Radiator replacement?

CAROLINA CHAVEZ GARCIA

MEMBER
2008 DODGE CARAVAN
3.3L
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
112,000 MILES

Hello,

I took my van in to the Dodge dealer for an oil change. Then I get the message saying my car needs repairs.

It needs a new gasket $216.00 The coolant reservoir is low I think we should do a pressure test to start to see if there are any leaks. If there are not any we should flush the coolant $220.00 The air filter is dirty $26.00 The brake fluid is dark as well and should be flushed $185.00.

I told them it was okay to do the gasket when I went to pick up the car they said that one of the hoses was leaking coolant and they needed to replace it.

5 days later after I picked up my van the next morning I drove my car 30 miles from home. And find that there was coolant on the ground where I had the car parked. And in my driveway.

Dealer said that the radiator side tank blew and that it was not their fault.

Could the repair the dealer did have cost the radiator to break?
I have spoken to four different mechanics that said that It looks like the dealer did not bleed the system correctly after the repairs they did.

3 Replies

HARRY P

MECHANIC
2,292 POSTS

Failing to bleed the system didn't cause the radiator to break. And there's really no way that a mechanic could tell whether it was bled once a leak starts. Bleeding the system is a practice by which we work air pockets out of the cooling system. Once a car starts leaking coolant, air has gotten into the system and you can't tell if there was any air prior.

It's possible that flushing the system freed up some gunk, which then went downstream and clogged up the thermostat, keeping it from opening. As a cars engine up, the coolant warms the thermostat. That causes the thermostat to open, allowing coolant to start flowing. If the thermostat fails to open, the engine and coolant get hotter and hotter, increasing pressure within the cooling system. Then the weakest point in the system can break. In your case it would be the radiator. Even if that's what happened, which okay s a long shot, it's not the dealers fault.

Unfortunately you're going to be stuck with the bill here. In the future, when the dealer or mechanic starts up selling (adding work to the bill) I suggest politely declining the work and taking the car to a smaller independent mechanic to have them check it over and give you an estimate.