Best Repair Shop in Thousand Oaks to Fix the Cracked Radiator in Infiniti

At Bavarian Performance Specialists, we understand that keeping your Infiniti in top condition is important to you. Infinitis are well-regarded for their attentiveness to detail and precision engineering.

Following good maintenance practices like keeping your coolant levels topped up will keep your Infiniti running smoothly. If your radiator is leaking coolant, you may find yourself stuck on the side of the road when your engine overheats. Knowing how to recognize your radiator requires service is an important part of owning an Infiniti. In this article, we’ll cover the causes of radiator cracks and how to recognize when you have one.

How a Radiator Works

The radiator is a stopping off point for the coolant that flows through your engine to keep it from overheating. As the coolant leaves the engine, it carries heat energy with it and flows into the radiator fins, where it is cooled down by air flowing in from the outside. The radiator fan blows the hot air out to move heat through the front grill. The coolant then returns to the engine, and the cycle starts over.

Given that the radiator is there to keep your Infiniti engine cool, it is easy to understand why it would be a bad thing if it stopped doing its job. A cracked radiator will leak coolant, and this will cause less coolant to flow to your engine. Eventually, your coolant will be depleted and the engine will overheat and suffer damage.

Causes of a Cracked Radiator

A radiator that gets too hot or too cold, or whose pressure gets too high, will often crack. One reason a radiator could crack would be a faulty thermostat. The thermostat is there to keep track of the temperature of the engine and adjust how much water and coolant to release.

If the thermostat is faulty, it will release too much coolant into the radiator, which will increase the pressure inside of the radiator and cause a rupture. A leaky head gasket can produce a similar effect and can be expensive to repair.

Another possible cause of cracked radiators can be hot weather, causing the radiator to work harder to lower the coolant temperature. If the radiator fluid level drops too low, it could cause it to break. Conversely, freezing air temperatures can cause the radiator to crack.

Rust is also often a culprit in cracked radiators, as the metal of the radiator could become rusty if exposed to too much salt. Salty air or road salt can create these conditions and lead to weakened radiator structure that eventually cracks.

Signs of a Cracked Radiator

If your radiator has suffered a crack, you should notice a few symptoms. You may see a brightly-colored pink, yellow, or green liquid pooling under your Infiniti. This is probably coolant leaking from your radiator.

Your engine may run very hot, and the temperature gauge on your car may show high engine temperatures. You also may get a low coolant warning light. If you see any of these things, get your car serviced immediately.

If you see steam coming out from under the hood of your Infiniti, pull over and get out of the car right away. Call for a tow, and don’t drive the car. If you ignore this problem, your car could catch fire, so take it seriously.

You can and should give the radiator a visual check from time to time. Look for any signs of rust or cracks or loose gaskets and hoses. If you see anything suspicious, bring it into an expert repair shop as soon as possible.

Bavarian Performance Specialist

Bavarian Performance Specialists has been serving the area around Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Westlake, Malibu, and Newbury Park, CA since 1983. Our expert team of automotive technicians can inspect and repair your radiator to get it working again as designed, to keep your engine cool and running smoothly.

If you need service for your Infiniti, make an appointment with us today. We are committed to serving our customers with the highest standards of maintenance and repair quality. We will work with you to determine the best course of action to get your Infiniti back in top condition. Call us today or stop by to speak to one of our experts.