MAC'S RADIATOR SVC INC

Needed this irritant fixed. Got a quick quote and scheduled repair. In and out on time. No problems.

They did everything correctly with estimates of cost and time to completion on the money. Work was performed in a day. I was given several radiator replacement part options and explanations of the differences in price and warranty. I'm pretty picky about the quality of work and it seemed to be done well. My only dislike of the job was that they refilled the cooling system with an aftermarket coolant brand and not the factory brand. However, it had the same high mileage and system protection specifications as the factory coolant so I guess no big deal. I just had to put a sticker on the filler cap indicating this so that someone else doesn't add the wrong coolant. This is why I gave an overall "B" grade. Otherwise, I'm happy with the job.

First, let me say that I'm very picky about things in general and do a lot of research before jumping into anything. The upper radiator plastic hose fitting had broken after 132K miles on my vehicle. They (sorry, don't remember any names) quickly diagnosed it and called me confirming what I already knew. I liked that they gave me options on radiator manufacturers (original vs. third party) and part versions (standard vs. heavy duty) to chose from. They also suggested proper preemptive measures like replaceing the aging upper/lower hoses and pressure cap. There was no "up-selling" done in my case. I asked specific questions about what work would be performed and they were completely informative. Since I had done my research in advance, I was satisfied that they had covered everything.
The work was completed on time as promised. The price was reasonable. They had correctly used *deionized water (I'd say most garages just use tap water) as part of the coolant mix. However, upon arriving home, I detected a transmission cooler (part of radiator assembly) fitting oil leak. I called and they asked that I bring it back. While I waited, they tightened it, threw in free labor for an oil change and I've since had no problems after 5K miles. I suppose the leak would have been caught had they done a drive test/run-up and thorough inspection prior to releasing the vehicle.
All in all, a favorable experience. They seemed honest, up front and did only necessary work. The only reason I didn't rate five stars was for the recall and that **they had substituted an alternative coolant for the factory coolant (which I had stocked at home). That's one question I didn't ask about; they could have informed me about of this prior to the work. But the replacement coolant appears to be a reasonable substitute ("Long Life", 150K mi.) and I think will be fine.