Behr Radiator Replacement

• Performance
• Ease of Use / Installation
• Quality

• 5
• 5
• 5

You can consider your radiator as the core of your engine's cooling system. Primarily composed of the water tank and the radiator core, this reliable cooling machine absorbs the heat released by the engine and exudes it into the external air. This is continuously done by the radiator to help keep the normal working temperature of your vehicle's engine block. If properly maintained, a radiator can last for at least ten years. But because keeping the engine cool is a really tough job and head-on collisions are sometimes unavoidable, your radiator is bound to fail at some point. When this happens, you shouldn't think twice about replacing your damaged stock. If you don't want to end up with a busted engine in the middle of nowhere, you better start looking for the best possible replacement for your old radiator. There are many brands available in the online market today. Let's see if a Behr radiator can satisfy your vehicle's cooling needs.

Behr radiator features

• OE replacement
• Made of superior-quality aluminum core and fiber glass-reinforced polyamide water and coolant tanks
• With integrated transmission oil cooler (if applicable)
• Comes with OE style mounting brackets, hoses, and other connections
• Sold individually
• Carries a one-year or 12,000-mile limited warranty that covers problems with the materials and workmanship

We installed the Behr radiator on our BMW E36 M3, and here are our comments:

The good

• The Behr radiator's fit is impeccable. Its OE feature guaranteed that it was a perfect match for our BMW E36.
• The installation was also hassle-free. No major or minor modifications were done, and we had all the necessary mounting brackets and connections for the set up. The entire process only took about 45 minutes to finish.
• The combination of an aluminum core and heavy-duty plastic was really ideal. The whole radiator unit weighed a lot less than the stock, and its compact body was a total space saver.
• Its aluminum core is proven to be highly resistant to oxidation and corrosion. The water and coolant tanks, on the other hand, were strong enough to resist deformation and breakage.
• The Behr radiator works well with the rest of our BMW E36's cooling system components, and it operated quietly throughout the testing period.
• It was very effective in keeping the engine cool. Not a single overheating incident was recorded even if the vehicle was repeatedly subjected to extreme driving conditions and high temperatures.
• The warranty period is also long enough to discover any problem with the unit, which might have been obtained during its production.

The bad

• The price of the Behr radiator is relatively more expensive than most of the replacement radiators we previously tried.

The verdict

After eight weeks of testing, the Behr radiator proved to be a viable replacement for our BMW E36 M3's stock. It impressed us with its aluminum core, which is actually more effective in heat dissipation than its copper and brass counterparts. The OE replacement unit was also very lightweight, so the installation was not really a challenge. Our BMW enjoyed surfing the city streets and the freeways without worrying about overheating or coolant leaks. Using the Behr radiator was certainly good decision, and it made us worry less about having cooling system problems.

Although the prices of most Behr radiators are not really budget-friendly, the long list of features and benefits that you can get from these reliable OE replacements is already enough to compensate the cost.