Car Radiator Repair & Flush in Vancouver
Radiators
Have you ever had a cold or the flu and you’ve spiked a fever, causing your temperature to rise? It’s not fun to feel that way, is it? Being sick and overheated causes a person to be tired, and their performance drops significantly. Now imagine this same situation happening to your vehicle. When your radiator is not working properly, it is like giving your engine a fever. This not only harms performance, but can cause major damage. We know that a leak in your radiator can turn a messy situation into a major repair for your vehicle. Your radiator is one of your vehicle’s most vital components. The radiator displaces heat caused by your engine in order to keep the engine cool and running correctly. This is how a radiator works:
The Coolant Process:
Ethylene glycol, better known as anti-freeze, is the neon green liquid that flows from your engine and then through your radiator to cool it. The liquid is able to cool by passing through tubes inside of the radiator. As the liquid passes through these tubes, the heat from the liquid is displaced by the tubes and small “fins” connecting the tubes of the radiator. The liquid flows through these fins and tubes and the surrounding air is warmed by the displacement of heat. The liquid’s heat is lost by allowing the radiator’s assembly to “radiate” the heat caused by the liquid into the air. A fan pushes that hot air away from the radiator. Air heats up fast, so replacing the warm air around the radiator with cool air is extremely important. When the coolant finally exits the tube and fin assembly of the radiator, it has been sufficiently cooled and passes through the engine again.
Why should I fix a leak in my radiator?
The first thing that our team of professionals will tell you is that it is best to keep your engine running cool as to allow the engine to run more cleanly and efficiently. This in turn will allow your engine to last as long as possible and keep it safe from abnormal wear and tear. If that leak is not fixed properly as soon as possible, your engine may overheat causing very costly damage including:
- A blown out top header
- Destruction of your radiator entirely
- Cracking or blowing out the engine’s head gasket
- Total engine seizure
Our friendly and courteous auto care professionals will repair your radiator, when possible, and get you back on the road with confidence. We want to make sure your radiator will keep your engine at the optimal temperature so you can avoid a much more costly visit to our shop. Contact us today to set up an appointment or request a quote for radiator service!
Frequently Asked Questions
Whether you need routine maintenance work like an oil change or a full-fledged car radiator repair, choosing the right auto shop is crucial. If you don’t thoroughly research your options in and around Vancouver, Washington, you could end up dealing with subpar workmanship, poor customer service, and sky-high prices.
To avoid this situation, keep an eye out for radiator shops that offer perks like:
- Skilled mechanics. Your automotive radiator repair shouldn’t be handled by just any mechanic — instead, it must be done by the most qualified people in the business. To get this level of experience from your mechanics, look for local shops that hire ASE-certified technicians.
- Locations throughout the area. Vancouver’s best auto shops provide services to their customers no matter where they are by operating multiple locations in the region.
- Ways to save on auto service. Instead of overcharging for their work, genuinely reputable shops make it easy for customers to cut costs by providing valuable online coupons.
If you’re looking for all these benefits and more, Gaynor’s Automotive has you covered. We’ve been Vancouver’s go-to shop for car radiator repair for years — see what we can do for your vehicle by scheduling an appointment today!
In a best-case scenario, your car radiator repair shop may be able to fix your radiator in an hour or so — but that’s not a guarantee by any means. If you’re dealing with serious radiator problems, it’s best to set aside four to six hours for car radiator repair.
Even so, it may take longer than that, depending on part availability and the severity of the damage. They may also discover other problems while fixing your radiator, which can definitely affect the length of your repair.
When your radiator starts experiencing problems, you’ll need to visit a local shop for automotive radiator repair or replacement work. If you’re wondering which of these services is the best fit for your situation, consider:
- What your radiator is made of. Typically, radiators consist of either aluminum or a copper/brass mixture. Since copper is an easier material to work with than aluminum, most auto shops can fix copper radiators. But if your car radiator repair shop employs sufficiently skilled welders, it may also be able to fix your aluminum radiator.
- The age of your vehicle. The older a car is, the harder it is to find replacement parts for it, including crucial components like radiators. If your aging car’s radiator isn’t suffering from severe damage, repair work will likely be your best option.
- Whether or not you performed temporary repairs. Temporary radiator fixes, such as Radiator Stop Leak, might seem helpful in the short term, but they can actually make your situation worse. These products tend to gum up radiators’ internal workings, making it harder for coolant to flow correctly. As a result, temporary repairs can reduce your likelihood of being eligible for professional repair work.
- The extent of your damage. Of course, the severity of your radiator’s damage will also determine what type of work you need. For example, a minor radiator leak should be easy to fix — but a radiator damaged in a serious front-end collision will probably need to be replaced.
If your radiator is on the verge of failure, it shouldn’t be hard to tell that something’s up. These red flags typically indicate that it’s time to visit a car radiator repair shop:
- Constant overheating. When your vehicle regularly overheats, there’s a good chance that your radiator is to blame — especially when your engine isn’t under significant stress when this happens. In fact, overheating is the number-one sign of a faulty radiator.
- Coolant issues. If your cooling system doesn’t have a sufficient amount of coolant, it won’t function correctly. Anything from problems with your radiator’s head gasket to overall radiator failure could result in leaking coolant. With that in mind, you should start looking for local radiator shops if you notice a coolant leak.
- Sludge build-up. If you spot sludge in your radiator, it needs professional attention immediately. Sludge indicates that contaminants have entered your coolant, which can create circulation issues and prevent your radiator from functioning as it should.
- Trouble shifting gears. Though shifting problems are usually the result of transmission trouble, radiator issues can also contribute to this situation. That’s because your transmission can’t function as intended when it has to deal with temperatures outside of a specific range.
- Radiator rust. When rust develops on your radiator, this component’s structural integrity will be reduced. Because of that, it is harder for rusty radiators to maintain pressure without developing leaks, meaning they may need to be replaced earlier than expected.
