# Weird coolant leak situation. Anyone else have a bent condenser?



## tjnielsen (Nov 2, 2015)

Coolant light came on as I was driving home. Noted the coolant to be just below the minimum level. I could not find any obvious source. Took the car to the dealer today and the check engine light came on as I was driving there. Vehicle never overheated. Did not seem to be losing any coolant since the warning came on just remained just below minimum level on the tank.

Dealer performs a pressure test and say they found a pinhole in the radiator on the front drivers side. They claim its not near a joint or weld and they feel it has been caused by a road hazard, they suggest a rock or bird coming through the grille and causing the damage. Crappy luck right?

Well here it gets interesting. They quote me $2000 for repair and over the phone he says that they will replace the radiator and condenser plus labor. I'm confused as to why the condenser must be replaced and he goes on to tell that they also found damage to the condenser and even though its not leaking they recommend replacement. Now I'm a little perplexed as to how something managed to get in through the grille with no external damage to the vehicle and damage two close but separate parts. I ask if I can come see the issue and he gladly invites me to come have a peak.

I find the care with grille partially removed. He pressurizes the system and sure enough just above the condenser on the drivers side of the radiator is a pinhole spraying coolant. He then points to the condenser to show me how the upper edge of the condenser is dented down. Like significantly dented down...https://flic.kr/p/2dY66A4

We look at the condenser on the passengers side and it too is dented down... 
https://flic.kr/p/RQ6PM1

We look at a few other Atlases on the lot, no issues with any condensers. Knowing there is no rock or bird that I know of that bends of the laws of physics to somehow get through my grille without damaging anything externally on my car then proceeding to cause perfectly symmetric dents to my condenser over 2 feet apart from each other then also damage the radiator, I'm now very skeptical of the whole "road hazard" theory I'm being fed. Dealer thinks I should call my insurance and see if they will cover it, charging me the deductible of course. Though I can't imagine any adjuster who is halfway decent at their job looking at the bent condenser and not thinking the two things could be related especially given no other damage to the vehicle externally or internally. I'll be escalating my situation to VW corporate come the morning.

So if anyone else has similar damage to their condenser I'd be super curious to know! My leading theory is that my condenser and radiator were somehow damaged during production. Why the car waited 15,000 miles to spring the leak is beyond me though. Playing devil's advocate, I could theoretically believe the pinhole radiator damage from a rock on the freeway or something, but the bent condenser just no way. What does everyone else think?


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

If every car on the road got hit with what you have then every one would not be driving their cars any more. Looking at the second picture the bent part does not look to have scratches on it and also the VW tag is in perfect condition which to me is a bend that had occurred before hand. Check for origination marks on the bends and have them explain to you the physics of exactly this can happen. I also would (if you can take to another VW Dealer and take their opinion on how this could have happened and hey might be more friendly to say the honest cause.


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## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

Those bends have nothing to do with pinhole. Bends look too symmetric as if during production something pushed down on both sides equally. Engines goes into subframe first then pushed into main body without radiators. Radiators installed last before the bumper is installed. 

Dig deeper into the actual leaky pinhole further with them. What does it look like? Clean punched through pinhole? Pinhole that pushes in or pushes out? Corrosion? 


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## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

And what are those black specks in the leaking rad picture?


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## tjnielsen (Nov 2, 2015)

Sorry the pics aren’t the best. 

Black specs just looked like bugs. I imagine they should wash right off. I will have to ask more about the exact leak. To be honest, looking at it, you could just see and hear coolant leaking from around that area. The radiator itself, has no visible signs of damage. The bugs are nearby the leaking area but coolant wasn’t spraying out from one of the big spots directly. Thanks for the thoughts everyone.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

Bent fins on radiators/condensers aren't that big of a deal...I would just get the radiator repaired vs. replacement...there used to be shops that did this type of thing. Could also take it to a different dealer and see if they will work with you to repair under warranty.


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## tjnielsen (Nov 2, 2015)

KarstGeo said:


> Bent fins on radiators/condensers aren't that big of a deal...I would just get the radiator repaired vs. replacement...there used to be shops that did this type of thing. Could also take it to a different dealer and see if they will work with you to repair under warranty.


I know picture is blurry. Sorry for the quality, but there are no bent fins on the radiator and the bends to the condenser are to the top frame of the condenser itself. So I don’t think it’s the simple repair you’re alluding to.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

You said there is a pinhole leak on the radiator correct? Just have that fixed. The condenser being bent isn't an issue as I see it.

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## tjnielsen (Nov 2, 2015)

KarstGeo said:


> You said there is a pinhole leak on the radiator correct? Just have that fixed. The condenser being bent isn't an issue as I see it.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


Ah, I understand you better now. That may be possible but I don’t feel obligated to pursue a minimalist repair on a vehicle under warranty with clearly some sort of part/assembly defect in direct proximity to or at least suspiciously coincidentally nearby my current issue.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

Ok, looked at your pics more. So the radiator pinhole leak is on the outside side (one facing the road not the backside facing the engine) just above the bent fins on the condenser? Yeah, hard one there for you to get them to cover would be my take. Seems perfectly logical if you are VW to say "road hazard"...that's more likely to me than defect from the factory (to me..how many miles on your Atlas?). Bent condenser fins aren't that uncommon on a car after a few miles but I do agree that on each side like that is odd and may point to something that happened during assembly. I think they are unrelated and something hit your radiator and put the hole in it. Just my 2 cents. I think having it fixed (soldered) is a fine way to fix it if you are out of pocket on it vs. a new radiator. Try elevating it to VWoA and see what you can do. Get an independent repair quote from a radiator repair shop just to see what you are looking at. It it's $300 to fix it, at some point you just eat it b/c your time to hassle with this may be way more aggravating than paying $300 and moving on with yoru life. Again, just my view. Good luck!


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

OEM Radiator is US $216 from SEL *VW Direct* The condenser here is the issue it is US $240 each at *VW Direc*t and this for sure I would fight about and have them do the work on VW as to have 2 bent condensers this is not a normal thing at all and especially if you car has never been in accident and have them proof that the bent part of each is caused by you.


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