Citroen C5 Radiators

R2,500 to R6,500 for the radiator, depending on the model and how much cooling it was built to do. A C3 with the 1.2 PureTech is R2,900-R4,100; the bigger C3 Aircross and C5 Aircross diesels run R4,450-R6,250. Fitting adds around R800-R1,500 and usually includes a proper fill and bleed, which matters more than it sounds — air trapped in the system will make a brand-new radiator look like it is not working.

Eight to twelve years, or 150,000-200,000 km, on a car that has had its coolant changed. Where the coolant has been left in past its life, or topped up with water over the years, expect six to eight — old coolant loses its corrosion inhibitors and the aluminium starts to go from the inside. Two habits genuinely extend radiator life: changing the coolant every two to three years, and hosing the front face out gently from the engine side once a year to clear the grit and insects packed into the fins.

No, and this is one of the few places where that answer has no qualifications. Once the level drops, coolant flow becomes intermittent and cylinder head temperature climbs faster than the gauge can show you. Stop, let it cool properly before opening anything, and have it towed. The reason to be firm about this is the cost of getting it wrong: a warped head or a failed head gasket on a THP or an HDi runs R15,450-R33,600, against a radiator that would have been a fraction of that.

Age and heat cycling crack the plastic end tanks — that is the classic failure on the pre-2016 cars and it is a matter of when rather than if. Old or contaminated coolant corrodes the core from the inside and eventually blocks it. Stones and speed bumps damage the face from the outside. And on the diesels, a failing EGR cooler can push exhaust gas into the coolant, which pressurises the system and stresses every joint in it. If a radiator has failed with no obvious impact damage, it is worth asking why before fitting a new one.

Aftermarket, in most cases, provided you buy a known brand. Nissens, Valeo and Mahle all supply radiators built to the original specification and they run R2,100-R4,100 for most models, typically with a two-year warranty — genuine units cost 30-50% more for no meaningful gain. The one thing worth being firm about is the bottom of the market: unbranded radiators under R1,800 tend to use thinner tube walls and lighter fin stock, and they do not survive a South African summer in traffic.