Dawnnae

Hi, I have so many questions. I'm looking at radiators and the prices are from $49 to $450. How do I know which one to buy? I know Lexus uses Denso parts, but I've seen so many other options I'm not really sure which one to get. To make things even more confusing, when I priced the Denso radiator, there are two! How do I know which one to buy for my car? With the other choices, do I need to buy a Denso radiator at all? Is there another acceptable brand of radiator for the 2000 Lexus RX300? Please help. I had to fire my mechanic, so while I'm pricing the new radiator I'm also looking for a new mechanic to install it. (276,000 Miles)

salimshah

When ever you as a customer buys an item and takes it to a mechanic, then the labor is to be paid the second time by the owner. Now if the product is chosen and installed by the mechanic then the mechanic eats up the cost of the second time labor. [in case of warranty issue]

All aluminum radiator are the better choice as they are light and conduct heat well. Copper is a better conductor, but it weighs more. I am not 100% sure but the Lexus radiators are typically top and bottom plastic. I would suggest after market Denso. Just make sure the plumbing and mounting is the same. Buy from a reputable seller. There are advantages in purchasing from local parts seller as they may give you lifetime warranty and easy exchange in case of fitment issue. Buying from dealer with VIN number will ensure guaranteed fit, but may cost a bit and with that many miles on the vehicle it may not make sense.

Dont forget to get Toyota coolant and for concentrate, make sure you add distilled water in the ratio printed on the jug,

Salim

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

I believe the RX300 with the towing prep package had a larger radiator that the non- tow equipped car.

Dawnnae

Thanks so much. My vehicle doesn't have the towing package, so I have an idea of which to get.

Dawnnae

Thank you Salim! It's such a pain trying to figure all of this out on my own. I appreciate the reminder about the Toyota fluid. I didn't even know it existed until I was watching a video the other day and the guy in the video mentioned it.