Radiator + Fan Assy = $1620 ???

[NIL8r]

This morning, my Cruiser temp. went over "normal" for the first time ever.
I got it in to a local dealer right away and they diagnosed it as:
"Groove in cap (radiator)"
"leak in radiator"
"thermo stuck closed - no coolant flow"
"noisy cooling fan"

They quoted a price of $1620 to replace the radiator and "cooling fan assembly". When I questioned the price, they told me a new rad. was $500 and the new fan assembly was $400. Is that REALLY possible?

BTW... I called a NAPA parts supplier and got a quote for $350 total. Mytax dollars arealready bailing out Chrysler. I'm not bailing out the local dealer too!!

[Sharkstooth]

That is way too much,what is the dealer charging for labor 7 hours. do it yourself or have a friend do it and save money.Good luck with it.

[NIL8r]

That's exactly what I thought. Car is sitting in the garage waiting for the parts. A co-worker is a mechanic (part time). He can get the parts from NAPA at 40% off retail. So basically, $250 for everything (including hoses - might as well change those too while I'm at it).

Is there any reason NOT to buy these parts from a NAPA dealer?

[CREWZIN]

Those particular parts from NAPA should be fine. I put a "sticky" in the Tech & Performance part of this forum that explains how to change the fan/housing. Just a little bit more and you can pull the radiator too.

[seadooboy]

Call 1800 Radiator. They stock both rads and fans and have great pricing and cooling system expertise. Lifetime warranty too. I got my AC system parts from them for my 2003 a month ago at a great price.


Andrew
SC
2003 PT Cruiser Limited
188,000M and counting.

[edsidders]

Originally Posted by NIL8r

This morning, my Cruiser temp. went over "normal" for the first time ever.
I got it in to a local dealer right away and they diagnosed it as:
"Groove in cap (radiator)"
"leak in radiator"
"thermo stuck closed - no coolant flow"
"noisy cooling fan"

They quoted a price of $1620 to replace the radiator and "cooling fan assembly". When I questioned the price, they told me a new rad. was $500 and the new fan assembly was $400. Is that REALLY possible?

BTW... I called a NAPA parts supplier and got a quote for $350 total. Mytax dollars arealready bailing out Chrysler. I'm not bailing out the local dealer too!!

I wouldn't let my car on the same street as that dealer....
If your friend has not worked on PTC's before please refer to many other post concerning coolant type and bleeding the air from the cooling system..

[NIL8r]

Thanks everyone! It's good to hear that I made the correct decision on this. I never really trusted that dealer in the first place. Now I have one more reason.

I put a "sticky" in the Tech & Performance part of this forum

Thanks. I already have read through the related portions of the service manual that is also posted there. Great info to have.

BTW... Totally unrelated. Can someone tell me if the window switches on the upper center dash are supposed to be lighted on the '05 PT?

[Hooligan]

Originally Posted by NIL8r

Thanks everyone! It's good to hear that I made the correct decision on this. I never really trusted that dealer in the first place. Now I have one more reason.

Thanks. I already have read through the related portions of the service manual that is also posted there. Great info to have.

BTW... Totally unrelated. Can someone tell me if the window switches on the upper center dash are supposed to be lighted on the '05 PT?

I believe the top two should.

[CREWZIN]

On the 2001 all 4 switches are lit up. Do you have the "Auto Down" feature on the top 2 switches (which means the drivers and front passenger windows go down at the touch of the button). My two top switches say "AUTO" on them and they both light up when you put the front lights on. The bottom two switches just have a dash (-) on them and they light up also.

Chrysler did away with "things" as the years progressed as a cost saving measure. The engine vanity cover, the passenger outside door lock, the hood alarm in the engine compartment, the rear cargo net and rear shelf plus some of the lights switches on the inside were all deleted on some models.

[careyk]

my turbo uses a special cooling fan...my radiator was about 500$ installed....the dealer is charging 1100$$$$$ for the turbo cooling fan alone.....luckily with the help of Crewzin I have found a used turbo fan for around 125$......stay away from dealers you will never come ahead winning with them