Hi there, I have been dealing with a coolant leak for the past month now. So yesterday after work I decided to find out exactly where the leak is coming from and to finally put it to rest. I started by removing the splash guard underneath and worked my way up. I looked at every hose and connection of the cooling system and concluded that it had to be the radiator. So then I started removing the air box, fan shroud and finally the radiator. When I examined the radiator, I found a small crack on the lower part of the radiator near the plastic blue bleeder screw.
Now my dilemma is what radiator to purchase. My vehicle is a 05 X5 4.4i with 80k miles. I can go as low as $120 for an aftermarket replacement found on amazon.com, I also found another radiator that is $140 with a lifetime warranty through a website called radiator barn or I can go OEM through my local BMW dealer for $400.
I am leaning towards the radiator from Radiator Barn for $140 because of the inexpensive price and the lifetime warranty.
What are your thoughts and opinions?
Amazon Radiator
TYC 2593 Replacement Radiator for BMW X5 : Amazon.com : Automotive
Radiator Barn
Radiators, automotive radiators, condenser, oem radiators, truck radiators