[mayankk]

look for rakesh automobiles on gmaps.
Theres a whole jumble of auto repair guys in that 100-200 metre radius.

M-seal will hold, yes, but when it goes, it goes like hiroshima...

Authorized, you could try a&a, plot 396,udyog vihar 4

[dashoin]

One guy doing radiator repairs is situated opposite the telephone exchange Sect 12 A. There are a whole lot of shops in the area.
For Maruti authorised spare parts shop, Alva auto is located nera Katariya chowk else you could try Jagdamba, behind the exchange. There are a whole lot of shops there.

BTW, you could also try on the Sheetla mata road. One of the guys did plastic welding on my Ikon`s radiator - been 3 years and 40 K kms, still good.

OT, when you do go in for replacement, ensure the system is properly flushed out. You wouldnt want to end up clogging a new radiator.

[Sinner666]

Originally Posted by mayankk

look for rakesh automobiles on gmaps.
Theres a whole jumble of auto repair guys in that 100-200 metre radius.

M-seal will hold, yes, but when it goes, it goes like hiroshima...

Authorized, you could try a&a, plot 396,udyog vihar 4

Originally Posted by dashoin

One guy doing radiator repairs is situated opposite the telephone exchange Sect 12 A. There are a whole lot of shops in the area.
For Maruti authorised spare parts shop, Alva auto is located nera Katariya chowk else you could try Jagdamba, behind the exchange. There are a whole lot of shops there.

BTW, you could also try on the Sheetla mata road. One of the guys did plastic welding on my Ikon`s radiator - been 3 years and 40 K kms, still good.

OT, when you do go in for replacement, ensure the system is properly flushed out. You wouldnt want to end up clogging a new radiator.

Points noted. Thanks guys. I keep opening the hood & checking the radiator almost daily now. As soon as I sense trouble, I'll head out to the above mentioned places.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sinner666

...small hairline crack on the radiator collar(the area just below the cap) and the coolant was bubbling out in very minute quantities from the small crack...

That's an easily accessible area. Take the car to any bodyshop (where they use an oxy-acetylene torch), and ask the fellow to braze the crack with brass (what's locally known as pital welding). Do it before the crack opens wider.

[Sinner666]

An update - Had finally decided to shake off the laziness and decided to get the radiator welded/repaired. I headed off to the plethora of shops on Sheetla Mata Road and found a shop which had radiator repairs written on it. The guy opened the hood and just glanced at it and said that the upper tank has to be changed. He said it could not be welded and this was quite a common problem with Esteems. He quoted around Rs.650 for the upper tank and 150 as the labour.
I agreed to it and he started working on it. He opened up the the whole radiator assembly and the whole coolant leaked out. He said it could not have been done any other way. Next, he sent one of his minions out to get a new part for the replacement. In the meanwhile, he said that the radiator is very dirty and asked if I want to get it cleaned. he quoted Rs.180 for it. He removed all the radiator springs and poked inside the holes with a thin rod, then he got the radiator cleaned at a nearby carwash. The replacement part had arrived by then and he fixed it back, poured coolant(some local coolant, I believe Golf-E was written on it) which according to him costs Rs.240 for 2litres. He added water too, idled the car for about 10mins and said I was good to go. The total cost had by then worked out to Rs.1200, I bargained and got it down to 1040. Paid and left.

Now I have some doubts -
1. Should I change the coolant since I believe it was some local coolant? I have around 2500Kms to go before my next service. No long drives etc coming up.
2. He did not put back the radiator springs while re-assembling the radiator. He said it was not necessary and showed me a room full of springs removed from earlier cars.
3. While pouring in the coolant, he poured all coolant into the radiator itself and nothing into the reservoir i.e. the white bottle. Was this correct?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sinner666

...removed all the radiator springs...
...not necessary and showed me a room full of springs...

What are radiator springs?

Originally Posted by Sinner666

...poured all coolant into the radiator itself and nothing into the reservoir i.e. the white bottle. Was this correct?

Not a problem. Most coolants are the same chemical, ethylene glycol, and do their job without much hassle. However, you might want to change the stuff to something from a reputed brand at your next service, just for a little more peace of mind, esp. on long drives and in the peak of summer.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Sinner666

He removed all the radiator springs and poked inside the holes with a thin rod, then he got the radiator cleaned at a nearby carwash.
Now I have some doubts -
1. Should I change the coolant since I believe it was some local coolant? I have around 2500Kms to go before my next service. No long drives etc coming up.
2. He did not put back the radiator springs while re-assembling the radiator. He said it was not necessary and showed me a room full of springs removed from earlier cars.
3. While pouring in the coolant, he poured all coolant into the radiator itself and nothing into the reservoir i.e. the white bottle. Was this correct?

1. No, you do not have to change the coolant even if it was water.
2. Those "springs' do not serve any purpose ( don't really know why they are there in the 1st place).
3. Again, wait for your next service and get the radiator flushed and refilled with the coolant of your choice.

[Sinner666]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

What are radiator springs?

Even I saw them or came to know of their existence for the first time when the chap opened the radiator. They are basically metal springs(similar to the ones found on some ball pens which have a spring action up-down), only longer, running the entire height of the radiator. And now I remember the town in the movie "CARS" was also named Radiator Springs.

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

1. No, you do not have to change the coolant even if it was water.
2. Those "springs' do not serve any purpose ( don't really know why they are there in the 1st place).
3. Again, wait for your next service and get the radiator flushed and refilled with the coolant of your choice.

My question stands He poured the entire 2lts of coolant into the radiator itself, but nothing into the reservoir(white plastic bottle). Would this be any sort of an issue??

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by Sinner666

My question stands He poured the entire 2lts of coolant into the radiator itself, but nothing into the reservoir(white plastic bottle). Would this be any sort of an issue??

As far as i know, most coolants come with standard instructions to dilute to 33-50%.
its not very expensive,just remove all the stuff he poured in, make a proper mix with some branded one, and top out both your radiator and reservoir.

or is that overkill?

[pratikraveesh]

How does a radiator sealant work? Did Esteem come with a heater?

[Sinner666]

Originally Posted by pratikraveesh

How does a radiator sealant work? Did Esteem come with a heater?

Yes, the Esteem did come with a Heater. As regards, the radiator sealant, I am least knowledgeable. Far more experienced persons on this thread may have the answers.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

What are radiator springs?

Originally Posted by Sinner666

They are basically metal springs(similar to the ones found on some ball pens which have a spring action up-down), only longer, running the entire height of the radiator.

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

2. Those "springs' do not serve any purpose ( don't really know why they are there in the 1st place).

Those are called turbulators. (Turbulator - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, HowStuffWorks "How Car Cooling Systems Work").

Allows for construction of smaller radiators with better heat exchange capacity. Not present in all radiators, but if present (especially in small & compact radiators of high-revving engines), removing them reduces cooling efficiency of the radiator.

Originally Posted by Sinner666

My question stands He poured the entire 2lts of coolant into the radiator itself, but nothing into the reservoir(white plastic bottle). Would this be any sort of an issue??

Not at all. The white plastic bottle (aka the coolant reservoir / reserve tank) would have automatically received the coolant + water mix. Just confirm coolant level to be between max & min marks in the reservoir with a hot engine.

[rahul4640]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Just confirm coolant level to be between max & min marks in the reservoir with a hot engine.

I replaced the coolant recently in my car, after an year and half. Two or three days later after opening the hood I saw that the liquid level in the reservoir was well above the maximum level. Not only that, the coolant-water mixture level was standing above the inlet tube, situated in the upper portion of the reservoir. In absence of any suction device to draw out the excess water myself, I took the car to the mechanic again and asked him to reduce the amount of liquid in it. He told me that there was nothing to worry about as it was nothing serious and the liquid level will recede with time. But I think the liquid will take at least a few months to evaporate and come below the maximum mark.
Shall I again take the car to the mechanic and insist that some liquid be taken out of it? At present the car is behaving normally and no overheating is ever noticed, in-spite of AC remaining on.
Regards,
Rahul Biswas
Calcutta

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by rahul4640

I replaced the coolant recently in my car, after an year and half. Two or three days later after opening the hood I saw that the liquid level in the reservoir was well above the maximum level. Not only that, the coolant-water mixture level was standing above the inlet tube, situated in the upper portion of the reservoir. In absence of any suction device to draw out the excess water myself, I took the car to the mechanic again and asked him to reduce the amount of liquid in it. He told me that there was nothing to worry about as it was nothing serious and the liquid level will recede with time. But I think the liquid will take at least a few months to evaporate and come below the maximum mark.
Shall I again take the car to the mechanic and insist that some liquid be taken out of it?

The excess coolant will overflow and drain out, not evaporate.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Sinner666

My question stands He poured the entire 2lts of coolant into the radiator itself, but nothing into the reservoir(white plastic bottle). Would this be any sort of an issue??

You really do not need more than a litre of coolant for the esteem. The rest should be water.