Shop says I need a new radiator...I've seen no leaks though!

If you are unable to determine yourself with the advice of some of the posters, whether your radiator is in need of replacement then your only choices become replace the radiator...or get a second opinion.

On a simplistic level, your problem isn't with your radiator, it's that you evidently at some level, distrust your service department.

That distrust may or may not be justified, but really over the internet, with nothing but the description of " They say it needs to be replaced-I'm suspicious" nobody can really determine whether that distrust is justified.

If I felt uneasy about the diagnosis...I'd seek a second opinion but unfortunately I think it's going to take a hands on, pop open the hood and look evaluation. Too hard to determine over the internet.

 

seems pretty cut and dried to me, where do you think all the coolant went? must leak while your driving and not in the garage. if it's still leaking after the work is performed, ask for your money back. it's not difficult for a qualified shop to detect the problem and repair it.

 

Or a cylinder head issue?

Let's hope it's the radiator

 

That's what I thought, too.

 

Well it isn't.
Any competent shop would do a pressure test before recommending a new radiator.
It could be a simple matter of a failed pressure cap allowing the coolant to boil out.
It could be as bad as a leaking head gasket, "burning" the water in the engine.

You definitely need a second opinion OR some hard evidence; not just a wild guess.

And that story about not allowing customers into the service area is just so much BS.
Ask them to move it outside and THEN show you where the leak is.
Cars that are only 2 years old do NOT normally have the tubes inside the radiator plug up.
20 years maybe but not 2.

 

you're assuming they didn't check those things.

 

did the o/p ever state the reason for bringing it in for service? i can't find it. i don't know if he saw that the coolant was low and took it in, or had another symptom, took it in and they told him the coolant was low.

 

cut and dried.

 

It looks conclusive - a new radiator needed!

 

Leaky radiators may not leave a puddle on the floor. The sweet coolant smell from the front of the car is a tell tale sign.

 

Quite simply, the leak was so slow that the water evaporated, while leaving the pink die and some of the additives in the coolant as an evaporate.

 

I'd still get a second opinion.
That could be icing from a left over birthday cake......

 

Exactly. I can walk past a car in the parking lot and if its leaking coolant I smell it. This car's been stinkin' for a long time.

Burnt antifreeze is pretty noticeable.

 

I do not remember the old days when I was a kid... I still remember when my dad fixed the radiator due on corrosion, my dad used to fill with water:.

do not know on VW. exactly, plastic on radiator is unrepairable, . once cracked, hardly to fix.
Still remember when my Dad fixed leaking radiator by welding machine .
I have been dealing with Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda only.

current engine cooling uses closed loop where the extreme situation can force steam out of the system, but... it will give "sweet smell" and some stain on the engine compartment.


if clogged, the hose would break out or the radiator will start cracking/leaking. this is an extreme situation that could break waterpump ( dried coolant stain nearby). clogged was rarely happened, it will overthrow overheat warning first.
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make sure to go other dealer to verify that radiator need replacement or talk with the technician and request to show the failing parts and how they find out the root cause .

 

BMW also uses radiators with plastic tanks and hose necks.

Plastic radiator necks are known to crack with age, especially if a mechanic uses worm drive clamps and crank them down on the ends of the hoses too tight. I know that the black hose ends turn a yellowish brown with age.

Some companies used to sell brass and copper radiators, until copper prices went up.