IIRC, Nissens have a stamp or label on the top of the radiator core.

Does the radiator you got have the reinforced upper neck (metal sleeve inside the neck)??? If not, send it back. The radiators without the reinforced neck fail in a very bad way. It almost took out the M103 motor in my old W126 with no warning and very little time to save the engine.

For the money you paid, you could have had a BEHR which is OEM quality.

 

Sounds right. Mine is the same way.

I am partial to Nissens personally and I've used both. Nissens was also OEM at one point in time, but it may have been in Europe only.

I'm partial because I prefer made in Denmark to a possible china with Behr.

 

None of the Nissens I've seen (I have three in my shop) have the reinforced neck like the OEM Behr units.

 

I don't think there's a Nissens for a 124 that does not have the reenforced neck. They are very good, but it sounds like they may be coming out of China, probably the same factory as Behr. "International Radiators" is just too fishy.

 

The three I have are all for the 124 (two OM603 and one OM602), and none of them have the reinforced neck. They are all labeled as Made in Denmark

 

Sounds questionable.

My recently acquired 91 TE 4Matic has a replacement radiator with that "International Radiators" round sticker on top. Looks pretty new and the bleed fitting at the driver's side tank is leaking a bit and tie-wrapped onto the tank. Not a good sign.

Or maybe I'm just irritated because the a-hole who installed the radiator didn't have the brains to transfer the rubber pads from the old radiator to the new one. And the clips were installed backwards. And one of the nubs was broken off the shroud where the ring mounts. Grrrrr.

 

Too late. I have installed the radiator and it would be too much trouble to send it back. This Nissens has no labeling on the top of the aluminum core. Finally, when you say "neck", do you refer to the two plastic hose tube on the right? There is no metal reinforcement inside. I checked the original one I removed, and it does have the metal reinforcement inside. The plastic tube (neck) is strong and I think as long as you don't overtighten the clamp, it should be fine. I guess that I have to take the risk now. The original is a Behr and the leak is through the interface between the metal core and the plastic size piece.

Thanks.

JT

 

The plastic necks are fine when they are new, but over time, the plastic gets brittle, so the reinforcement is thought to help it avoid vibration-related cracks

 

I don't worry that much about the plastic tube either. Unless the plastic is made of poor quality material, it will hold up. My real concern is that the radiator has no labeling at all. The aluminum core top and bottom surfaces are also with pretty poor surface finish. If your three Nissens at the shop are all labeled as made in Demark, I think that I got screwed by this eBay seller. Where do you get your Nissens from?

 

Hi, Where do you get your Nissens from? I am almost convinced that I got a fake one from this eBay seller. Thanks.

 

I found a phone number of Nissens US dealer and was able to speak with the gentleman. He informed me that Nissens radiators must have Nissens labeling, like a sticker on the top surface. I also asked him about the metal reinforcement inside the neck. He stated that they used metal sleeve inside the neck at one time but now they don't. This is because they don't think it is necessary with their high strength plastic material. I am going to return this radiator I got from eBay and buy one from Autohousaz.

 

Hopefully he will accept a return...

check autopartswarehouse for the nissens radiator and then google if they have any 10% off coupons...should make it cheaper than autohaus.

For large single items, APW has treated me well. Fast shipping, no issues at all. I've ordered probably 8 times from them.

 

Legally this would be considered fraud in the inducement. Their misrepresentation, intentional or not, and your reliance on the misrepresentation make the transaction voidable by you. You could also use this to substantially renegotiate the price. They probably don't want a used radiator back and you're not likely to get them to pay for your extra labor.

 

This is one of the main reasons why I refuse to buy parts from eBay.

I always buy from a reputable online seller using a credit card, and if/when there is a problem you simply dispute the payment and let the credit card company do the dirty work. After all, that's why you are paying the credit company a annual fee.

FWIW, all the BEHR radiators I have installed in the last 5 years have been made in South Africa (not China) and have never given me any issue. Behr's fan clutches, on the other hand, seem to have shifted production to China and yes one of those I got was bad right out of the box but Autohausaz replaced it promptly with another Behr which came from Germany.

 

All puzzles solved!!! Nissens radiator

Dear all,

I have all the puzzles worked out now. Many thanks for the information from many of you. I just ordered a Nissens from autopartswarehouse.com with 10% off coupon, for a total of $167.36. Here are the facts I found out after talking to Nissens US representative and an agent at autopartswarehouse.com (AW) who called down their warehouse to verify the radiator.

First, "International Radiators" is an aftermarket radiator maker. According to the agent at AW, this maker gets its parts from some warehouses related to Nissens and then they assemble the radiator, most likely in china. The radiator looks just like a Nissens but surface finish is poor. The one I got has many corrosion marks on the top and bottom surfaces. The components may or may not be made by Nissens, or most likely by some satellite factories related to Nissens. It is definite not from Nissens, Denmark and carries no logos or marking of Nissens on the radiator. Only a sticker on the box, stating Nissens.

Second, the correct part number for the original Nissens from AW is w0133-190891. It will have Nissens logo or trademarks, and stated "made in Denmark" on the radiator. The aftermarket one has a part number as NSS62683A. The eBay seller, discountautoparts, has a 24-hour customer service phone line and the lady I spoke to agree to issue me an RMA. I received an email from them for expecting an RMA in the next two days. I bought it through eBay. If they won't accept the return, I will get eBay involved.

Third, regarding the metal reinforcement inside the neck, the Nissens US representative assures me that it is not needed based on their research. They had it once but removed it when the plastic quality is enhanced. Therefore, there are some members have had Nissens with metal sleeves but newer ones are all without, at least those for W124s.

Fourth, I really don't want to accuse this eBay seller as fraudulent. Their customer service is nice and always available. In fact, they got this aftermarket part from AW. The agent at AW confirmed that they shipped the aftermarket radiator from their warehouse with the order from the eBay seller. All these e-commerse stuff. The shipping slip indicates that it is from "shipping@autopartswarehouse.com".

Fifth, my final conclusion, this aftermarket radiator ("International Radiators") is assembled and packed likely in china and the box carries a Nissens sticker. Therefore, they are sold as Nissens for a 15-20% discount. They probably supply these to many repair shops who sell them as original Nissens with lower buying cost. One member noted that his also carries a "International Radiators" sticker on it.

I will going to take down this aftermarket radiator when I receive the original one from AW. Then I will pack it up and return it to this eBay seller. My time and labor are my loss but a valuable lesson is learned here.

Hopefully, you guys won't have to repeat my mistakes.

JT

 

... this aftermarket radiator ("International Radiators") is assembled and packed likely in china and the box carries a Nissens sticker. Therefore, they are sold as Nissens for a 15-20% discount. They probably supply these to many repair shops who sell them as original Nissens with lower buying cost...

Kinda sounds like buying a Rolex "on sale" until you inspect it closer and find it to be marked "Japanese movement"

 

Both my Nissens Radiator necks look perfectly fine as you said, I don't see any long term potential issues.

And the radiator performance out here in Arizona during summer which peaks @ 120F was great. If it can handle 120F, most of you guys on here that barely hit 90F on the worst days should NEVER be even close to overheating if everything is working properly

 

Received the new Nissens radiator today, ordered yesterday

Dear all,

Received an anthentic Nissens radiator today, lighting fast as I ordered it yesterday. It turned out it shipped right from Durham, NC, 20 miles from where I live.

Now seeing both the aftermarket one and the real one, there are substantial differences. The real one has a small Nissens sticker on the top of the aluminium core and the plastic tank is signed with Nissens trademark. The aftermarket one has nothing but a sticker "International radiators". The real one is packaged in a box printed with some blue and red patterns and words such as automotive cooling systems, and a big Nissens trademark. The aftermarket one has only one small sticker, stating Nissens.

The authentic one obviously is of higher quality with finer surface finish and top surface of the aluminium core has a raise groove. The plastic neck, though not reinforced with metal, it much thicker inside to render it strong.

I should never order it from an eBay seller with tons of negative feedbacks.

JT

 

I can tell you that, very soon if not already, poor quality aftermarket parts will threaten the health of the remaining W124s on the road as people, knowingly or not, replace their parts will poorly made duplicates.

 

Glad you're happy with the fast delivery with APW...I've had similar experience even with me further away.

Enjoy your Nissens!

 

Had to replace my original 17 year-old Behr unit a couple of months ago. It wasn't leaking and the cooling performance was perfect too, but it was quite badly distorted when I bought the car, bulging near the top... a breakdown waiting to happen, it seemed. I chose another Behr as the price difference between the alternatives was very small, and I knew nothing about the alternatives (until reading this thread).

They're made in South Africa now, as stated earlier in the thread, and carry a couple of stickers to identify them. I was a bit disappointed to see that 'BEHR' is no longer stamped into the metal at the top... I can't help thinking that if costs are cut in manufacture on the outside, the same will have happened within. Whatever, a new rad certainly freshens up the look of the engine bay, I wonder how long it'll remain bright silver and free of small dead creatures?

Good luck

Tim

 

Just to bring this story to an end. I returned the aftermarket radiator via the FEDEX label issued by the eBay seller. In the mean time, I opened a case through eBay to request a full refund, instead of store credit. The radiator was delivered today and the seller issued a full refund. Some time and labor were wasted but a valuable lesson is learned. eBay's protection is a must. My real Nissens radiator is doing fine, and hopefully for many years to come.

 

Nice thread start to finish.

 

My mother's 300TE is in need of a number of parts, and one of them is the radiator.

Is there a difference between these part numbers referring to the 1990 300TE radiators? Which one will have the reinforced neck?

1245009003 and 1245002803

The radiator in the 300TE was manufactured and most likely installed also late 2005, which is about the time we got the 300TE from one of its previous owners.

 

Label looks like this, sounds to cheap to be a genuine Nissens, unless dead old stock???

Chinese/thai radiators kill good cars!

Reuben