Pro tip: check the torque on those aftermarket aluminum radiator brackets before you drive off

I had a customer's brand new $400 radiator drop right out on the highway last week because the supplied bolts backed out after only 200 miles, so now I always hit them with a dab of blue threadlocker and re-torque to spec before the car leaves the bay.

3 comments

3 Comments

umar491mo ago

People forget how much vibration a car makes. Those little bolts get shaken like crazy on rough roads. A bit of threadlocker is cheap insurance against a huge repair bill.

daniel_gonzalez1mo ago

Isn't it wild how we ignore small fixes until they're big problems? Umar49 is right, that's a life lesson way beyond just car bolts.

claire_grant341mo ago

But how often do bolts actually shake loose? Modern cars are built pretty tight. I've driven beaters on terrible roads for years and never had a wheel fall off. Sometimes the fear gets bigger than the real risk.