599 Radiator - Repair or Replace

It will be interesting to see everyone's take on this one. I am in the middle of this right now as I discovered a healthy leak on mine last month. I elected to gamble on the Chinese Ebay replacement that runs about 700$ to get me back on the road and attempt to tig weld my original back together to keep as a spare. If that isn't successful I can at least use it as a template to build a beefier replacement. End of the day, I couldn't stomach paying almost 5k for a radiator. Other that the purpose spec hose connections there is nothing special about it.

 

John, the real question is how bad is it? I had one seam on an end that had opened that the guys at the shop thought could absolutely could be fixed, so I said OK. It came back from the shop and it looked like new for a fraction of the cost for a new unit. That's my experience, best of luck!

 

The guys make one as well, made in the good ole USA

https://wizardcooling.com/2007-12-ferrari-599-upgrade-radiator-and-shroud-package/

 

That's kind of where mine was but with the full underside panels I didn't know what to think so I went for the fix.

 

I was just trying to help you guys out as I got nothing but time on my hands, I've been trying trying to decide to get another 360 are test the waters and get a 599. I had a 360 back in 2010 but the 599 are not much more money than many 360's lately and you get a V12. I have researched the common issues they have but have gathered some parts over the last year for a 360 during the Covid crap show. I have talked to a couple 360 sellers and they are out of there minds, maybe I will trade it in, or I don't know much about the maintenance or you ask them if you can remove the under tray to inspect the car and they are like that's an hour to get it off. I'm like and you want to sell the car.

 

I would guess it would be 6061 aluminum as 2024 and 7075 are none weldable. You could call them and ask them what material they use. I would rather buy something from the USA than something that came from china if I could avoid it this day in age.

 

I sent you a PM

That's what I was thinking I love the Fabio exhaust on the 599.

 

I had the same experience as George did, with my 612. Seam started leaking after I let my brother drive it on the track (was worth it, though, to see him run 160+ down the back straight at PIR for lap after lap, from the passenger seat!). Pretty easy repair.

 

I did the whole radiator replacement - about $3K from the UK, and $3K install. My issue was when they took out the old rad, and had to evacuate the AC - the TGK valves stopped working so that was another $3K... so its $$$ no matter how you look at it.

 

The repair on my radiator seems to be holding nicely. I'll report back if there is any other problem.

 

Hi everyone!
apart from upgrading the radiator, has anyone here tried waterless coolant from wizard?

how is the radiator from china holding up?

weather in my country can be very hot in Malaysia. about 37degrees during day time.

so is either upgrade to a bigger radiator or using the waterless coolant from wizard.

any good advice? tsk in advance.

btw, I did try plug my radiator leak with aluminium liquid water , is been working well for 3yrs now

 

Two years in with the Chinese knockoff and it's holding up fine. It fit perfectly with no alignment issues with the mounts or hose connections. I dare say the build quality is probably better than the original...

 

Jeremy, can you update us on the Chinese radiator performance and post the contact/ordering information? Thanks

 

Sorry, I replied above but it must have gotten buried. I'm over two years in with the Chinese knockoff and it's holding up fine. It fit perfectly with no alignment issues with the mounts or hose connections. I dare say the build quality is probably better than the original. I would buy these all day long before I paid 5k for a radiator! I'll have to dig around and find the listing where I purchased it. I think it was an ebay seller that I contacted directly and that shaved a little more off of the price.

 

Hello
I have a 599 gtb for about 3 years (Nero Daytona ext. & Grigio Scuro int.) I know this vehicle as well as possible. The radiator of these cars is made of aluminum material, and it may leak from some points over the years (especially if it is a vehicle that has been lying in the garage for a long time). In some cases, repair works, but in general, the healthiest way is to replace the radiator with a new one. If I am not mistaken, the price of the water radiator for the 599 is not less than 3000 euros and I think this is a very high figure. When I first bought the car, I faced this problem. A mechanic in my city rebuilt this radiator by staying true to the original and said it would be more durable than the original, moreover, this job cost me 1/4 of buying a new part. I've been using the car for 3 years and thankfully there have been no problems. In short, in some cases, looking for alternative routes can make sense for such expensive cars.

 

I went the same route with my radiator. It had a small leak, when it came back from the restoration it looked like a new unit for a fraction of the price. Two full 1000 mile/year driving seasons with no problem.

 

Thanks George Please post when known.

 

Let us know if you are able to retrieve the Ebay seller information. Thanks Jeremy.

 

It was long enough now that the info was purged from my Ebay account. If you search "Ferrari 599 Radiator" there are several posted. Pick the cheapest one because they all come out of the same factory, off of the same product line. That includes two companies I found advertising as "Made In America". I was able to trace it back to the manufacturer that I then found on AliExpress, and ordered directly through them. The info that they gave me, was if it isn't a factory ferrari radiator, or from one of the smaller, actually made in USA outfits, it's more than likely one of theirs.

 

Thanks for the info. Big help. That is precisely what this forum is about.