Radiator - OEM vs Aftermarket

BmerMeUp · 09-11-2014, 08:29 PM

Car is currently in the shop being repaired for a minor (but friggin expensive) front end collision.
See "Bummer Bmer Boo Boo": http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...6&postcount=50

Vehicle is 2008 E91 with 174km (108mi) on original OEM radiator with no problems to date. I have a question independent of the repair thread, for *this* thread regarding the radiator.

Scenario: OEM radiator wasn't injured (they thought it was, but it was the overflow pipe, Rad is apparently "fine"). They WERE going to replace it but when they discovered it was only the pipe, backed off and plan to leave it as-is to save me money and just replace the pipe. I am paying out of pocket.

Question: Do I leave the OEM radiator because it's fine? Or do I have them replace it (but with an aftermarket as planned) because everything is already apart now anyway? The cost is not my concern as they are similar at the moment. If the OEM lasts another 5 years but an aftermarket will only last 5 years... seems pointless - but I don't know their relative lifespans? Any personal experience here?

I'm leaning towards leave it to save money at the moment, but wondering what the group has to say?

AceOnShake · 09-11-2014, 08:38 PM

BUY ONLY OEM...The mishimoto one is over priced.. With those miles I would do it just in case if you have it out.

Efthreeoh · 09-12-2014, 05:13 AM

My car has 260,000 miles on it. I'm still on the original radiator. I replaced the entire set of coolant hoses back in January at around 250K miles. I was considering replacing the radiator too, but decided not to because of the cost. I'd gone OE or OEM if I were going to replace it though. At 12,000 miles I hit a deer, which caused a bit of front end damage, but the radiator was not replaced at that time. The core support, the plastic fame that bolts the front of the car together and holds the radiator, was slightly cracked and was replaced.

Hope this helps in your decision.

BmerMeUp · 09-12-2014, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

My car has 260,000 miles on it. I'm still on the original radiator. I replaced the entire set of coolant hoses back in January at around 250K miles. I was considering replacing the radiator too, but decided not to because of the cost. I'd gone OE or OEM if I were going to replace it though. At 12,000 miles I hit a deer, which caused a bit of front end damage, but the radiator was not replaced at that time. The core support, the plastic fame that bolts the front of the car together and holds the radiator, was slightly cracked and was replaced.

Hope this helps in your decision.

It does indeed! Thank you for that!

bmwsinceday1 · 09-12-2014, 05:22 PM

If you get generic aftermarket, make sure at least it is LIFETIME. At least, you replace for FREE (your labor though).

OEM to me is a term used to indicate original brand (as in BMW, in this case), but many time abused. OEM to me is totally meaningless. many off brand mfrs use that term/kick it around to impress buyers. Supposedto indicate that part was made to original specificationns, but rarely ever true/verifiable.

Means nothing. Only thing that has any bearing is the mgrs brand- in this case, BMW. period.

Efthreeoh · 09-13-2014, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmwsinceday1

If you get generic aftermarket, make sure at least it is LIFETIME. At least, you replace for FREE (your labor though).

OEM to me is a term used to indicate original brand (as in BMW, in this case), but many time abused. OEM to me is totally meaningless. many off brand mfrs use that term/kick it around to impress buyers. Supposedto indicate that part was made to original specificationns, but rarely ever true/verifiable.

Means nothing. Only thing that has any bearing is the mgrs brand- in this case, BMW. period.

There are two terms. OEM and EO. EO means the part is original equipment and has BMW logos imprinted on it, which are generally on available at the dealer (for BMW). OEM means the part is supplied by the original equipment manufacturer to BMW. Generally this means the part is the same as that supplied to BMW, but without the BMW branding. Most parts stores call this parts "exact fit".

A recent instance of this for me was I needed to replace the upstream O2 sensor on my Wife's Z3. The OE part made by Bosch has a on-line price of around $200. I found an exact replacement Bosch part (by looking it up on Bosch's website) for $77 at Auto Zone. When comparing the two sensors they were manufactured exactly the same, with the only difference being the part numbers and logos stamped into the plug body.

09-11-2014, 08:29 PM	#1
BmerMeUp Lieutenant 32 Rep 447 Posts Drives: Cinderella: 2008 E91 328xi Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Ontario iTrader: (0)	Radiator - OEM vs Aftermarket - Opportunity replace worth it? Car is currently in the shop being repaired for a minor (but friggin expensive) front end collision. See "Bummer Bmer Boo Boo": http://www.e90post.com/forums/showpo...6&postcount=50 Vehicle is 2008 E91 with 174km (108mi) on original OEM radiator with no problems to date. I have a question independent of the repair thread, for this thread regarding the radiator. Scenario: OEM radiator wasn't injured (they thought it was, but it was the overflow pipe, Rad is apparently "fine"). They WERE going to replace it but when they discovered it was only the pipe, backed off and plan to leave it as-is to save me money and just replace the pipe. I am paying out of pocket. Question: Do I leave the OEM radiator because it's fine? Or do I have them replace it (but with an aftermarket as planned) because everything is already apart now anyway? The cost is not my concern as they are similar at the moment. If the OEM lasts another 5 years but an aftermarket will only last 5 years... seems pointless - but I don't know their relative lifespans? Any personal experience here? I'm leaning towards leave it to save money at the moment, but wondering what the group has to say?
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09-11-2014, 08:38 PM	#2
AceOnShake Lieutenant 39 Rep 592 Posts Drives: E90 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Windy City iTrader: (0)	BUY ONLY OEM...The mishimoto one is over priced.. With those miles I would do it just in case if you have it out.
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09-12-2014, 05:13 AM	#3
Efthreeoh General 17309 Rep 18,733 Posts Drives: The E90 + Z4 Coupe & Z3 R'ster Join Date: May 2012 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	My car has 260,000 miles on it. I'm still on the original radiator. I replaced the entire set of coolant hoses back in January at around 250K miles. I was considering replacing the radiator too, but decided not to because of the cost. I'd gone OE or OEM if I were going to replace it though. At 12,000 miles I hit a deer, which caused a bit of front end damage, but the radiator was not replaced at that time. The core support, the plastic fame that bolts the front of the car together and holds the radiator, was slightly cracked and was replaced. Hope this helps in your decision.
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09-12-2014, 05:22 PM	#5
bmwsinceday1 Private 1 Rep 89 Posts Drives: 2009 328i Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: fl iTrader: (0)	If you get generic aftermarket, make sure at least it is LIFETIME. At least, you replace for FREE (your labor though). OEM to me is a term used to indicate original brand (as in BMW, in this case), but many time abused. OEM to me is totally meaningless. many off brand mfrs use that term/kick it around to impress buyers. Supposedto indicate that part was made to original specificationns, but rarely ever true/verifiable. Means nothing. Only thing that has any bearing is the mgrs brand- in this case, BMW. period.
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