[Christ]

Originally Posted by smflorkey

Yes, plastic does not last. I have had two Hondas blow chunks out of the top radiator tanks -- PLASTIC radiator tanks! The only thing the mechanic can do is replace the whole radiator.

I understand the radiator core is aluminum to save weight and money. Brass and copper are much heavier and more expensive. But aluminum is much harder to solder, even with the right materials, so the most cost effective thing is to put plastic tanks on the ends of these aluminum cores. They're light and relatively inexpensive, but I'm almost to the point of just replacing Honda radiators every ten years so I don't find myself driving a green cloud down the highway.

And they want me to trust a plastic engine block? Even with iron cylinder sleeves and crank/cam supports, I don't trust the plastic to keep the iron together very long. I won't buy one if anything else is available. YMMV.

That's not true at all. The mechanic is only replacing the core entirely because he either doesn't know how/where to get the end tanks, or doesn't know how to replace them. This is quite common. In fact, 80% of "throw away" parts are still repairable. I do it alot.