So, my radiator in my Prelude has a leak and I'm not going to do a "do-it-yourself" repair. . .

Question, for a radiator (on a daily driver with 170K) should I:
a. Pay the dealer $450 in parts + $300 in labor. . .
b. Get a new Honda OEM replacement for $350 + $150 in labor at a private shop. . .
c. Get a new After market replacement for $350 installed. . .
d. Keep looking for a better price. . .

Any experiences with this??

 

I would say go with the aftermarket. Unless your Prelude is different from just about every other Honda, then it has plastic caps. No sense in spending more money for the OEM unit. Although, $350 does seem a little pricey for the aftermarket. I can't imagine the radiator being more than about $150.00 and the rest being attributed to labor seems a little high, then again I've always changed my own out and it's not always easy in a Honda.

 

Derryck,

I called another radiator shop and they quoted me a price of $235 installed for a new after market radiator. . . Does this seem resonable or does it sound "too good to be true". . .

 

That sounds closer to what I thought it should cost. There's not alot of labor involved, it's just a pain in the butt.

 

The only thing that I hate about taking a car to the shop when the coolant needs to be drained is that they use tap water rather than distilled water in the mixture when they refill it. Tap water can be very bad for an aluminum engine - always used distilled water. Also, I only use Honda or Toyota coolant - much better than Prestone, etc. Having torn apart several high mileage aluminum engines, it is amazing the difference that a good coolant/distilled water makes.