I have a 94 ES300 with 135K on it..was just thinking about selling it..The other night it overheated..Stopped at a station where they put in coolant which was WAY down..I managed to get it to a rental car place where there is also a service station known to be a little pricey, but I left it there....Today they said it needed a new radiator plus hoses..Cost would be $500...They charged me $42.50 just to diagnose it if I do not go ahead..I do not know if this is a fair price or not...or if they are correct in me needing a whole new one (altho that probably is correct)..Can anyone advise me PLEASE...and/or should I just try selling it without the repair? Was not wanting to spend this now!

 

Since you were low on Coolant and they said that you need a new Radiator, did they actually see where the leak is originating? Can they show it to you. Is it confirmed that its from the radiator?

 

Honestly, I don't know any shop that would charge a diagnostic fee outside of the dealer.

If the radiator is truly leaking, you can buy a nice aftermarket radiator (Koyo brand) for $130, a set of new hose for under $20 and most shop will charge 1-2 hours (~$120) for labor. $500 is an awful lot of money to be spending on a radiator problem. If you ask me, I would never take my car to a service station.

 

OK--So where DO I take it?

 

No--I have not seen anything yet

 

There are no independent mechanic shops around your area?

 

It IS an independent mechanic shop..I just called them back..The $550 quoted is for the radiator ($250), 2 hoses @ $25 each and 3 hours of labor at $85 per hour...I have a guy I trust I could take it to, but it is a 25 minute drive and I cannot drive it , correct?

 

Depends on the leak. If it's leaking quite a bit, then it's best not to drive it. If you have towing on your insurance, then you can have it towed to the shop instead. If it's barely leaking at all, a short distance drive should be okay.

3 hours sounds like a long time to do the job, but they may be quoting their repair manual, which will always be longer than it really is.

 

OK--This was good information..Thank you

 

Sounds like you have a clogged radiator and the solution is to replace it. And yes $500 is too much.

 

Found another place close by who will do it for $379..I'm going to do it...

 

I paid $250 for a brand new radiator and installation for my Avalon. Avalon and ES300 share the same engine (1MZ-FE).

 

check your oil to see if the radiator fluid is in there? es3's have common head gasket problems

 

Common head gasket problems on 1MZs? Well, I've never heard of that...

 

Me either. In fact, everything I have read points to the opposite, it is very rare. The 3VZ-FE was more prone to head gasket failure, it doesn't tolerate overheating as well.