Maintaining your vehicle’s radiator and cooling system is important for keeping your car in good working order. A vehicle’s engine produces a lot of excess heat, enough to quickly damage or destroy the engine it if is not properly cooled by the cooling system.

There are a few things you can do yourself to make sure your vehicle’s cooling system is in good working order:

Always make sure that the coolant is topped up. If your coolant level is consistently low can actually damage the radiator and cooling system. Having to top up the coolant more than a couple times per year means that you probably have a leak and should have your radiator professionally inspected.
Keep an eye on the engine temperature. If you notice the temperature rising more than it usually does, that probably means that your vehicle’s radiator isn’t performing at peak efficiency.
Visually inspect the system. Look for corrosion or breaks in the radiator cores, find cracked hoses and rusted clamps, check the gasket on the radiator cap, and watch for drip stains underneath the car.

Just like going to the dentist for a check-up, you should regularly take your vehicles in for radiator maintenance. This should be done at least once every two years, especially if your vehicle is more than five years old. When you take your vehicle in for a radiator and coolant system check-up, they will do several tests to make sure it is in proper working order:

A thermostat test to make sure that it regulates the coolant flow properly.
A pressure test on the system to make sure it does not leak under pressure.
A fan test to make sure that the engine fan and any other fans are working properly.
A pressure test on the radiator cap to ensure that it will release at the proper pressure.
The service station will also likely flush and refill your cooling system.

As long as you take car of your vehicle’s cooling system by partaking in proper radiator maintenance, your vehicle’s radiator will likely last as long as you own your car.