Avoid Mishimoto Radiators at all costs (1 Viewer)

[hockryan]

I purchased a Mishimoto aluminum radiator for my 100 series vehicle less than two years ago, thinking it would be a reliable upgrade. Unfortunately, I discovered a pinhole leak at the back of the radiator recently, clearly a factory defect. Given Mishimoto's lifetime warranty and the direct purchase from their website, I expected a smoother resolution process. However, my experience has been quite frustrating.

It took exactly two weeks to file and process my warranty claim. Initially, the customer support response time was poor. Instead of promptly replacing the radiator, they suggested using an $18.99 8 oz bottle of K-Seal to patch the leak, which seemed inappropriate for a radiator of this caliber. After several days of back-and-forth emails, they finally agreed to send a new radiator, but insisted on charging a $100 fee for shipping, claiming it cost them $300.

This claim was proven a blatant lie when I checked shipping costs on FedEx, revealing it to be around $70 for ground shipping with dimensions and weight properly entered in. After further negotiations, they reluctantly lowered the fee to $50 from the original $100, still an unreasonable demand given the product's lifetime warranty. Several attempts to resolve the issue over the phone were unsuccessful, with the customer service representative being dismissive and unhelpful, insisting I communicate via email.

Overall, my experience with Mishimoto has been terrible. I will not be purchasing any of their products in the future and regret not choosing a CSF radiator instead. Hopefully, sharing my experience will help others avoid similar frustrations with this company.

(picture of the waterfall coming out of the radiator)

 

[Patassa]

Good feedback, thanks for posting.

 

[saucebox]

That's annoying—been through the same process once with mine, and it was largely hassle-free.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Why wouldn't you just buy a proper OEM radiator from Toyota? That's the "premium" option in terms of reliability.


Mishimoto was a big name in the import scene 15 years ago. I had one on one of my mk3s. The appeal was a *thicker* aluminum radiator that could be run at higher pressures for high horsepower builds. You could theoretically get more cooling performance when the factory rad was just simply too small. Doubling the horsepower meant doubling the heat. On anything near factory power, Mishimoto wouldn't have anything to offer aside from a shiny look under the hood and a higher likelihood of quality defects. Side note, that shiny look was only nice if you polished it obsessively. It quickly turns to an oxidation layer which looks dull and dirty.

If you're running factory power, the higher pressure cap is a pure liability, IMO. It offers no functional benefit and it makes it more likely to have leaks throughout the cooling system including your heater cores and the radiator itself.

There's no upside.

For many reasons, including customer service issues, don't buy a Mishimoto for a 100 series with a stock 2UZ.

 

[hockryan]

Why wouldn't you just buy a proper OEM radiator from Toyota? That's the "premium" option in terms of reliability.


Mishimoto was a big name in the import scene 15 years ago. I had one on one of my mk3s. The appeal was a *thicker* aluminum radiator that could be run at higher pressures for high horsepower builds. You could theoretically get more cooling performance when the factory rad was just simply too small. Doubling the horsepower meant doubling the heat. On anything near factory power, Mishimoto wouldn't have anything to offer aside from a shiny look under the hood and a higher likelihood of quality defects. Side note, that shiny look was only nice if you polished it obsessively. It quickly turns to an oxidation layer which looks dull and dirty.

If you're running factory power, the higher pressure cap is a pure liability, IMO. It offers no functional benefit and it makes it more likely to have leaks throughout the cooling system including your heater cores and the radiator itself.

There's no upside.

For many reasons, including customer service issues, don't buy a Mishimoto for a 100 series with a stock 2UZ.

Why? Because ive replaced 3 "factory toyota radiators" since owning this 100 series all due to small cracks in the plastic tanks. I wanted aluminum to combat this. I didnt buy it because of shiny parts...

Im just trying to help people steer clear of my issue. I dont need you telling me my mod is dumb. No one asked your opinion on the matter

 

[saucebox]

Why wouldn't you just buy a proper OEM radiator from Toyota? That's the "premium" option in terms of reliability.


Mishimoto was a big name in the import scene 15 years ago. I had one on one of my mk3s. The appeal was a *thicker* aluminum radiator that could be run at higher pressures for high horsepower builds. You could theoretically get more cooling performance when the factory rad was just simply too small. Doubling the horsepower meant doubling the heat. On anything near factory power, Mishimoto wouldn't have anything to offer aside from a shiny look under the hood and a higher likelihood of quality defects. Side note, that shiny look was only nice if you polished it obsessively. It quickly turns to an oxidation layer which looks dull and dirty.

If you're running factory power, the higher pressure cap is a pure liability, IMO. It offers no functional benefit and it makes it more likely to have leaks throughout the cooling system including your heater cores and the radiator itself.

There's no upside.

For many reasons, including customer service issues, don't buy a Mishimoto for a 100 series with a stock 2UZ.

I couldn't keep the fuel boiling down, no matter how many of the mods I made (almost all of them) from the boil thread. I needed a radiator anyway because plastic is SOOOOO fantastic.

It's been years since I put it in (and one warranty replacement), so I can't remember if there was some additional capacity or not. No regerts, aluminum will go back in when this one dies.

 

[YotaWagon]

I couldn't keep the fuel boiling down, no matter how many of the mods I made (almost all of them) from the boil thread. I needed a radiator anyway because plastic is SOOOOO fantastic.

It's been years since I put it in (and one warranty replacement), so I can't remember if there was some additional capacity or not. No regerts, aluminum will go back in when this one dies.

What's the link to your fuel boiling? I'm not sure I understand your point.

 

[2001LC]

Why? Because ive replaced 3 "factory toyota radiators" since owning this 100 series all due to small cracks in the plastic tanks. I wanted aluminum to combat this. I didnt buy it because of shiny parts...

Im just trying to help people steer clear of my issue. I dont need you telling me my mod is dumb. No one asked your opinion on the matter

The plastic top in time will crack. But, if properly cared for OEM last a long time.

Issues I see:
Low coolant level.
Not regularly flushing.
Stuck cap.
Stuck thermostat.
Fins of radiators, not regularly rinsed.

 

[2001LC]

I install one Mishimoto.

What I did not like at all, was the rad cap. So I'll not recommend it use. It's not 100 series pressure or style rad cap. They use a Subaru radiator goose neck, which is deeper. They don't stated on radiator or package. But if you call them. They'll say use their rad cap, only. The OEM cap may not be suitable.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Why? Because ive replaced 3 "factory toyota radiators" since owning this 100 series all due to small cracks in the plastic tanks. I wanted aluminum to combat this. I didnt buy it because of shiny parts...

Im just trying to help people steer clear of my issue. I dont need you telling me my mod is dumb. No one asked your opinion on the matter

Oh yikes, my apologies. Didn't mean to offend. We're all here to learn and share experiences on parts. Seemed like relevant info, haha.

Where did you buy the factory ones that failed? Those should last 100-200k each. Maybe those were Denso or something?

I install one Mishimoto.

What I did not like at all, was the rad cap. So I'll not recommend it use. It's not 100 series pressure or style rad cap. They use a Subaru radiator goose neck, which is deeper. They don't stated on radiator or package. But if you call them. They'll say use their rad cap, only. The OEM cap may not be suitable.

Yuuuup. Even 15 years ago that was an issue. You couldn't necessarily just swap out the cap because Mishimoto didn't use the OEM style so you had to hunt around for the correct cap for the Mishimoto neck.

On mine many years ago the inlet/outlets were also incorrectly sized. They were ~1mm undersized and the OEM hoses would often seep over time unless you double clamped them.

 

[saucebox]

What's the link to your fuel boiling? I'm not sure I understand your point.

A hail mary in my case, "just keep everything as cool as possible". At least according to the sales page, the Mishi offered additional fluid capacity. Lots and lots of advice in the boil thread exists to return everything to OEM, make sure everything is washed out, etc., but none of those changes helped. @2001LC has great advice on the maintenance like regular flushing, etc., and I do that....but no dice.

FWIW, it seems to have helped. I never took the time to make measurements or whatever, though, so....¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[wthomp10]

I purchased the Mishimoto factory replacement radiator last year, not the aluminum one. When it arrived, one of the hose nipples was damaged. They sent me a whole new replacement and told me to keep the damaged one. No charge and I have a backup radiator just in case since the nipples just unscrew. Overall its been flawless and I was happy with their response.

 

[Petertn45]

I put in an aluminum Mishimoto radiator February 2023 when I changed my timing belt. No issues yet except the OEM lower hose leaked a small bit and used a screw clamp as suprarx7nut has mentioned.
I had ordered an OEM radiator via Toyota online but was canceled so just went with the Mishimoto…hope it doesn’t spring a leak, but I have my old rad (157k miles) put away as backup in case.

 

[LC1hundo]

Just put my mishimoto aluminium rad in today because I saw it was on sale vs OEM and thought why not looks like it has lots of pros and lifetime warranty. Tomorrow I will hook up hoses and fill it up. Has anyone had trouble using factory Toyota hoses and clamps?

 

[Petertn45]

Just put my mishimoto aluminium rad in today because I saw it was on sale vs OEM and thought why not looks like it has lots of pros and lifetime warranty. Tomorrow I will hook up hoses and fill it up. Has anyone had trouble using factory Toyota hoses and clamps?

I had an issue with fitting a new OEM hose clamp onto new OEM hose to the Mishimoto rad lower fitting. I could not get the clamp to slide over the hose to secure it properly, so I used a screw clamp.

 

[LC1hundo]

I had an issue with fitting a new OEM hose clamp onto new OEM hose to the Mishimoto rad lower fitting. I could not get the clamp to slide over the hose to secure it properly, so I used a screw clamp.

I just installed mine new hoses new clamps without any issues or leaks thank god.