Author: Matthew C. Keegan
Source: articleage.com
My first attempt at a more difficult auto fix-it project
involved replacing the blown radiator on my '78 VW Rabbit
Diesel. Let's just say that I was a little "green" in this area
and it was only with the help of a good friend that I was able
to complete the task without resorting to calling a garage to
finish the job. Still, it was a good experience for me and I
believe that it is one job I could successfully tackle again in
the future. You can too provided you purchase reliable OEM parts
and get instructions that are easy to follow.
Back during the time that I owned my VW, the number of parts
stores carrying in stock Volkswagen parts was fairly limited;
the internet was in its infancy so shopping around for the best
deal wasn't something that I could do. The local VW dealer had
the part, but their prices were stratospheric. I simply did not
have the funds available to buy one from the dealer so I ended
up snagging a radiator off of a junked Rabbit. Big mistake! It
turned out that the junked car's radiator leaked and the cap did
not quite fit. I never found out why it was that way, but the
junkyard dealer did refund my money. Fortunately, a local garage
ended up having a decent used one available; we installed that
one without too much of a problem.
Of course, I worried about the replacement part as it wasn't
warranted and it looked, well, quite used. Sure it was no
BMW
radiator so I did not have to pay a mint to have it
shipped in from Germany nor was it a pricey Honda
radiator fresh off the boat from Japan. Certainly, I
counted myself blessed. Still, I found myself frantically
watching the temperature gauge particularly on hot days when I
ran the a/c at full blast. I was sure the "new" radiator would
give out once again, so I pampered the car as much as I could.
Fortunately the options today for the consumer are better than
ever before. Your choices include:
1. Ordering your part from a dealer as long as you are willing
to pay full freight and then some.
2. Visit an auto parts store and see if they have the part on
hand - this can work if it is a Jeep
radiator, but you can expect that your Isuzu radiator
will involve a 2-3 week back order.
3. Go to the junkyard and hope that your part can be found and
is in excellent condition. Yeah, right.
4. Finally, you can order online through an established and
reputable dealer who does not have the overhead of maintaining
expensive brick and mortar stores. Prices with select online
dealers are competitive and usually involve same day shipping at
no extra cost to you.
As for the Rabbit, I traded it in for a new car only months
after replacing the radiator. Had my replacement part purchasing
options been better, I would have held onto it a bit longer.
Shoot, at 50 miles per gallon the 'lil bunny would be a jewel to
have on hand today!
