CazzaVR 0 Posted January 30, 2007 Had a mare tonight. My radiator elbow has a tiny hole in the top, so bought a new one. Went to replace it tonight (10 min job methinks :roll: ) and the bolts wouldn't undo, they just kept going round and round. To top it off the part of the radiator where the bolt nearest the engine bay is connected to, split as I was trying to undo the bolt. So, now it's leaking quite badly. As this plastic is an integral part of the rad, I'm guessing I will need a new rad. Any suggestions? Any rad-changing experts near me? Won't be able to drive the car when it's leaking like this :( Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
penfoldvr6 0 Posted January 30, 2007 Mines leaking aswell. got it booked into my local garage. been told its a four hour job to replace the rad....all the slam panel has to come off :( new rad cost me £107 then theres the fitting ontop Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
penfoldvr6 0 Posted January 30, 2007 Mines leaking aswell. got it booked into my local garage. been told its a four hour job to replace the rad....all the slam panel has to come off :( new rad cost me £107, then theres the fitting cost on top. its being changed this friday, i'll let you know how it goes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
penfoldvr6 0 Posted January 30, 2007 oops......2 is good Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jon_vr6 1 Posted January 30, 2007 Piece of piss to do yourself whole front end has to come off bumper and slam panel headlights etc then its just a straight out job! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CazzaVR 0 Posted January 30, 2007 penfoldvr6, where did you get your rad from? Is it copper? Want to avoid copper if poss. whole front end has to come off bumper and slam panel headlights etc then its just a straight out job! This is what scares me! Are the bumper and slam panel easy to remove? Am I gonna encounter lots of seized bolts etc? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jon_vr6 1 Posted January 30, 2007 yeah i did had to drill a few out but its better than paying labour prices these days! Im not the most mechanical minded but i managed it eventually! My rad was £122 from vw with my mates trade price discount taken off! Get a vw one and you cant go wrong really! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Son of a Beesting 0 Posted January 30, 2007 I did mine, while I was there I replaced thermostat/temp senders/thermostat housing/water pipe and installed a oil cooler. Do it all at once to save time/agro later. Its a good excuse! The worst bit was a seized bolt on the bumpers, but its pretty straight forward. I got my rad from ECP. I knwo VW are best but mine appeared to be a VW on (had the seriel number ground off which iI believe they do if its a vw part but not from vw). It was not a copper one. It cost me about £90 with a mates mechanic discount. Any questions just ask. I would say get a good breaker bar! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CazzaVR 0 Posted January 30, 2007 Hmmm, you've all persuaded me- think I'll give it a go :) Don't have the cash to change all those other bits- good idea though. It had a new stat, housing, senders etc in 2004, so would think they should last a while longer ;) So I just get the car up on stands and go from there? Is it all pretty clear once under the car? Cheers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigpants baby 0 Posted January 30, 2007 I bought mine on tinternet with lifetime guarantee,think it was £150 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CazzaVR 0 Posted January 30, 2007 Hi Carl, where from? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigpants baby 0 Posted January 30, 2007 http://the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic. ... highlight= Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CazzaVR 0 Posted January 30, 2007 Cheers- will call them tomorrow. Lifetime guarantee is good! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigpants baby 0 Posted January 30, 2007 or http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/radiator-VW-Corra ... dZViewItem Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CazzaVR 0 Posted January 30, 2007 Yeh, noticed that earlier. Good price, but not sure if it's copper (as the cheaper ones usually are). He's also got 0 feedback. Think it may be worth spending a little more for peace of mind and the guarantee. Did you take the bumper etc off? Found an old thread on here where someone managed it without doing that. Just removed the fans, cowling, battery etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Son of a Beesting 0 Posted January 30, 2007 Its very tight, you probably can do it without removing the bumper, but its SO much easier to take it off! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dom 0 Posted January 30, 2007 had mine replaced when first got c took to deutch mark in doncaster the guy replaced mine without taking front of the car apart not had any problems top guy very helpfull rung him many a time for advise when got stuck on jobs number is 01302 368 988 got me thinking now did he or didn,t he sure he would of said Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jon_vr6 1 Posted January 30, 2007 My thread when my rad went check out the pics futher down the page! http://www.the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic.php?t=50495&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
craigowl 0 Posted January 31, 2007 Jon_VR6 When you say you drill out seized bolts, how do you mean. How is that done? You say you are not the most mechanically minded - you are being modest! Regards Iain Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CazzaVR 0 Posted January 31, 2007 craigowl, with you there- would also like to know this! Have just ordered new rad + all bolts etc for bumper and slam panel. After discount it comes in at around £170 (inc VAT). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jon_vr6 1 Posted January 31, 2007 I meant screws sorry so are rounded off phillips type screws and they wouldnt budge so drilled them out! Apart from that very easy to do but wouldnt want to do it again in a long time! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
craigowl 0 Posted January 31, 2007 Jon_vr6 Just for my future needs, perhaps and for CazzaVR more immediately, I suspect, when drilling out seizedscrews and bolts, do you use a power drill with bit hard enough for metal or are you talking about something else (is it drive bits?)? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
penfoldvr6 0 Posted January 31, 2007 no my rad is ali, got a mate who works at GSF (he's a mk3 vr6 owner!!!!) hehe......friends come in handy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Son of a Beesting 0 Posted January 31, 2007 Jon_vr6 Just for my future needs, perhaps and for CazzaVR more immediately, I suspect, when drilling out seizedscrews and bolts, do you use a power drill with bit hard enough for metal or are you talking about something else (is it drive bits?)? Get a metal drill bit and drill through the bolt (the drilll bit should be smaller than the screw) Soaking the bolts in wd40 or plus gas a few days before will also help and just take your time. One of the screws snapped but I just replaced it. Annoying but not the end of the day. The smaller screws normally go more than the big ones. Try tightening them up a BIT then going to lose them, that can help. AS well as thumping them with a hammer or heating the screw up. I just finished doing my rad and know Im taking the dash apart to do the heater matrix. I wouldnt mind but I only just got the car and I havent really had a good chance to drive it yet! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
