Rant: Had to choose between a quick patch or a full radiator replacement on a customer's old truck

Customer's 2002 Silverado came in with a cracked upper tank, leaking pretty bad. I could try a plastic weld patch kit for about $50 in parts and an hour of my time, or do the whole radiator swap for $400 plus labor. I went with the patch, thinking it might buy them a few months. It held for exactly one week before failing on the highway. Now I'm eating the cost of the full replacement anyway. Anyone have a good rule for when a patch is actually worth trying?

2 comments

2 Comments

jones.mason12d agoMost Upvoted

Man, I used to be all about giving the cheap fix a shot. Figured I was doing folks a favor, you know? But after a couple disasters just like yours, I changed my tune. Now my rule is if the plastic is already cracked and brittle, a patch is just a band-aid on a broken bone. It's not worth the comeback or the bad feeling. I only try a patch now if it's a clean hole in otherwise good material, like from a rock.

derek7812d ago

Exactly, trying to patch brittle plastic is just asking for trouble. The stress from the repair process can make those tiny cracks spread fast. Better to just replace the whole part and save everyone the headache.