Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing 4/4 Radiator

Hi I would like to thank all who took the trouble to reply and to Steve above who thinks that the Aero Racing offer was hard to complain about since owning the car it will have cost me £1.00 a mile for radiators, the test is what a reasonable man would find the offer acceptable it is my opinion that he would not.Reading the handbook that was provided with the car there is no requirement that the antifreeze is replaced only that the strength is tested this was found to be correct at the resent serviced and no action was taken by Williams Automobiles.
The car is kept in a dehumidified garage and never intentionally driven in the wet. By implication the radiators fitted to a Morgan have a life span of under 4 years this is built in obsolescence by supplying parts which are inferior and known to fail, as a business model it as you will see from the cost of a replacement radiator £800.00 fitted very profitable.
All I wanted was a dream car this is turning into a nightmare. I hope to attend the next All Morgan Day.
Les Powell

I can appreciate your disappointment Les, but, be honest, at the mileage you do Morgan would have to guarantee it forever to keep you happy. I suggest using the car more, then, if it fails in 1000 miles you can ask them for a full credit as the part will have been in the car less than a year.
Nick

Hi Nick thank you for your response I think you for whatever reason are looking at this through the wrong end of the telescope a good quality radiator should not fail after 4 years forget the mileage the original fitted to the car managed 10 years when the replacement was fitted I did not specify and aluminium radiator that was Aero Racing decision I am unable to understand why you feel 4 years is a reasonable period the next meeting I attend I will seek the opinion of other owners and ask them to view the offending radiator.
As a matter of interest are you a Morgan Dealer

How has the radiator failed? Is it repairable?

Hi Les,
No I'm not a morgan dealer.....far from it, in fact I've had my disagreements with the factory about what should be covered under warranty myself. No, I was just thinking that an open ended warranty is impossible.....I mean supposing I buy a tv, keep it unused for ten years then open it and discover it doesn't work.......should that be still under warranty? I do agree with you that a radiator shouldn't fail after 4 years but I just can't see it as a warranty issue. Maybe a reason to never buy a car by the manufacturer.......!
The factory's offer looks pretty good to me.
Nick

Thanks Nick for your input however I feel that failure after 4 years indicates that the radiator was not fit for purpose and not of a quality that a reasonable man would accept given that top price was paid and it was fitted by Morgan I have spoken to qualified motoring professionals who agree with my view. The radiator may have been damaged during fitting and given Aero Racing hard nose they would never admit to the damage.My old BMW which I still see about has had the same radiator for 20 years where would the motor industry be if a manufacturer could not expect a radiator to last more than 4 years.
Les

My wife's new Polo has a 3 year warranty or a mileage limit.

With all due respect if the radiator had been damaged at the time of fitting wouldn't you have noticed a leak four years ago?

Please bring the vehicle in and we'll inspect it together (before any work is undertaken).
We have nothing to hide, if were at fault we'll admit it.

Also please bear in mind that MMC do not manufacture the radiators, Aero Racing has nothing to gain!

I will not comment on this thread again, I don't want to make things worse, I've emailed you.


Mark

Les

Is it correct that the car was not serviced for 3-4 years, and what was the pattern of use in that time?

The problem with extended periods of disuse is that the corrosion inhibitors in the antifreeze become depleted as they stop corrosion. If the fluid in the radiator matrix isn't circulated (engine not started/up to temperature, thermostatic valve not open) then this local radiator fluid may become different in composition to the rest of the system (which will still test as within concentration limits). Galvanic corrosion within the radiator matrix/welds can then cause perforations (evidenced by rusty water from an aluminium radiator).

I write this with some sense of guilt, as I have a number of cars which suffer issues because I simply don't have an opportunity to use them sufficiently.

If Morgan really are offering to cover half of the repair cost, personally I would grab this opportunity with both hands.

Out of curiosity (paranoia actually as I’m on my third rad) I checked the voltage across my coolant this morning. I fitted a very nice Mulfab rad about 4 months ago and want to keep it in tip top condition. The original Cu/brass rad and it’s later re-core had both failed so decided to go aluminium. The measured voltage in the coolant of the last failed radiator just before I changed it was over 0.2 volts (there is pic somewhere on here). The measurement this morning was 0.03 volts and very happy with that. If this reading starts to run away it might be a useful indicator that perhaps the radiator’s mechanical strength is being compromised.

Anybody else sad enough to check their coolant voltage to compare notes?