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The new Behr radiator arrived today, and I thought I would inspect before installing it. I noticed that there are wavy plastic pieces tucked into the cooling tubes. It seems like this would limit the flow through the tubes, but maybe they are there to create some sort of swirl in the tube or maybe prevent cavitation?

I had never actually looked inside of a "modern" radiator before, so this may be completely normal.

Will be tackling the installation of this, the water pump, and some hoses this weekend. I'm really tired of the coolant leaks that keep cropping up on this old beast.

Behrs and Nissens have the spiral inserts to promote better heat transfer. I wouldn't doubt the BMW units are similar.

Due to the system pressure, fixing one leak will inevitably lead to a leak at the next weak spot. That's the reason why the entire system should be overhauled together. Coolant is not cheap!!

Ralph