Cane

I ordered a Spectra radiator on amazon and at first everything looked good when I received it, but after a couple months when it was time to do the replacement I noticed that when laying it on the ground standing up, there is a noticeable (but not extreme) curve to it. The center of the radiator sits maybe a half inch higher than both ends.

It was too late to return it on amazon so I contacted Spectra directly, which directed me to another company that manages their amazon returns. The guy asked information and it looked like I was getting a replacement, but it's been almost a month now and he tells me he has not received any update yet.

Based on my description, do you think the radiator would work fine on the jeep? I don't think it will leak or has any structural problems, but I'm afraid it might interfere with the steel part that bolts on top. I'm hesitant to try it because if it ends up not fitting it would be annoying to install the old radiator.

I will be able to take a picture later if that can help.

nickfancher1

Turbo X_J

It's like a $70 radiator in a 22 year old vehicle, just run it.
Everything fits if you use a big one.

BlueRidgeMark

You'll also lose any chance you have of returning it.

This is really pretty simple: It's the wrong part. Don't use it.

Cane

The purchase was through amazon, so I'm not sure how that would be handled. because they offer the possibility to return the item but I was too late I would guess they won't be happy if I just dispute the charges. technically I did miss the return window time. now it's up to the manufacturers warranty.

Thanks for your input. i agree that it's relatively cheap so I could just give it a shot, but at the same time if I have to buy a new one again because of fitment issues that's 100$ I don't really want to spend right now..

i'll weigh my options and decide shortly. thanks again guys

firebane

While this is a manufacturers defect and should be covered under warranty... I will say for the time and effort I would just drop the $100 again and get another.

This is why I generally try to avoid NOT installing stuff I order and do it in the future.

BlueRidgeMark

Agreed. I have learned that lesson the hard way. Now I try not to order until the last minute.

dzywicki

How far past the Amazon return date is the radiator?I work for Amazon (AWS part) and customer service is no joke. I would check and see what you get. You can always contact a customer service person and tell them what happened. I would not be surprised if they accept the return even if it's past the date. Especially if it turns out to be the wrong part.

Cane

I bought the radiator on March 15th, received it March 23rd and noticed the defect on June 1st. So a little under 3 months, but today would be almost the 4th month mark. I can see on other orders that I can file a claim with Amazon, but for that order on June 1st, the option was not available and I recall seeing "not eligible for return" or something like that.

edit: here it is : https://i.imgur.com/4AG0TjR.png

I can only blame myself as far as the amazon return, but the manufacturer warranty should still be available as far as I know.

I will try to contact their customer service and see if anything comes out of it. Otherwise I might just go ahead and get a new one and hopefully end up getting a refund for the old one.

Thanks

nickfancher1

Bugout4x4

Unfortunately I am starting to see Amazon care only about selling stuff, even if it is known junk. Their concern about product quality has diminished greatly. They have turned it into a gamble and a risk to order stuff from them now. Poor business sense...

Cane

A little update :

I contacted amazon through chat and was able to get a replacement that way. The thing is.. the parcel was lost by the courrier! I contacted amazon again and they shipped another replacement to my surprise. I received it yesterday and decided to compare both before sending the curved one back.

I dont know why I didn't think of this earlier, but I have tiles in my kitchen where I laid the radiators to compare how straight they were. It was definitely not straight, but could probably still work. The new one is looking a lot better though.

Thanks all for the help, and amazon were really good on this one!

Turbo X_J

Well both are curved (I though something was fishy here)...congratulations you scored a free radiator.

dzywicki

Glad to hear Amazon came through. Never estimate Amazon's customer service.