Who will install my cooling parts near Arlington?

[watou]

UPDATE: Decided to go with RRT Racing out in Dulles. Wish me luck, and I will report back later with my thoughts.
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Hi, new guy on the forum here, having a tough time finding someone who will install my cooling parts for me. A reputable shop sent me away today, rather rudely, saying they won't install my new radiator, water pump, hoses, etc., because their insurance company won't allow them. He could have just said we won't do it without the parts markup, at least that would have been honest. There is nothing wrong with these parts -- exactly the right stuff for the job.

Anyway, I've got all the parts, plus a case of NPG+ so the end result will be a no-pressure cooling system in my 540i. Now I need to just find someone skilled enough with BMWs around here who will take parts off, make sure the cooling system is basically dry of its old coolant, put parts on, and fill it with my NPG+. I'm happy to pay a fair rate for labor to an honest, experienced guy. I could do the job in my driveway myself, but I would rather pay to avoid the peril on a job like this.

Any advice? Many thanks.

[jdauria]

UPDATE: Decided to go with RRT Racing out in Dulles. Wish me luck, and I will report back later with my thoughts.
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Hi, new guy on the forum here, having a tough time finding someone who will install my cooling parts for me. A reputable shop sent me away today, rather rudely, saying they won't install my new radiator, water pump, hoses, etc., because their insurance company won't allow them. He could have just said we won't do it without the parts markup, at least that would have been honest. There is nothing wrong with these parts -- exactly the right stuff for the job.

Anyway, I've got all the parts, plus a case of NPG+ so the end result will be a no-pressure cooling system in my 540i. Now I need to just find someone skilled enough with BMWs around here who will take parts off, make sure the cooling system is basically dry of its old coolant, put parts on, and fill it with my NPG+. I'm happy to pay a fair rate for labor to an honest, experienced guy. I could do the job in my driveway myself, but I would rather pay to avoid the peril on a job like this.

Any advice? Many thanks.

RRT does great work.

[watou]

RRT does great work.

Thanks for that -- I'm headed out there now with all new plumbing and a case of NPG+. Wish me luck and I will report back when it's all done.

[mcoupemindy]

Where did you end up buying the Evans from? I'm interested in hearing your impressions of it as it's the perfect, non-boil coolant, for those who would really stand to benefit from it.

[watou]

Where did you end up buying the Evans from? I'm interested in hearing your impressions of it as it's the perfect, non-boil coolant, for those who would really stand to benefit from it.

I bought a case of 4 gallons of Evans NPG+ from http://www.proracestore.com/ for $130. A friend of mine has a '98 540I and he did this same switch a year or two ago and is happy with the results so far. He even modified his expansion tank cap so it does not hold pressure in the system, with no ill effects. Mike at RRT has experience with Evans but noted that it is a smaller molecule than normal coolant, which means it does run the risk of finding a way out of the system when water/ethylene glycol wouldn't. However, to me the benefits of having a pressure-less cooling system outweigh the risk. Plus, my friend with the '98 540I is very happy with the results. The downside for me is that I will always have to carry extra Evans around in the trunk, since it's hard to find compared to regular coolant. Topping off with water will no longer be an option!

[jdauria]

I bought a case of 4 gallons of Evans NPG+ from http://www.proracestore.com/ for $130. A friend of mine has a '98 540I and he did this same switch a year or two ago and is happy with the results so far. He even modified his expansion tank cap so it does not hold pressure in the system, with no ill effects. Mike at RRT has experience with Evans but noted that it is a smaller molecule than normal coolant, which means it does run the risk of finding a way out of the system when water/ethylene glycol wouldn't. However, to me the benefits of having a pressure-less cooling system outweigh the risk. Plus, my friend with the '98 540I is very happy with the results. The downside for me is that I will always have to carry extra Evans around in the trunk, since it's hard to find compared to regular coolant. Topping off with water will no longer be an option!

This is a noob question but what are the pros and cons of doing this?

I always have an extra quart of motor oil in my trunk just in case I need to top off. It fits nicely on either side of the trunk compartments. Never falls over, so you should be fine with carrying an extra bottle of Evans around.

[watou]

This is a noob question but what are the pros and cons of doing this?

Pros: Carries heat about the same as normal coolant, but decreases operating pressure in the cooling system to almost nothing, so a burst hose or radiator becomes very unlikely. Since propylene glycol (the "PG" in NPG+) has a very high boiling point, the engine never gets so hot as to cause it to expand to burst a weak hose or radiator and boil off. As long as your cooling system is tight, risk of sudden cooling failure is reduced to nearly zero.

Cons: Evans NPG+ is expensive and hard to find in an urgent situation. Incompatible with water and normal coolant (ethylene glycol) so you can't mix them (Evans says no more than 5% volume of old coolant can be in the system when you switch to NPG+). NPG+ is a smaller molecule than normal coolant so there is the risk of it seeping out in places where normal coolant wouldn't.

I am going to pick up the car later this morning and will post my observations.

[jdauria]

Pros: Carries heat about the same as normal coolant, but decreases operating pressure in the cooling system to almost nothing, so a burst hose or radiator becomes very unlikely. Since propylene glycol (the "PG" in NPG+) has a very high boiling point, the engine never gets so hot as to cause it to expand to burst a weak hose or radiator and boil off. As long as your cooling system is tight, risk of sudden cooling failure is reduced to nearly zero.

Cons: Evans NPG+ is expensive and hard to find in an urgent situation. Incompatible with water and normal coolant (ethylene glycol) so you can't mix them (Evans says no more than 5% volume of old coolant can be in the system when you switch to NPG+). NPG+ is a smaller molecule than normal coolant so there is the risk of it seeping out in places where normal coolant wouldn't.

I am going to pick up the car later this morning and will post my observations.

Thanks for the information. This is interesting stuff, this is something to possible do when you replace the entire cooling system (overhaul). How much is this going to cost you if I may ask.

Keep us posted!

[watou]

Thanks for the information. This is interesting stuff, this is something to possible do when you replace the entire cooling system (overhaul). How much is this going to cost you if I may ask.

All new radiator and heater hoses, radiator, water pump, thermostat, fan blade, expansion tank, gaskets and O-rings, 4 gallons of NPG+, and replacing two cracked belts, about $900 total, most of that from AutoHausAZ. If I'd done it myself, a few hours and a floor jack would have been it. But I wanted to go with reputable pros to do the work, and that ain't cheap, as they say. But seeing as the patch on my old cracked radiator had given out, the time had come to do a proper repair that ought not ever need to be revisited (famous last words). More later....

[watou]

I was very impressed with the guys at RRT Racing. They were extremely professional and pleasant to deal with, and I got the sense that they were very interested in doing the job properly, and seemed very honest and ethical about their business.

I haven't done much driving since getting the car back on Friday, but thus far I don't think a drop of NPG+ has left the system. I have no regrets going with RRT Racing. It was worth the trip out there for sure and I will definitely go with them the next time I've got a job that is outside my DIY comfort zone.

I did learn that buying your parts online isn't necessarily the way to go, but I really don't know how much I saved over all genuine BMW parts, or how better/worse the parts are that I bought versus all genuine BMW. I think I saved a lot, but was it worth it? Don't know yet.