Volkswagen T-Roc Radiator: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults

The T-Roc's TSI engine shares a water pump housing VW has legally admitted used "inferior thermoplastic materials" — a real class-action settlement covers this.

Illustration for editorial purposes

Find Volkswagen T-Roc Radiator Here!

Opens live listings in a new tab.

OEM Part Number: confirm via VIN — radiators (aftermarket) Nissens 65302 / Valeo 735558

Accuracy note: Covers the Volkswagen T-Roc (2017-) as listed in the UK aftermarket catalogues. Radiators are sold by engine, gearbox and air-conditioning fitment, and one model usually has two or three different cores — a thicker core for diesels and automatics, a thinner one for small petrols — with different hose positions, so a radiator for the wrong engine will not connect up. The references below are UK aftermarket listings whose fitment lists name this generation, labelled by brand with the core size in mm; genuine numbers are those quoted against the listing. Check your engine code and whether the car has air conditioning against your VIN, and replace the coolant and bleed the system after fitting.

Radiators (aftermarket)	Nissens 65302 (600 x 425 x 26 mm); Nissens 64106 (647 x 310 x 22 mm, without sealing cap, without gasket/seal); Nissens 65306 (618 x 397 x 16 mm, without sealing cap, without expansion tank, without gasket/seal); Valeo 735558 (650 x 411 x 24 mm, for vehicles without oil cooler); Valeo 735557 (650 x 322 x 24 mm, for vehicles without oil cooler); Valeo 735548 (650 x 449 x 34 mm, for vehicles without oil cooler); NRF 58437A (650 x 453 x 34 mm)
Core sizes & variants	MQB radiator; the 1.0 and 1.5 TSI take a 24 mm core and the 2.0 TDI and 2.0 TSI 4Motion the 34 mm core.
Genuine (OE) numbers quoted	None quoted in catalogue listings — order a genuine unit against your VIN
Fitment notes	Same radiator family as the Golf VII, Tiguan II and Leon 5F; quote the engine code when ordering.

Accuracy note: genuinely worth knowing: many T-Roc radiators are engine-code specific rather than universal across the range — the engine code is usually stamped on the block or listed on the VIN plate, and it's the most reliable way to confirm fitment.

Confirmed: A Genuinely Serious, Class-Action-Level Design Flaw on TSI Engines — Volkswagen T-Roc Radiator

If your car has a TSI turbo petrol engine (particularly the EA888 family used across much of VW's range from around 2015 onward), this is genuinely the single most important thing to know before anything else on this page. The water pump and thermostat are combined into one integrated plastic housing, and this plastic becomes brittle and develops hairline cracks after thousands of ordinary heat cycles — leading to a coolant leak that's often difficult to spot at first. This isn't a minor manufacturing quirk: VW has confirmed through legal documents that "inferior thermoplastic materials were used" in these water pump components, and the issue has been the subject of multiple class-action lawsuits.

What VW's settlement genuinely offers: a Technical Service Bulletin extends the warranty on this specific part to 8 years/80,000 miles, and the class-action settlement goes further still — up to 10 years/100,000 miles warranty, reimbursement of qualifying repairs, and crucially, reimbursement of up to £3,300 for consequential damage if the leak went undiagnosed long enough to damage the turbocharger or EGR system. If you've paid for this repair or suffered related engine damage, it's genuinely worth checking whether you qualify before assuming the cost is yours to bear.

Watch for a low coolant warning, a sweet smell in the engine bay (especially after motorway driving), or fault codes P00B7, P2681, P1889, or P0128 — any of these are worth investigating immediately rather than topping up and continuing, since this failure can escalate from a slow leak to sudden, severe overheating within minutes. If this does need replacing, the entire water pump and thermostat housing assembly must be replaced together — never just one part of it.

Volkswagen T-Roc Radiator: The Part That Keeps Everything Else From Cooking

Nothing about this component is glamorous, but on the Volkswagen T-Roc, almost every serious engine failure that isn't wear-related traces back to a cooling system problem left unaddressed. Catching the early signs here is genuinely cheap insurance against a much bigger bill.

Volkswagen T-Roc Radiator: Watch: Replacing It

🎬 Watch: Volkswagen Tiguan Radiator Replacement DIY (2018-2024 VW MQB Tiguan 2.0t) (sister (vw tiguan mk2, mqb))

Watch on YouTube ↗

No T-Roc radiator video; only thermostat and intercooler

Volkswagen T-Roc Radiator reference plate

Before you buy: radiator size and design vary significantly by engine size, transmission type, and whether your car has air conditioning. Always confirm against your VIN before ordering.

Volkswagen T-Roc Radiator: What It Does

The Volkswagen T-Roc's radiator transfers heat from the engine coolant to the surrounding air, keeping engine temperature within a safe operating range. On automatic versions, it often also cools transmission fluid through a separate internal circuit — one more reason the correct part number matters so much here.

Find Volkswagen T-Roc Radiator Here!

Opens live listings in a new tab.

Volkswagen T-Roc Radiator: Faults, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice

These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Radiator Guide for the three common failure modes, confirming fitment against your VIN, and OEM vs aftermarket guidance.

More Volkswagen Radiator

The same part, covered across other Volkswagen models.