Hi guys, i changed my radiator and thermostat this weekend, it was the worst weather and i was outside, loads of rain so it was a bit of a nightmare and a few hic cups occured along the way which i need some advice on....

1) i think i pressed in/damaged some of the metal bits on the radiator face....does this have a big affect on its performance....

2) i was in a rush re-inserting the hoses and tightening them and i think i may have done the bottom one not correctly so engine coolant is definitly leaking when im driving (it wouldnt be the radiator itself would it?). they're old hoses so they need changing but ive got no money left! also wheres the best part of the pipe to clamp the hose.

3) accidentally undone the front grill at the very front of the car (vn model) and it blew away on the motorway, so now its exposed to what looks like another little radiator thing (what is this unit?), anyway i need another grill....

4) oh and on my test drive i forgot to re-tighten the bleeder so i was driving for 40 minutes with the bleeder undone....

hmmmmm......i think thats it......pretty lousy, i should never have rushed it. saying that, the temp gage isnt going above the 2nd of the 8 bars (thats really cool i think....) but ive noticed those hoses still get ridiculously hot......


please drop me your comments.....i know ive done an awful job but i could do with some support now things aren't resolved.....ive realised this job of fixing the vn will go on forever!