Honda Car Forum

I have a 1998 Honda Civic EX automatic. I noticed that my car started to overheat so I pulled over. I put some fluid in and the fluid just emptied right out under the car.

I took it to Firestone and got a test done and they said they found a hole in the radiator. They quoted $585 for the radiator replacement, hoses, temp guage, fluid flush, and labor.

I thought that was a bit high so I called a few Honda dealerships and got their quotes...The most competative one was around $350...

But the main difference between the two is that Firestone is trying to charge for a fluid flush and hoses - while the Honda one is not.

Does anyone have some advice here - does it really need new hoses and a fluid flush? If my radiator has a leak, would there even be any fluid to flush?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!