Cheaply made in China, these Radiators aren't worth the free replacement
10-24-2011, 12:15 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Cheaply made in China, these Radiators aren't worth the free replacement
Hello guys i've just replaced my 4th radiator in 2 years yes they came with a lifetime warranty thus they come with a free replacement, but how do you replace your precious TIME lost for removal, shipping, inspection, return shipping and reinstallation? yes these radiators made in China might be cheaper to purchase but their more expensive to have, and how do you replace your lost confidence knowing that theres no end to this process with another radiator replacement looming on the horizon? sometimes you really get what you pay for!
10-24-2011, 12:23 PM
#2
Team Owner
Member Since: Oct 2004
Location: altered state
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St. Jude Donor '05
Here we go 
3.......2.......
3.......2.......
10-24-2011, 12:58 PM
#4
Le Mans Master
.......O........Pull it out, throw it away, buy a Dewitts....Problem solved....
...Or if you just want a stock radiator get a Delphi, I had great luck with this brand for a stock radiator...
.....WW
...Or if you just want a stock radiator get a Delphi, I had great luck with this brand for a stock radiator........WW
Last edited by WW7; 10-24-2011 at 01:01 PM.
10-24-2011, 05:05 PM
#5
Melting Slicks
Member Since: Nov 2005
Location: WAY UPSTATE NY
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10-24-2011, 05:08 PM
#6
Pro
Yes sometimes you actually get what you pay for! I've had it w/cheap made in China auto parts. Had the same issues with a Jeep radiator, not worth the added install time and aggravation. You live and learn.... sometimes the hard way! 
10-24-2011, 06:22 PM
#7
What or where did this radiator come from>? Where was it purchased?
I'm want to make certain that NOT ALL radiators that sell for less than $600 are lumped into the same catagory.
My "Cheap" radiator has been in severe service for 1.5 yrs and is in perfect condition. In fact, I recently discovered (Sept) that my big fan was only running at 1/2 speed and often NOT AT ALL....and during the 110 degree Houston August it would let the car go up to 215-220 while sitting in traffic with the a/c on.
That was with NO FAN running....The radiator (cheap one) was able to keep the engine temps to less than the normal op temp (220-230) without a fan to help. That says a LOT about the radiator. Temps would drop to under 200 within a minute of moving. As soon as any air flow returned the temps would go down again. Rise to near 220 when sitting in the worst of the summer heat,. Pretty amazing performance.
Now that the fan motor has been replaced, my cheap radiator keeps my op temp in the 180s with a/c on. Ambient of 85-90 degrees. It reached 190 a couple weeks ago when it was 99-100 outside... Takes forever now to reach op temp when the ambient is 80 degrees. I can see that if I want a heater this winter that I will have to install a hotter thermostat..195 or more, The 180 thats in there now won;t cut it this winter.
So, point being is not ALL inexpensive radiators are the same. Some guys seem to find all the bad ones somehow. I cannot explain that, but I CAN assure anyone that wants a CHEAP, inexpensive, quality replacement that a radiator from Engineered Cooling Products is a good, reliable product that I'd buy again and reccomend to anyone that was searching for an UPGRADE radiator. After discovering that my fan motor was defective and it was still cooling enough, made me a believer.
Where this chinese piece came from or who sold it needs to be made public so other members don;t buy one.
If it IS the quality of the radiator that is the problem, that info should'nt be kept a secret. Good products should be shared and bad products need to be identified for everyones benefit.
I'm want to make certain that NOT ALL radiators that sell for less than $600 are lumped into the same catagory.
My "Cheap" radiator has been in severe service for 1.5 yrs and is in perfect condition. In fact, I recently discovered (Sept) that my big fan was only running at 1/2 speed and often NOT AT ALL....and during the 110 degree Houston August it would let the car go up to 215-220 while sitting in traffic with the a/c on.
That was with NO FAN running....The radiator (cheap one) was able to keep the engine temps to less than the normal op temp (220-230) without a fan to help. That says a LOT about the radiator. Temps would drop to under 200 within a minute of moving. As soon as any air flow returned the temps would go down again. Rise to near 220 when sitting in the worst of the summer heat,. Pretty amazing performance.
Now that the fan motor has been replaced, my cheap radiator keeps my op temp in the 180s with a/c on. Ambient of 85-90 degrees. It reached 190 a couple weeks ago when it was 99-100 outside... Takes forever now to reach op temp when the ambient is 80 degrees. I can see that if I want a heater this winter that I will have to install a hotter thermostat..195 or more, The 180 thats in there now won;t cut it this winter.
So, point being is not ALL inexpensive radiators are the same. Some guys seem to find all the bad ones somehow. I cannot explain that, but I CAN assure anyone that wants a CHEAP, inexpensive, quality replacement that a radiator from Engineered Cooling Products is a good, reliable product that I'd buy again and reccomend to anyone that was searching for an UPGRADE radiator. After discovering that my fan motor was defective and it was still cooling enough, made me a believer.
Where this chinese piece came from or who sold it needs to be made public so other members don;t buy one.
If it IS the quality of the radiator that is the problem, that info should'nt be kept a secret.
Good products should be shared and bad products need to be identified for everyones benefit.
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thunder1951 (07-04-2016)
10-24-2011, 08:34 PM
#8
Former Vendor
The thing with China radiator cores is that they were inconsistant quality. Back when we bought them a few would leak right away but most of the leaks didn't occur until 2-3 years of service. The more hours of operation, the sooner the failure. I'd say about 70% wouldn't ever leak but 30% failure was way too high.
1.5 years is still a little too early to claim sucess, I hope you do have a good one though. Many other companys that tried China cores have told me the same story, no matter which company they came from. The bottom line is aluminum brazing requires precise controls and consistancy to produce high quality, leak free braze joints. I'm not saying we don't ever have leakers, everyone does, but now that we make our own cores our return rate is less than 1/2%. (5 in 1000)
10-24-2011, 10:19 PM
#10
I bought my stock replacement radiator from NAPA in 2001 and it's still going strong. As I recall I only paid around $100 for it. Don't know who actually manufactured it.
10-25-2011, 01:42 AM
#14
still havent seen the name of the company who sold the op's radiator, there's several of us, myself included who are running china radiators without issues. leesvet and Mr. Dewitt have provided some excellent info, many thanks...BTW if I could have afforded one I would have went with Dewwitt's, everybody knows C4 drivers are broke or we wouldnt be driving C4's, but now that mine runs good and looks good to me atleast, I'm glad to have gotten into a vette a such a reasonable price .................
Last edited by oldalaskaman; 10-25-2011 at 01:56 AM.
02-27-2015, 01:11 PM
#17
I want to provide my hands on experience with an engineered cooling products radiator (aka www.speedcooling.com or engineered-products on ebay).
My first engineered cooling products radiator started leaking within 2 months and the replacement started leaking on day 1. The welds are crap and not fully sealed. Mine had pinholes in them that would weep coolant. Customer service is also terrible. They require you to pay for return shipping and will not send a replacement until the original is received so you are forced to be without a working vehicle. You will also waste a lot of money purchasing coolant, paying for shipping, and wasting a lot of time every time you have to do the repair.
Look at these awful welds
02-28-2015, 07:53 PM
#19
You guys realize what a radiator does and what is all involved in right? When you buy Air conditioners and refrigerators what parts are you most concerned with? (looks like the tubes and fins)
I am testing the waters with Chinese and so called serious street HP, if it breaks or does not hold up it's what I can expect according to most people. If it does I will be posting lot about in these types of threads.
At least they offer a lifetime warranty, I also did not buy the cheapest one I could on Ebay either, but I am trying Champion, which so far has taken one back from me and modified to my request and they paid shipping.
Good business people is the first step. If it does leak I would tell them to weld it all in to insure there is no chance again. SIMPLE. If the internal tubes fail that is another issue.
I am testing the waters with Chinese and so called serious street HP, if it breaks or does not hold up it's what I can expect according to most people. If it does I will be posting lot about in these types of threads.
At least they offer a lifetime warranty, I also did not buy the cheapest one I could on Ebay either, but I am trying Champion, which so far has taken one back from me and modified to my request and they paid shipping.
Good business people is the first step. If it does leak I would tell them to weld it all in to insure there is no chance again. SIMPLE. If the internal tubes fail that is another issue.
02-28-2015, 09:50 PM
#20
Hello guys i've just replaced my 4th radiator in 2 years yes they came with a lifetime warranty thus they come with a free replacement, but how do you replace your precious TIME lost for removal, shipping, inspection, return shipping and reinstallation? yes these radiators made in China might be cheaper to purchase but their more expensive to have, and how do you replace your lost confidence knowing that theres no end to this process with another radiator replacement looming on the horizon? sometimes you really get what you pay for!