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Originally Posted by nc318tigurl  I've worked on cars before, Im not a stranger to it. I dont like the idea of a mechanic trying to take advantage of me...so I learned from my dad. I just want to know if its a standard radiator swap or is it something extensive and different involved in the process. |
Oh I see, well in that case yes the radiator swap is pretty cut and dry. The upper clips can be a pain in the butt sometimes. I usually recommend BMW coolant, but unless you're going to flush the entire system, I'd just use the same coolant that's already in there as it's not a good idea to mix different coolants. You'll probably need 1.5-2 gallons, but you might be able to get away with only 1 gallon if you salvage the coolant from your old radiator. Most importantly, make sure you bleed the system afterwards.
It sucks that there's a lot of shady mechanics out there that will absolutely take advantage of people, especially if you drive up in a BMW. FWIW, I was refering to the rest of the cooling system replacement that can get pretty sketchy if you're not comfortable with a wrench. For example, the water pumps usually crumble and become lodged in the engine when you try to remove them. First instinct is to pry it out, but that can easily cause more expensive damage. The best way to remove a stubborn water pump is by gripping it with a BIG pair of channel locks and rotating it side to side while gradually pulling it out of the engine. I always recommend replacing the entire cooling system in one shotsince the bleed procedure is pretty tricky and usually takes several attempts to get all of the air out of the system. Head gasket failure due to overheating is the number one killer of these engines. Trust me, you don't want to go down that road. So being that these cars are getting old, the plastic parts and rubber hoses that are known to crack and fail should be replaced along with the common wear components such as the radiator, thermostat and water pump. Best wishes and welcome to the forum
