EZEARL

They're the same as Auto Zone's made by Spectra. Same price even.
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/RQRN...ndex=Universal

Ralph77

Do you think the Auto Zone one is made by Spectra?
And I have some bad news on the Napa one.
As you guys know I work there. Well somebody awhile back posted
that the Spectra ones went up in price and were harder to find.
Knowing that the Napa one is a rebranded Spectra thought that was odd. So I checked at work.
Well the part number in that link above is a new part number.
Appears that our radiators are not rebranded Spectra's anymore and that Spectra has gotten out of the radiator business.

EZEARL

"Do you think the Auto Zone one is made by Spectra?" It says it is in the product description.

"Spectra has gotten out of the radiator business." So there goes the limited lifetime warranty?

Ralph77

Now I see it.

If I had to guess no.
Thinking the store will still honor it.
My Napa one came in a Napa box.
Betting the Auto Zone one comes in an Auto Zone box.
So they are saying "their product" has a lifetime warranty.
I am pretty sure I would not have a problem.
But I am going to end up getting the new radiator at that link you posted.

EZEARL

I honestly don't remember if it was an A/Z box or not. Been 4yrs since the install.

"But I am going to end up getting the new radiator at that link you posted." The NAPA link? You get an emploee discount yes?

What happened to your NAPA rad?

Ralph77

Mine radiator is fine so far. Going on over 7 years now.
No I meant if I warranty my radiator I will not get the rebranded Spectra I originally bought but the one at the link you posted.
Yes I do get a discount.
But to frank when I buy parts it just brings it down to about what I would spend at Amazon or RockAuto once you add shipping.
Remember Napa can be a bit pricey for some things.
But the thing is I get to deal with any warranty situation in person.
Funny thing is from time to time I find something at Napa that at the regular retail price is cheaper then Amazon and whatnot.
Does not happen often but always surprises me. LOL.

EZEARL

7 years and going is good. That's the reason that the Spectra radiator is so often recommended here as an OEM style replacement. Sure hope another company takes over but also keeps the quality up.

As far as NAPA goes I've know the owners of our local one for ~40yrs. So I can trust them and IMHO NAPA offers the better quality parts. I will say that when I worked on a particular heavy equipment construction job that the head mechanic believed that as far as replacement machined parts went he felt Car Quest offered the better product over any other provider.

alexarias760

OEM has been my go to and I totally would but the cheapest I found it was $350+ on Rockauto.

EZEARL

Over many years the Spectra radiator has been the recommended OEM style replacement. If there were any issues with them we would certainly know by now.

Spencer_P

So I wonder if the Autozone one truly is a Spectra and its a limited supply before they run out or if they just haven't updated the description. A new radiator is on my to-do list, for preventive maintenance.

EZEARL

This is from their web site:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Innovative engineering, manufacturing technology and quality control ensure that Spectra Premium Radiators meet or exceed the performance of the original equipment they replace. That extends to all components, including engine and transmission oil coolers.


Duralast I'm almost certain is just A/Z's house brand name for certain products that are made for A/Z by an outside vendor. You may want to check with them soon. Ralph's post about Spectra getting out of the business is the first I've read about it. If you do decide to get one make you search for discount codes. You should be able to get one for under $100.

Ralph77

Like I said when some guy somewhere said that the prices of the Spectra went up and he had a tough time finding one I thought it was strange.
Poking around it looked like it was true.
And I noticed that Napa had a different part number for the radiator for my Jeep. Which usually means a new supplier.
So I asked the owner of the store and that is what he told me.

alexarias760

So I just went to A/Z and purchased the radiator. It was indeed under $100 with the discount code. For what its worth I asked the manager (old timer, seemed like he knew what he was talking about) and he confirmed the radiator is a Spectra. The radiator did come in a box with the Duralast stamp on it though, so I think you are spot on here. Thanks for the help!