Radiator repair and refurbish
The car radiator is an important part of your car's cooling system. If your car radiator is not functioning properly (the radiator might be choked up inside with scaling which reduces the flow of water, it might be corroded on the outside so air can't pass through it or your car radiator might be leaking coolant on the floor) your car is going to overheat - especially in heavy, slow moving traffic or on the motorway when your car's cooling system is working at its hardest.
Our garage is fully equipped to help ensure that any radiator/cooling problem your car is having is assessed and fixed as soon as is possible. Here's a quick list of some of the most common types of fault and their causes:
- Leaky fittings or seams. As a car gets older your parts are going to wear. For your car radiator, that means hoses, clamps, sealed seams, and secondary fittings (like an automatic transmission oil cooler). Keep an eye out for overly rusted clamp, for leaking seams where the cores join the tanks, and split hoses. This can occur with or without regular radiator maintenance.
- Fin deterioration and bond failure. Constant exposure to dirt, water, or road salt can coat, corrode, or damage the cooling fins on your radiator cores. Radiator maintenance here includes regular cleaning and inspection, which can greatly increase the life of your radiator cores. Many radiator cores are bonded to the tanks with solder or epoxy and these are common points of failure in radiators.
- Electrolysis. If dirty or mineral-rich water is used in a cooling system, you can quickly accumulate scaling and sediment build-up on the interior of your radiator. Electrolysis is the process by which this accumulation occurs. This build-up can be cleaned out with radiator cleaners and, for some radiators, with a rod and brush.
- Cracked tank. One of the most common radiator problems is a cracked tank. Sometimes, it is caused by corrosion, other times it is from tank faults or internal pressure. Many radiators have removable tanks that can be replaced when they fail.
- Fan damage. An improperly fitted fan can rub against or hit the radiator when the car goes over a bump. This will bend and sometimes split the radiator cores, reducing cooling efficiency and causing leaks. You should periodically visually inspect your radiator cores for fan damage.
- Those are the most common car radiator problems. Simple preventative maintenance can save you from most of them. Remember, to keep your cooling system running in tip-top shape, you should have it professionally inspected and serviced at least once every two years for proper radiator maintenance.
