Some of you may be keeping up with my trials and trevails with my '03 S600. Now I need to put out a question for some of you DIYers out there. So...after completing the replacement of the ABC/power steering tandem pump (which I did without benefit of any instructions or manual BTW ) I ran into another problem. I took it out on its maiden voyage after completing the repairs and at my first stop running around town I noted a large puddle of coolant under the car.

I was able to get it back home without incident. I found, like some other S600 owners, that there is a crack in the plastic near the upper inlet hose on the driver's side of the radiator. I was able to remove the radiator (with the assist from babyman1737...THANK YOU SIR!) and now I am looking for the replacement.

Parts Geek has great deals on new replacements but I want to know if anyone has any experience with any other brands of radiator. The OEM is Behr and Parts Geek has it new for $293, which I thought was a very fair price. But they have some alternatives that offer ridiculous savings over the Behr. The Nissens is only $244 and they also offer a discount radiator called Action Crash Parts for only $134. I know marktan got the Nissens and he seems satisified with it. Anyone else have any experience with the Nissens or Action Crash? I would be a bit worried about getting the Action Crash for so cheap. I like a good deal but the price just seems a bit too good to be true. Could the quality be up to par with a price like that? I am leaning on getting the Nissens since Mark seems to be OK with his. I would like some input if any of you have any experience with the off brands.

Thanks in advance for your time,

Keith

 

are you sure action crash isnt a used takeoff part?

 

Keith,

I'd like to stick with OE/OEM.

By DIY you already save significantly. Your work could be better than dealer as you take your time.
OEM saves more than OE, and keep the quality same.
Don't go even further. I am sure after market parts won't exceed OE/OEM in term of quality.

Down grade parts quality is a trap for DIY. That saving is not worth your time and safety compromise.

I am not saying above specific brand is bad, it's just my way of DIY.

Thanks.

Howard

 

do not downgrade on these parts, especially given the criticality.

 

Action crash parts is a used auto parts salvage company owned by LKQ, their radiator is a used one out of a wrecked S600

 

I am of the same mind Howard. You and I are on the same wavelength. Mark seems happy enough with his Nissens part so I am leaning that way to save over $50 from the Behr.

This is the type of quality info that I was hoping for with my post. Thanks a bunch Vander. The website says the quality is "platinum" and the condition is "new" but I had serious doubts about that. Your explanation makes more sense.


Enough quality responses here to make an intelligent decision. Thanks all for your input. I will be ordering the Nissens today and get it in this week. THEN I will be...

Keith

 

DO NOT BUY USED. Mercedes has updated part numbers and such. Newer fan control unit too. The old used radiator will eventually break just like yours did. Hopefully the updated part will last longer? The fan control module eventually blows/leaks the large capacitors inside of it on the old model, we'll see how the new updated one lasts.

 

+1 We'd stick with Behr...

 

Hey, thought I'd chime in. I ordered a new Nissens radiator off Amazon and (with prime membership) had it shipped directly to my mechanic's garage with free two day shipping.
$210 here:

I've had absolutely no problem with it at all in about 20,000 miles.
Be forewarned, it takes HOURS (I think 5 or 6) to get the old one out and replaced with the new one.

 

Thanks Mark. I didn't find a deal as good as yours but I had read previously that you had bought a Nissens and were happy with it. That was part of my decision to go with the Nissens instead of the Behr. The rest of the decision was the $50 savings over the Behr.

I am acutely aware of the difficulties with removing the radiator. Most of it is pretty straight forward. However, there is a pump bolted onto the lower passender side of the radiator that is VERY difficult to get to with standard wrenches. There are also 10 mm bolts on either side about halfway down on the front of the radiator that hold it in that you will not get to with regular sized hands/wrenches. My son helped me with these but it was no easy feat.

Lastly, the air intake for the turbos starts on either side of the radiator. This is actually a part of the radiator on either side with about a 6" pass through that is built into the plastic on the side of the radiator. The rub here (and where I was at an impasse until babyman chimed in to help) is that there is a plastic piece that clamps to the radiator that extends this pass through about an inch towards the grill. With this attached I was unable to bring the whole unit up and out. After I got the advice to remove these it came right out (well...there WAS a lot of pulling and cussing going on there but...)

I am still waiting for the replacement. It is supposed to be here tomorrow. I have about 3-4 hours invested in it already and it should be a bit easier to get back in now that I know the process. I am guessing that I will total out at about 5-6 hours of labor. I am sure the dealer would ding you for 10 hours for this at $65/hour.

I am glad that this is my fourth vehicle and just a toy for me to play with. If this was a daily driver I would have had to go to the dealer and prolly shelled out $1K or more. I will total out at about $300 with parts and new fluid and just a few hours of my time. Then I will be...

 

I am about to do this job this weekend. How did you end up with This? Any other pointers?

 

No other problems that I can think of. It is a pretty straightforward process. Just be careful removing the upper and lower transmission cooler lines from the passenger side of the radiator. There are also 2 bolts that hold the assembly of other coolers to the front of the engine radiator, one bolt on either side. I recommend you tackle these LAST. Once everything else is off and the radiator is loose you can push the top of the entire assembly of coolers back towards the engine and gain a little space to work. They are a bear to get to and you will need the space (I am referring, of course, to the S600 here which is what I was working with).

Good luck,

Keith