Monday 13 January 2020

Blocked or leaking Valeo type heater matrix. Fits VW Golf, Seat Leon, Skoda Superb, Audi A3 & others 5Q0819031

You've possibly arrived at this link because you own one of the vehicles listed below and your 'Valeo type' heater has become blocked or is leaking.

This is a problem we've been hearing about with these heaters for a while now. Not only are the original heaters causing a problem but the alloy replacements being sold are failing in next to no time.

After several requests from desperate customers we have now added our own unit in copper and brass. We have wider water tubes which means they're not going to get blocked like the alloy units. Add that to the reliability and strength associated with copper and brass and you're on to a winner.


Vehicles affected by this are:


You can also see a visual explanation on youtube:

Tuesday 19 August 2014

Reconditioning an Austin Healey 3000 radiator

Stripping down and rebuilding an Austin Healey radiator.


On arrival at the Motorads trade counter the original Healey 3000 radiator shown top left was looking a bit old and tired. It had been reconditioned badly in the past and had lost its fan shroud. The owner was looking for a quality re-core as quickly as possible and not a poorly soldered job like the last one had been.
 The radiator was stripped to its component parts and cleaned back to bare metal as shown, before being inspected and having dents and splits repaired. Once the new core had arrived it was all carefully put back together using top grade solder. A new fan shroud was fitted and the original pressed labels were carefully replaced to give it an authentic look. The combination of high gloss paint and my poor photography doesn't show the finished radiator in its best light but I can assure you that the customer was delighted.
 We are now able to offer an Austin Healey heater matrix which will soon be listed on our Motoradsonline website and shown off on this blog

Thursday 24 July 2014

Reconditioning a Morgan radiator and uprating the core

The pictures below show the stages involved in uprating this Morgan radiator and giving it a new lease of life


 Here at Motoradsonline it has been a while since we worked on a Morgan radiator, then out of the blue we see two in a very short space of time. The first we saw was a complete rebuild of a customers very poorly built aluminium unit. With the unit as a pattern and some details from the customer we made a brand new unit in copper and brass, our customer left happy. So happy in fact that he recommended us to another Morgan owner who popped in last week.
 The radiator seen above was in reasonable condition but struggling to cool the larger Morgan engine. We had a look at the modern cores available and the thicker, more efficient core seen in the picture was selected. The Old radiator was stripped down to its component parts and cleaned back to bare metal. The parts were then carefully soldered back together before being fully tested and given a coat of paint.
 If your Morgan radiator is looking tired or not working efficiently why not get in touch to see how we can help you. We can also make a new heater matrix to a pattern at a very reasonable price if you are out in the winter and getting cold.












Thursday 3 July 2014

Triumph Stag radiator recore

Another Triumph Stag back on the road with no overheating problems


  This is just one of many Triumph Stag radiators we have reconditioned this year. The old one was typical of many we see with a tired looking core, partial blockage and a corroded steel pipe.
  First job was to strip it down to all of its component parts and clean them back to bare metal. Any dents or splits can be easily treated at this stage.
  The most important part of the rebuild is the core, mainly because the main worry for all Stag owners is overheating. The core we use has been tried and tested by Stag owners and has always performed well.
 The core has three rows of water tubes as opposed to the 4 rows in the original, these tubes being much closer together and the rows staggered to give the maximum cooling. The actual tubes are also larger giving a good flow and less chance of future blockage. The fin pitch is set to give the best airflow to cooling ratio. In all this core is about as efficient as it can be for its size.
 Once soldered back together the radiator gets a thorough test before a visit to the spray shop and being returned to the customer.

We are also able to offer a heater matrix for the Stag and it will be available in our heater matrix section very soon

Tuesday 1 July 2014

VW Transporter T4 heater matrix - Spot the difference


Why is your competitors T4 heater matrix so cheap?..... Because it doesn't fit!

We have supplied the heater matrix shown bottom left for several years now. Our version is a strong copper and brass direct replacement for the plastic and aluminium original. Over the years we have been told that there are other versions of the heater fitted to some of the later Transporters but have never been able to get hold of one.
 Not until recently that is. We suddenly had several customers in need of a 'slightly different' heater matrix for later models with air conditioning fitted. They were told that the wait for a part would be several weeks at a ridiculous price, so we have now developed a copper and brass version which can be seen top left.
  If you were looking online for a Transporter T4 heater matrix it is likely you would only be able to find cheap and very poor quality imported heaters most of which were designed for left hand drive vehicles and will not fit right hand drive.
 In the rush to get hold of cheap heaters to sell to an unsuspecting public many dealers mistakenly got hold of the left hand drive version and there is now a lot of conflicting information and cross referencing online.

 We can assure you that our heaters are for right hand drive vehicles.


Wednesday 11 June 2014

Reconditioning a1970 Healey Sprite Mk4 radiator

Just a few hours to turn back the years for this Healey Sprite Mk4 radiator.




  This radiator was recently sent to us at Motoradsonline by one of our online customers for a full overhaul. The core of the old unit, seen top left, was a  bit old and tired with some of the fins beginning to deteriorate, but the basic parts were still in very good condition.
  The tanks were removed from the old core and all of the component parts were cleaned back to bare metal.
  The side by side view of the header plates shows how the old core, still smoking from the strip down, had several blocked tubes.
  The component parts were then soldered back together, pressure tested and given a fresh coat of paint.

  Within the space of a few hours this radiator was back to performing like new and we have another satisfied customer. If you have a Healey radiator you want us to recore or you need a heater matrix for a Healey Sprite you can click one of the links above to our website or give us a call during work hours on 01527 65182




Tuesday 10 June 2014

New Jaguar heater matrix - X Type marks the spot

Heater matrix to fit the Jaguar XJ (X300) XJ8 XJR (X308) XK8 XKR


Motoradsonline have been selling several different classic Jaguar matrixes for over 20 years but Jaguar owners have been telling us recently that finding a heater matrix to fit the Jaguar XJ (X300) XJ8 XJR (X308) XK8 and XKR models is not that easy. When you can finally track one down the price is unbelievably high and delivery lead time can be inconvenient. To this end we have now developed a copper and brass replacement which is robust, efficient and great value for money.

 This heater matrix is available to the public via our Motoradsonline website or through our Motoradsonline eBay shop