Hey everyone. I am new here. I bought my first car 5 years ago. 2008 Honda Fit Sport in black. Love it to death. Has about 101,000 miles on it. Before this I didn't know anything about cars but I have since done a little bit of my own work on it. I replaced all the brakes, replaced the alternator, headlights, battery etc. Thing is I now have a VERY minor radiator leak and the dealership quoted me 600+ labor to replace the radiator. Now same as before doing the brakes or alternator I did tons of research on how to do it myself and everything went pretty well to be honest with no issues. The only thing I am worried about in doing the radiator is the ATF. Is this going to leak when I take off the ATF hoses? I have seen a couple threads around the internet discussing this job but nothing seems to mention the ATF leaking when replacing the radiator. Is this something I need to worry about? Can I just buy a new radiator and orings and get to work? Will I need to clamp the hoses? Basically I am worried about disconnecting the lines and whoops I have a big mess and my car won't run. Thank you!

 

You should have a quart of ATF handy because some will spill out of the cooler lines that are near the radiator. I recommend getting a few good hose clamps and something to put old coolant in. Also, welcome! And you may want to post this in the GD3 sub-forum. since they body style changed in 09' and the setup is slightly different.

 

Awesome that makes me feel a lot better. I get confused about my car's 'generation'. Which one is it considered? I posted here because it says 2nd Generation (GE 08-13)

 

You have a GD. 2008 in North America was the GD. In other countries, it was a GE.

Make sure you really have a leak from the radiator and not from a hose connection or the petcock. Dealers like to change large parts when not needed. I don't see a ton of radiator replacements on here.