03 XC70 with Cracked radiator... $1100 repair??

fusionrx · Post by **fusionrx** » 16 Apr 2008, 23:48

My parents car, vertical crack along one of the side welds, (no leaking seen). 71 000km.

Dealer quotes them $1100 CAD for radiator repair. Part cost from Online suppliers is approx. $300. That suggests about 8hrs labor if you average $100/hr. This seems very very fishy to me.

Does this seem like its reasonable (my reference point is Saabs, unfortunately, another expensive Swedish car to maintain)? I wouldn't think a rad replacement takes 8hrs.

Post by **JRL** » 17 Apr 2008, 05:19

3 hour job. You can go from there

sony2000 · Post by **sony2000** » 17 Apr 2008, 10:10

If it ain't broke don't fix it. Do pressure test. If it doesn't leak, leave it.

fusionrx · Post by **fusionrx** » 17 Apr 2008, 10:19

My parents concern is that they have to do a 2500 mile trip to visit the grandkids (my kids) down in the US. 2 days to get to us and 10 hrs/day driving at 120kph.

Would you feel comfortable with a 'known issue' driving thru Saskatchewan and Manitoba with no Volvo dealers closeby? They don't object to doing the repair, they just think the cost is extremely steep and I would agree.

sony2000 · Post by **sony2000** » 18 Apr 2008, 11:28

On a 2003, go for it at $300. An experienced general mechanic can switch it. Test it for a week or two before the trip. Then give the mechanic a $20 tip because you brought your own part. With the Euro dollar so high, I use the good after market parts now. And go to the garage, knowing what liter of transmission fluid you will need to top up the the tranny.

PierreC · Post by **PierreC** » 19 Apr 2008, 11:26

Even in South Africa, where cars and parts are relatively expensive due to heavily loaded importation duties, I paid about $550 - $600 (Canadian) for the same job incl. a new, Volvo branded, radiator.

Note that the auto transmission cooler is an integrated part of the radiator and there will be some ATF loss due to the removal / replacement of the radiator. In my case, the dealer did not fill up the transmission fluid after completing the job and the fluid level was below minimum - yes, I had a big fight with them. but I topped it up myself and save myself a possible transmission failure.

NOTE THAT THIS TRANSMISSION USES A SPECIAL ATF TO JWS3309 SPEC - DON'T USE THE WRONG STUFF.

To be 100% sure, buy Toyota T-IV ... it is 30% of the price of the Volvo ATF and is exactly the same ... given the fact that the tranny is made by Aisin-Warner, a Toyota owned company!