Hey guys, pretty new to the forum. I got my 06 ss/sc about 4 or 5 months ago and it's been great so far. The other day I was driving around and saw the check engine light come on. I went through the little display under my tach and noticed the coolant temperature was at 197. It has never been above 180 before, so I was a little concerned. I went to advanced auto and they read the code and said it was the sensor that tells the radiator fans when to come on. I live in a college town and have have heard horror stories about little repair shops ripping kids off, so i decided to take it to the dealership. They gave me a call and said it was the radiator fan control module (I have searched high and low on the internet and can't find anything called a radiator fan control module) and it was going to cost $823 to fix. I can't for one second believe that a sensor to turn a fan on and the labor to install it will cost $823, especially on a chevy cobalt. So i told them i will be picking the car up tomorrow and taking it elsewhere. Has anyone ever had a similar problem or heard of a radiator control module? Thanks

 

197 is normal operating temp btw. But the radiator fan doesnt really come on while driving unless temp reaches above like 232. The only time its on is when the ac is on, really. It would be helpful if you posted the code.

 

Can't remember the code off the top of my head. I have it written on a piece of paper in the car, but the car is still at the dealership. Glad to know that I wasn't running it too hot though.

 

Well I just got the car back from the second mechanic. I've been taking my cars to him for years when I still lived at home, so I knew I could trust him to give me an accurate diagnosis (I didn't go to him originally because I live two hours from him.) He said the wiring that controls the radiator fan was rubbing up against a hose, causing it to short and blow two fuses. He said this did cause it to throw the code suggesting the radiator fan sensor was out, but he also said it didn't take a lot of looking around to find the real problem. $150 later (parts, labor, diagnosis), I was out the door. This is extremely frustrating seeing that I just paid $95 at the Chevrolet dealership in Morgantown to give me the wrong diagnosis, and then go on to tell me that it would cost $823 to fix it. Oh well, I guess that's why they call them "stealerships"