SIDE NOTE.....(What happenned with the repairer):
btw...the guy I've been taking radiators to my whole life retired and shut down.....I struggled to find ANYONE that would do a repair.....everyone just told me it's not worth it and to buy a new one.
When I called this guy and told him I need a leak repaired on the phone he told me it would cost $130. When I took it down showed him where the leak was, he exclaimed, "oh no, I can't fix that"....because the leak was right where the tube meets the tank.....and what he was saying made sense, he said that if the tube is corroded away on the inside of the tank to cause the leak, he'll having nothing to solder to on the inside....fair enough. He said "I thought you were talking about a leak on the tank"...where else would a leak develop on the tank?
I did have the same radiator repaired a couple years ago when i did my tranny cooler and overtightend the tranny inlet spigot which caused a tiny crack on the weld resulting in a tiny leak....my guy fixed that for $10....not $130.
Anyway, he told me he would remove the tank and take a look and if it was repairable, he would repair it, otherwise would give me a call to give me the bad news. He also said tank removal and repair would involve at least 4hrs labour and cost $250. And that was just to take off one tank, not both. He quoted me $590 on a new Adrad so I went with the repair. He made sure I understood that there was NO warranty on the work for various reasons.
When I picked it up the next day, he told me the fins where fine on the inside and that the repair worked. When I asked him if it was at all blocked he just said "Well, all the tubes were flowing". I also asked him if it was pressure tested and whether the cap was good, and he said he did and that the cap is fine.
When it came time to pay, he said "Just give me $200". I was happy at the time, but thinking about it afterwards, I ask why? Why would you give me a $50 discount if the work you quoted was worth what you quoted? Perhaps he DIDN'T do what he said he did. He didn't strike me the type, but maybe he saw some quick & easy cash for beers & pokies on a deal with no recourse.
EDIT...The workshop WAS authentic...it had benches, braising stations, sink tanks and at least 4 guys actively working on what looked mostly like truck radiators in full view. All in all, I really have no reason to doubt the repair.
Last edited by kario; 04-05-2015 at 11:30 AM.
|
