I have the common radiator fault: seem at the driver's side top corner of the radiator has started to give and I now have a lovely fountain / water feature. Needless to say, this was not on my Mods list!
I might try some Knead It putty to see if that gives a temporary fix (it's worked wonders in the past when the top plastic hose connector broke) but probably need to accept that it's time to replace the radiator.
A genuine OEM from Germany is going to set me back NZ$1800 + GST + 4 hours' labour = 2,735 bucks!!!
Apparently there are different models between the manual and the auto / tiptronic but ...
I can have OEM from the US delivered for just under NZ$1300:
https://jhmotorsports.com/shop/catalog/radiator-main-oem-for-b6-s4-with-manual-or-automatic-transmission-p-1143.html(part number 8E0 121 251 AB)
Or there are aftermarket replacements for around N Z$650 (delivered)
https://jhmotorsports.com/shop/catalog/radiator-main-oem-for-b6-b7-s4-with-automatic-transmission-p-1682.html(part number 8E0 121 251 AJ)
I've been in touch with JHMotorsports and they've explained that there "might" be a difference between the US domestic market model and mine so they need me to confirm the part number before they can confirm if they can supply a direct match.
So I have the following questions:
1/ does anyone know where the part number is on the radiator - I can't see it without starting to take things apart but hopefully someone can talk me through how to find it
2/ is there any way to find out the correct OEM part number using my VIN number. I'm guessing there must be because the dealerships are able to quote me a price - but it wouldn't be fair to ask them for the part number and then buy elsewhere. And I'm not that cheeky!
Thanks in advance for all / any help.
cheers,
David