What radiator would you buy?

[fmugur]

It looks like there are a few brands out there and Behr would be the OEM brand although recently they manufacture them in China. The OEM is the most expensive. Rockauto has a few brands as well. Is fitting an issue on non Behr one?
What would be a good choice?
This is for 4.4 prefacelift it that matters...

[jsoto]

I don't know what the costs is...but the OEM was not terribly expensive when I bought mine. I only did that out of preventative maint. If the plastic neck lasted 10 years on the OEM, that was more than enough just for peace of mind.

[fmugur]

Well, from the dealer I can get it for $520 here with discount and online is about $350 + shipping $80.
I can get Behr for $250 shipped or other brands from Rockauto for as low as $150-$190 shipped.

[nate13]

Went with a Behr for my 330i ... Only difference is that there isn't a drain plug on the radiator. I have heard very little about the two aside from this (and that OEM is expensive!). Technically there is another OEM provider who did make one with a drain plug, but I never could find an online provider. Finally, make sure you get the one for your (automatic) transmission. The valve/ end tank is different.

[fmugur]

I ended up buying the Behr and it looks like for e53 it does have the drain plug.

[gdlbmw]

I purchased the BEHR radiator and I didn't come across any issues. The radiator has been on there roughly about a year now and have had 0 issues. Why pay $350+???