Hi everyone. As a follow-up to my previous post, I finally found the source of my coolant leak when it suddenly opened up like a faucet today. It appears the bottom plastic seam is separating, so obviously the radiator has to be replaced. My question is: do I replace only the radiator, or should I also replace everything else?
I've heard some folks advocate for doing it all at once to avoid going back in multiple times—especially on an old 2006 like mine where everything is still factory—but how far do you go? Clamps & hoses? Thermostat & housing? Water pump? The time required and cost quickly add up. I'm also concerned that I wouldn't properly seat a gasket or something and create a whole new leak. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? So basically I'm wondering what I need to replace now (at a minimum) without snowballing this project into a whole weekend-long $1,000+ repair. Thanks!
I've heard some folks advocate for doing it all at once to avoid going back in multiple times—especially on an old 2006 like mine where everything is still factory—but how far do you go? Clamps & hoses? Thermostat & housing? Water pump? The time required and cost quickly add up. I'm also concerned that I wouldn't properly seat a gasket or something and create a whole new leak. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? So basically I'm wondering what I need to replace now (at a minimum) without snowballing this project into a whole weekend-long $1,000+ repair. Thanks!