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Guy at the body shop told me my "new" radiator was actually a cheap rebuild and now I flush coolant every 3 months instead of ignoring it

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2 Comments
nina_jenkins
Heard a mechanic on a podcast once say that rebuilt radiators are basically a gamble. Sometimes theyre fine, other times they clog up or leak way faster than a new one. Flushing every three months sounds like a bandaid for a bigger issue, like the cores are partly blocked or the coolant is eating through something inside. Might be worth checking if the shop that did the rebuild even used the right coolant type, some modern cars are picky about that stuff. Just something to look into before you drive yourself crazy with all that flushing.
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garcia.laura
Disagree a bit here. If you buy a quality rebuilt radiator from a reputable shop, it's actually a pretty solid deal. The core is typically cleaned out properly and the tanks are pressure tested. Flushing every three months is just good maintenance, not a bandaid lots of new cars even recommend that schedule in their manuals.
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