New VR6 Radiator-Genuine VAG or not?

[MK1Campaign 0]

Is it necessary to buy a genuine VAG rad or will one from GSF and the like do?

 

I spotted this on ebay Clicky

 

Anyone have any experience of these?

[Jim 2]

Definately get a VAG one.. definately.

[steve @ 0]

As above. Mine has had a GSF/non vag rad fitted at some point, not great quality ...

[ReekieVR 0]

I went cheap 3 years ago and got a ECP one. Still going strong.......

[Supercharged 2]

I went cheap 3 years ago and got a ECP one. Still going strong.......

 

It probably looks older than a 12 year old VAG ones tho...

[dr_mat 0]

As I understand it, the ECP ones aren't too bad. The GSF ones are terrible, and the VAG ones are only sporadically available. (I was told there was an indefinite wait for back-order from germany when I needed one.)

The only drawback with the non-VAG ones is they don't come with the plastic elbow pipe pre-attached at the top, so you have to hope you can get the old one off without breaking it or it's housing.

[dinkus 10]

That's not a genuine VAG one - the genunine ones are not painted.

 

I bought a GSF one that was also black like that and it looked like it was a re-cored original one and somewhat ropey, so I took it back and got a VAG one, which also comes with the aforementioned elbow.

 

The radiators are available (my local dealer ordered it in - only took a couple of days).

 

I think dr_mat's dealer has an aversion to ordering parts or is just a complete monkey tho - he seems to report parts out of stock all the time, even when they're not :lol:

[ReekieVR 0]

I went cheap 3 years ago and got a ECP one. Still going strong.......

 

It probably looks older than a 12 year old VAG ones tho...

 

Agreed.

[dr_mat 0]

My dealer doesn't like ordering parts, true enough, but at the time, I do believe there were none in the country. I tried several dealers and many of them called head office and reported the same thing.

That situation may well have changed now. It was early in the new year, classic time when radiators go due to the extreme temperature cycling so perhaps they just ran out?

[Yandards 0]

Furthur weight to the buy a VAG one point of view.

 

Yes they cost more but the rads done over 12 years on a 95 car by now so you do get value for money.

 

As for parts, yes they do drop off but some things do come back, like the rear number plate panel.

 

We all need to be down the dealers ordering obsolete parts, may get some remade that way.