Radiator
The grid of thin tubes and fins at the front of the car that cools the liquid running through the engine.
In plain English
The engine is cooled by a liquid called coolant, which soaks up heat as it circulates through the engine. The radiator is a wide, flat part at the front of the car made of thin tubes and metal fins. Hot coolant flows through those tubes, air passing over the fins carries the heat away, and the cooled liquid goes back to the engine to do it again. On many cars with an automatic transmission, a small cooler for the transmission fluid is built into the radiator as well.
Why it's on your estimate
A shop usually recommends a new radiator when it leaks coolant through a crack or a corroded spot, or when it is clogged inside or its fins are blocked so it can no longer shed enough heat. Typical signs are a puddle of coolant under the front of the car, a low coolant warning, a sweet smell, a temperature gauge that climbs higher than normal, or a cabin heater that blows weak heat.
How urgent is it?
Fix soon
A slow seep may leave you a little time if the coolant level stays up and the temperature gauge stays normal, but leaks tend to grow and the repair should not be put off. It becomes a stop-driving problem if the gauge climbs toward hot, a warning light comes on, or you see steam, because an overheated engine can be badly damaged.
Questions to ask the shop
- Where exactly is it leaking or blocked, and can you show me?
- Did you pressure-test the cooling system and check the hoses and radiator cap too?
- Do the hoses or thermostat need replacing at the same time, or just the radiator?
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