $191.41 with 2nd day air making it the second cheapest. They also use UPS.
I don’t know much about labor prices but all you need to do until you get it is call up mechanics near you and find out how much it would be to install it, remember to try to haggle. Also if you wanted Braverian Auto to install it there should be no problem with you bringing them a radiator in stead of buying it through them.
One last option which is to have Brav Auto price match it. It is the best option if they have it in stock. If they do have it then you can also save on shipping and get it now vs waithing for it to ship. Also just to note if another mechanic will give a better price, you can price match it at Brav Auto, buy it there, then take it to the other mechanic. This is probably your best choice. Price match eap4parts for 149.95 + tax = $160.50, a savings of $12.
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Ops I just realized when I priced up shipping, I priced it up to ship it to me not you. Your correct totals would be, drum roll please, $178.15 for eap4parts and it stays 191.41 for Taylor Automotive. Again these prices are for UPS standard 2nd Day Air but eap4parts offers AM delivery wich I believe is like before 10:00 AM. If you price match it at Brav Auto then you would be saving $20.
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coyotefreek, i really appriciate you taking this time to help a brotha out. I came across this Radiator on Ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&category=33602&item=2431597493 What do you think? is it worth it to buy one from Ebay or from another store even if it's the same price?
Thanks
Kenny 2G
Thanks
Kenny 2G
I just replaced mine a few months ago, went with www.carradiator.com and got an OEM BMW radiator for about 150 bucks, believe it or not, Midas installed it for about 120 bucks including all the antifreeze and flush. I thought that was an awsome deal, and the radiator has a lifetime warranty.![[thumb]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_thumb.gif "Thumbs Up [thumb]")
kenny you should just install the radiator yourself. They are not hard to do at all, depending on the model of the BMW. But it isnt more then a few hose clamps and maybe some body clips and then the antifreeze (for were you live anyway). if you have any repair knowledge at all should not be tough. Maybe a 30 min job for anyone. Good luck. If you need help on the install i will help you out as best i can from the computer. But you shouldnt have a prob. Good luck.
They are pretty easy to install. I put one in my 93 325i. I know it is a little different on a 5 than a 3, but www.e39.org has instructions on how to do it yourself.