BMW Radiator - Nissens 60786A

This radiator has issues with the flow control plug on the passenger side. I have now tried two of these radiators from this manufacturer and they both leak from that passenger plug. I wish I read the review’s so I would have never bought this radiator.. I repeat do not buy this. They need to stop selling this junk on the website.

Went to install and end takes were already leaking on what was supposed to be a brand new rad. will now cost me more time and money since i wasted a bunch of coolant onto the ground and need to buy ANOTHER radiator

radiator . used to have good luck w nissens- but they have pinched the o-ring upon factory assy- dont buy!! sounds like they shipped a whole bunch like this - no QC - beware ! causes a whole - extra pain I T A - not worth the trouble. pinched oring from factory- not one that was disturbed !!! super annoying ! do better nissens - u used to be great

Instructions are very clear and it still leaked from passenger side plug. Stripped from factory cant do anything with it. Well i am not first one Sorrybut dont buy this one,

I think it is just hit or miss with this part, i wasted my time trying one. ended up ordering genuine and will be returning the nissens. Instructions are very clear and it still leaked from passenger side plug. Stripped from factory cant do anything with it.

Needs to be packed better. Part arrived with a snapped off hose connection.

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION... /PASSENGER PLUG/ has to be SWITCHED, LEAVE the DRIVER SIDE plug alone! Switched my radiator at like 139,xxx miles after water pump decided to shit the bed and coolant system over pressured,.. its been a month or two with healthy red lines and at least 100 cold starts, no leaks. Worth the money with the FCP Euro lifetime warranty. I have my heat, and my AC and my E90 hasnt barked at me, if it works it works!

The passenger side plug leaks and was stripped from factory as the driver side was tight and doesn't leak, the passenger side doesn't tighten just spins due to being stripped

The drain plug housing leaks fresh out the box the worst thing I've got from fcpeuro honestly disappointed

Bought for a 2006 330i Manual. I will start by saying that I did read the reviews and went into this purchase with a certain degree of caution. But hey, most people are idiots right, and surely if I follow the instructions I will be fine? The radiator itself might be fine quality, but having to mess around with these adjustment plugs is a nightmare. Removing them breaks the little tabs, and it's super easy to break them on install as well. I had to swap out the drivers side one since it comes pre-installed with the long plug for auto trans, and I thought I was being gentle and installed the new plug without damaging it. However when I finished installing the coolant system and started adding coolant, it immediately began dripping from this plug. Oh and guess what, replacing the plugs is at least $50 for an aftermarket and $100 for OEM for a little piece of plastic. Ridiculous. Save yourself the headache and get one that doesn't require tweaking parts that don't seem designed to be easily swapped out like this.

Radiator arrived well packed. Great quality unit. No problem with the install. Please note that compared to the original radiator, Nissens has 2 lower drain holes. It comes with a set of plugs. The tall one (3-1/2") and the short one (2-1/2"). The tall plug comes with two o-rings, so it does not leak. I installed both tall plugs. You can always recycle your old radiator plug (aka radiator adjustment screw #17117521781). No leaks. Saved a lot of money. BMW E90 - N52 - 328i 183,000 miles

Don't pay attention to the reviews saying that this radiator is junk because it leaks from the passenger side when installed. These people have no idea how to problem-solve, clearly. The instructions included in the box are not the best as it claims that the right side long plug should only be installed in vehicles with "aftercoolers," and while this may have been the case at some point, it seems most (if not all) N52 engines use the lower passenger coolant flange for a hose. Basically, as long as you install the long plug on the passenger side and MAKE SURE TO INSTALL THE DRAIN PLUG INSIDE IT, you'll be golden. Great replacement, have yet to see how it lasts long-term, but I felt the need to tell any seasoned DIYers not to be afraid of this product when searching for a radiator replacement.

09 BMW 328i E90 I'm not going to buy this radiator again don't waste your time and money, it leak at the side where the tabs are not crimped at the neck area poor quality.

FCP Euro should have its knuckles rapped for endorsing such an inferior product. The fact that they double down on gaslighting their customers by pretending the radiator is top shelf is disgusting! C.f., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOeMnsWoKA4. I am ashamed to say, they fooled me, but never again. Bimmer forums have long complained about leaking Nissens radiators, and FCP Euro is surely aware of the issue: https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/why-you-should-never-get-nissen-radiators.200141/, http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e39/8359821-1.html, http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=727732, http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e39/8360574-1.html, http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e39/6099258-1.html. The forums complain of two distinct failure points: the superfluous (for my E90) driver’s side petcock/plug and faulty crimping between the aluminum core and the plastic sides of the units. Sure enough, after install, my new unit was leaking from the driver’s side petcock. Leaking hard. I replaced the petcock. Still leaked. Replaced the plug. Still leaked. Read on the forms that epoxy around the petcock sometimes resolved the issue. Called an FCP tech and asked if such might be the case. Tech said he had heard that epoxy often worked. I epoxied the petcock. Still leaked. Uninstalled the unit and took it to a local shop. They tested it and explained the leak was coming from where the core and plastic sides were poorly joined, from factory. Called FCP. Warranty voided, because of the epoxy … EVEN THOUGH THE FAULT WAS ELSEWHERE ON THE UNIT AND WAS CAUSED BY FACTORY ERROR. Never again, FCP. There are too many other purveyors of quality kit to waste another penny here. Just a little bit frustrated!

Okay here's the deal on this Nissen's multi-vehicle BMW radiator. I've used Nissen radiators for several vehicles and never had to replace one before the vehicle expired so from a general sense, a great quality affordable alternative compared to OEM. This thing was 136 compared to OE BMW at 402. Not too hard swallow. As for the preparation/install with this particular radiator, here are some warnings. In that Nissen designed this radiator for several BMWs with and without an automatic transmissions, you absolutely need to alter one-of-the-two bottom plugs for your particular vehicle. For orientation... Looking at radiator as if sitting in the driver seat, the LEFT side of the radiator is the side with the highest hose pipe at the top of the radiator. Basically as if installed in the car and you in the driver seat. For an automatic, you must remove the lower (factory pre-installed) RIGHT bottom SHORT plug and install the extra included LONG plug. For a manual transmission, you must remove the lower (factory pre-installed) LEFT bottom LONG plug and install the extra included SHORT plug. Now a very important tip when removing whichever plug you need to remove... Take extreme care and be gentle. These plugs only turn 90 degrees to remove or install so do not go past this. You can see through a radiator tank slot the little ear tab of the plug to know if you're all the way counter clockwise to remove or clockwise to install. Do not go past what you can see or you'll need to buy a new plug after snapping the miniature ear tabs off which is essentially the lock for the plug not to come out under pressure. As for removing whichever plug you need to remove, they come out extremely hard. You need to pull the plug straight out and the ears may break. But that's okay because you don't need that plug anymore. But the real risk is the new plug you are putting in and DO NOT over turn it past seeing the tabs hit the end of the tank slot window. And LUBE the o-rings generously! Again, go slow when the plug is seated all the way in the tank and then turn clockwise watching the miniature tab approach the end of the tank slot window. Then stop with almost ZERO pressure! If you overturn it at all, you'll break the miniature tabs and you're back to FCPEuro for a new one. And frankly for a little insurance, just order an extra plug at the same time you order the transmission. URO Parts 17117521781 for my 2010 N52 328xi automatic LONG plug. Good luck!

Original review: I thought I’d get lucky also - thing was gushing out coolant after swapping the plugs. I lubed the o rings, installed the plug, turned only 1/4 turn, installed the drain plug screw and it leaked like crazy after just doing a fill test. The long plugs didn’t leak, only the short one. Don’t buy this thing, it’s a waste of time. Get the OEM BMW rad, even if it’s unbelievably expensive. Update: I was able to get the short plug to seal after switching the O-Rings from one of the other plugs, covering it in silicone lube, and reinserting it like 10 times. I needed the radiator, so I risked it. So far so good after about 300 miles - still shouldn't have to deal with these finicky o-rings and brittle plastic plugs, but for $300 off of the BMW OEM rad, it could be worse. I would still recommend buying it and saving your peace of mind, but if you're okay with tinkering this might be fine.

I thought I’d get lucky also - thing was gushing out coolant after swapping the plugs. I lubed the o rings, installed the plug, turned only 1/4 turn, installed the drain plug screw and it leaked like crazy after just doing a fill test. The long plugs didn’t leak, only the short one. Don’t buy this thing, it’s a waste of time. Get the OEM BMW rad, even if it’s unbelievably expensive.

I saw the bad reviews but thought how bad can it be? I was also thinking that FCP euro would not sell a sub par product. The new radiator was installed easily and I was so excited to wrap up the project. When I started adding coolant to the system, the fluid started leaking out of the passenger plug. I tightened it, still leaked. Removed it and reinserted, still leaked. The good news is that FCP euro sent me a return label. FCP euro: I recommend that this product be removed if the manufacturer does not improve quality.

The shipping box was damaged due to being oversized with not enough packing material to keep the radiator box from moving around and keep it steady during shipping. This also caused the radiator box damage. FCP Euro please take note. Nissens 60786A radiator that came in the box was leaking right out of the box from right short plug. The spare plug provided was equally useless. Poor manufacturing and/or quality control. The construction of these plastic plugs are so "delicate" that I don't know why Nissen thinks it will hold under high pressure and temperature when it cant hold under just a simple fill test.

2011 E91 Auto Spoke with FCP via online chat to confirm plug fitment, they said keep plugs as-is. Read through all the reviews and got conflicting answers. Called FCP Euro to confirm plug fitment, the "BMW expert" who said I can leave the plugs as-is (long on the driver, short on the passenger). Installed radiator. Leaked from the passenger side immediately. Installed long plug on the passenger side, fixed the problem. Even if you don't have an intercooler, you need to install the long plug in this situation. Gently turn the plug 1/4, pry it out with a flathead, dunk the plug in the coolant you spilled all over your garage floor to lube it up and reinstall. For a brand that prides itself on DIY, this should not be this confusing. Coolant ain't cheap.

the radiator leaks as soon as I added coolant to it from the hex plug. I read the reviews and still decided to buy hoping I would get lucky but I didn’t… I have a 2006 330i non turbo and automatic so I don’t have to change out any plugs. All I had to do was install the radiator. Now I have to get a new radiator and more coolant smfh. Waste of time and money

The radiator I wanted was on backorder with no ETA so I bought this one. Should have just waited for the one I wanted. I didn't need to replace either of the pre-installed plugs and as soon as I put coolant in and attempted the bleeding procedure, the plug on the passenger side started leaking like a sieve. I checked to see if it was loose, not loose at all. I wouldn't recommend this product.

I originally wanted to get a Mahle Behr radiator for my 2006 BMW 330i manual as the plastic above the upper radiator hose developed a crack. However, they are backordered everywhere. I didn't want to pay the premium for a BMW radiator so I went with the Nissens. I didn't like how it was made to fit both automatic and manual cars. There are two plugs instead of one. I read the reviews and should have been scared, but hoped I wouldn't have any issues. I received the radiator and deciphered the confusing instructions. The radiator comes with a short plug installed on the passenger side. It states to replace it with a long plug if you have an aftercooler which I believe is for diesel (not to be confused with an intercooler). Note that there is a lot of controversy of which plug to use on the passenger side in the forums. I left the short plug in. However, the driver side comes with the long plug installed which is configured for automatics. I removed the long plug and replaced it with the short one. To remove, put an adjustable wrench and turn it left about a 1/4 turn. Do this until it stops and don't force it. Then stick a flat blade screwdriver under the head and gently lift it out. Take the short plug and dip the o-ring in coolant or silicone spray to lubricate it before installing. Push it in the slots and give it a 1/4 turn right until it hits the stop. These plugs do not have threads and if you force them, the tabs will break. I felt pretty good about how the short plug went in and installed the radiator. I ran a pressure test and all looked good. I filled it with BMW coolant and distilled water. I was just about to run the bleed procedure when I saw a couple of slow drops coming from one of those plugs that I read so much about in other reviews. This leak was too small to be detected with my pressure tester. I called FCP and asked them if they could send another plug. They don't have any. I'm sure I could have gone through Nissens, but I decided I didn't want this defective radiator in my car. I returned it and paid the price for a BMW radiator. Note that if you get the BMW radiator, you also have to buy the plug (radiator adjustment screw), 17107523260 for manual. Read the reviews before taking the risk.

Received the radiator in good condition, excellent packaging. The radiator itself is a perfect fit for my 128i auto. As discussed at length on here, the adjustment plugs are problematic. Mine came with the plugs already in the configuration for my car (long on drivers side for automatic, short on passenger side for non-turbo. The passenger side plug leaked immediately upon filling. Pulled it out and found a damaged Oring. Replaced it with every oring in the kit in an attempt to stop the leak with the same results. Tried numerous orings of varying thicknesses that I had on hand and still couldn't seal it. The issue is that for the non turbo cars the seal for the passenger side needs to be at the bottom of the plug, closest to the hex head, not at the top. To test this theory I cut the oem ĺong plug so it was short enough to fit on the passenger side (long plug has two seal, one top one bottom) and the leak stopped immediately. FCP immediately shipped a replacement which I'm hoping doesn't have the same issue. Will update this review when I receive and install it.

Radiator was leaking from the drainage plugs.

Great fit for 2008 E90 with automatic transmission. Make sure you use the long plug on the passenger side of the radiator. It comes preinstalled with short plug.

After 4 months of use, it began to leak coolant from these plugs

love it !!! the radiator came in a nice and safe packaging. was easy to install and looks just like the original, the only small problem I have was that one of the plugs for empty the coolant was loose, after I tide it everything works fine. its been like 3 weeks and not problems yet !!!! also the price was way nicer the go and buy it from any auto parts !!!

Radiator itself seems fine but swapping the long plug for the shorter one for a manual car proved to be a trouble spot. Initially the shorter plug did not seal right and I wound up leaking out a lot of coolant. The second time around it was fine. Strange.

Only buy if you have an auto with no transmission cooler and don't need to change plugs. My first one leaked only a couple months after installing, The Second one I had to swap out the plugs which are extremely difficult to install and easy to snap. Once they snap they leak and of course you can't buy new plugs you have to buy an entirely new radiator.

Fit well, seems quality for a fraction of the price of the OEM radiator. Directions are easy for me to understand, however, the drain plug didn't seal properly even though I lubricated the o-ring. That was annoying. I have a manual transmission in my 2008 e90 m3 so I had to replace the driver side long drain sleeve/plug which is for automatic transmission with the short drain sleeve/plug. The other side of the radiator (passenger side) had the correct (short) drain sleeve/plug in the radiator to block the outlet/port to an aftercooler since I don't have an aftercooler. However, since the short plug is used for both sides for my case (standard e90 m3 MT with no aftercooler, I didn't have a spare one since the new plug didn't seal properly and was leaking. So what did I do? I used the old genuine bmw PN 17107523260 with the broken tabs. It sealed well fortunately, but if I need to drain by unscrewing the inset screw then the broken tab won't do any good in resisting the hex head 20mm sleeve from backing out. Ordered a new bmw radiator adjustment screw/sleeve combo 17107523260 and hopefully I can drive my car without the old broken one falling out. It would be nice if Nissens included an extra short one and extra long one (for those with AT or with an aftercooler) so if it doesn't seal or if someone breaks it then they can still get the job done. It would be worth an extra 10 bucks. I may report back if this radiator fails sooner than the old original from 2008. It's almost 7/2023 and the radiator was installed today.

These drain plugs are so annoying. What's more annoying is the Mahle/Behr radiators- though superior in drain plug design- start to leak prematurely from the same spot every time. I ended up returning this radiator because the plug broke and replacement plugs can't be found online except for Genuine BMW, which runs about $75 and is just as easily broken. These plugs are one time use only so upon removal, the tabs will break, which help lock the plug into place. Keep in mind this is only IF you need to swap the plugs out. If you have an automatic transmission, then the plugs that come preinstalled will probably work but not if you have a manual. I can say that Nissens is a fantastic brand and I'm sure if I kept the radiator, it would have lasted for years.

4 stars because instructions are very poor. If I hadn't given up I would have never found solid info on what plugs to use and how they work prior to laying hands on the job. Here's a YouTube video I found that will answer all of our questions. https://youtu.be/9tYUWiMjAUU

Great Radiator had the wrong plug in and the seal started leaking but i switched it with the longer one and it worked fine had mini heart attact but happy it came with the right hardware... test drove it and the car reacted great to it.. will def buy again lol

Odd style of plugs on this rad which are easy to break, and unfortunately don't match the OE ones so you can't just transfer them over from the radiator you're replacing. Even when the plugs were properly installed, mine began leaking immediately past an O-ring, but swapping O-rings with a fatter one I had on hand from the previous radiator solved that issue. Not exactly plug-and-play. Otherwise quality is generally on par with the Mahle-Behr one, no issues in the first month with it installed.

a direct replacement and i like it because I will do the work myself.. a very reasonable price

Radiator coolant flow plugs are trash & confusing IF you have a A/T you use the LONG plug if you have a M/T you use the small plug but be careful installing the plug the tabs are weak and WILL break . But so far the radiator is holding up fine let’s see it last a few years

Works great love it

The install wasn’t too hard and it fits in nicely, but the drain plug was leaking a little. Didn’t take too long to fix that. It’s worked well for about a month and a half, we’ll see how much longer it will last.

Initially my first radiator that came had no drain cock kit inside the box. Fcp did me RITE tho and sent out a replacement part as soon as the weekend was past. I will continue to purchase my parts always thru this company since issues are resolved promptly and the undeniable fact I've never had any other issues with any part I've gotten.

Fit perfect shipping 2 days earlier than expected. I broke an adjustment screw and Andrea helped me get my order straight. Thanks

I had an aftercooler and had to switch out short plug on passenger side for long one like the instructions and reviews here say but had an awful time getting the key groove to fit and gasket seated properly. I called the guys at FCP euro and they suggested dipping the long plug in a cup of fresh radiator fluid and it did the trick great, had to use a deathblow hammer and pay very close attention though. I had even lubricated it with coolant prior but I guess it wasn't enough. Thanks dude who helped me out! I hope this helps someone else out like the other reviews did for me.

Fit perfectly.

Overall, the quality is good for this one. We have used this model with good longevity. However, the instructions are very lacking, and the screws are one-time use. Otherwise you have to buy additional plugs from the dealer or FCP. Pay attention to the other reviews here as well as on the forums with regards to this radiator and which plug goes where. HINT FOR FCP!!! If you could provide these details on the product page with clarification, it would be a big help to customers unfamiliar with this radiator.

The radiator itself is a good, cheap alternative to the OE radiator. It's actually fairly well made and was shipped strapped and suspended within another box. It includes two extra radiator adjustment screws (plugs): one long, one short, and two extra drain plugs. If you order the one for the automatic, a long adjuster screw will be included and pre-inserted in the bottom of the drivers (left) side bottom port (with a drain plug already installed). The passenger (right) side will have a short adjustment screw pre-installed. From there the instructions included say that the long plug on an automatic is already installed on the drivers side (switch to short on drivers if you have a manual), and if your car is a "BMW with aftercooler" you will need to uninstall the small adjustment screw and replace it with a long one. This is where the confusion lies. Don't worry about aftercooler vs intercooler vs tranny cooler, it means almost nothing -- think physical usage. Forget trying to understand what they mean and focus on the picture which identifies the smaller port on the passenger lower side. Interpret the instructions to mean, "If you connect something to this "aftercooler" port, you will need to insert the long adjustment screw on the passenger side port." My automatic E90 328i LCI uses that lower passenger port for a "low-temperature cooling module" so I installed the long one (with success). The kit also comes with three o-rings. Unfortunately they may not be the ones you expect. The large o-rings fit the upper and lower radiator hose fine. The smaller one you would think would be for the tranny cooler (on drivers side) -- wrong. The size is just a little big for it. That o-ring (17111711987 in my case) is the only one that is readily sold by BMW, most others are only included as part of a new hose. That smaller o-ring DOES fit inside the hose for my "low-temperature cooling module" on the passenger lower port (go figure). That said, the rad hoses are simple to remove, and if you're draining the system anyway, might be a good time to replace those and make your re-installation less worrisome since most of them "click" into place very nicely to confirm fitment. I'd recommend this kit now that I can tell people definitively what the ports should be. Instructions and even support provided are a bit wonky, but physically speaking, this radiator does the job with a lot of options.

Installed this along with several new hoses on my ‘06 325i. Has been working great for 6 months!

Installed this along with several new hoses on my ‘06 325i. Has been working great for 6 months!

The radiator itself is top notch, fits perfectly - literally just plug and play. The radiator comes with two radiator adjustment screws preinstalled on either side. Before you install the new radiator, be sure to check the sizes of the preinstalled adjustment screws on either side of the radiator. The adjustment screw installed on the driver side will be the longer than the one installed on the passenger side (error). Automatic transmissions will require longer adjustment screws on both sides, while manual transmissions require the shorter versions-due to the design of the radiator. Being that my transmission was automatic, I had to swap out the shorter adjustment screw on the passenger side with the longer version *Note, if you do not make the swap, the coolant will bypass the short adjustment screw and leak from the radiator. I made this mistake myself and ended up having to pull the adjustment screw once the radiator was already installed. Learn from my mistake, check to ensure that the correct size adjustment screw came preinstalled. If not, the swap only takes about two minutes. I notified FCP Euro and they sent me a new adjustment screw just to be sure. Great company!

Great price. Fit my 3 series just as well as the original. Hoping it will last as long as the original did.

Fit and finish was same as oem, it said it was made in Denmark, so hopefully it was last as long as the oem did (9 years). Only gotcha was drain plug adjustment screw was installed for manual not Auto, even thought in the instructions it said it was pre-installed with with long drain plugs for Auto.