Hi....ive mentioned on here a while back having problems finding the leak on my radiator......so dammed difficult to pin point where its coming from. I've looked again tonight, as my wfe said the warning light came on again, and i saw a small weep on the front rad, which i assume is the intercooler.

Having checked out the prices for renewal...and its not cheap compared to the main radiator, i was wondering, has anyone used radweld or similar products? Call me a skinflint, but the expense is not what i need right now, and im looking at cheaper alternatives before having the funds to renew both items at a later date. Any info on radweld or similar products and how effective they are would be much appreciated....regards andy

What is leaking? water?

There is no water passing through an intercooler just air (with a little bit of oil vapour)

If the coolant warning light has come on then it will be the normal radiator it's coming from, these are a weak link across the VAG range and tend to last 4 - 5 years before they start weeping from the bottom corners, a coolant pressure test will confirm this.

Thanks gizmo68 for the info on the inter cooler.....that narrows it down to the main radiator..i'm loosing water at the rate of 1 1/2lts a fortnight, plus of course the antifreeze mixture (g12) which isnt cheap. I've purchased some rad weld , and will put it in the cooling system and see if it will help seal any issues that i'm having at the moment.

It appears to be leaking from one of the corners and a 1/4 of the way down on the rad itself, but untill i remove the bumper to get a good look at the complete radiator, itsall guess work as to where its comin from. Looking on the tarmac the leak seem to be in two places, but that can be caused by the water running along the undertray.Will have a proper look this weekend and add the rad weld then. cheers for your reply...regards andy.

Don't put radweld in it - change the radiator. Bodging on these cars is a bad move.

GSF/ECP sell replacements but avoid Valeo and Behr. I have found the best aftermarket radiators by far are made by Nissens (Denmark). These are zinc plated on the actual core and don't seem to corrode as fast as the rubbish VAG fit.

Either of these suppliers will order a Nissens radiator for you if you ask them nicely. Beware - there are some cheapo Chinese ones around...

rotodiesel.

hi mate yer i had the same problem with rad and it was in the corner as well that's what skoda said anyway so i put 2 bottles of rad weld in and have not had a problem since no leak what so ever

Thanks rotodiesel andsike1963...ive decided to go for the temporary repair with radweld on the car.........i'm still waiting for some prices to come in....and so far supply and fit varied with one being 132quid plus labour and the other was 99quid plus labour and vat.....i will contact some spare part suppliers this weekend, and then make a decision as what is best for the wallet and the car cooling system in the long term.

Ive read some threads on nissens and some say they are good and others werent too impressed.....along with the genuine makers radiator and one from serck rads. But be assured, the rad weld is a temporary measure, its just that i dont have much time to do the work myself.....plus its bloomin freezing out there!!.....many thanks for the replies guys.regards andy