How "Universal" are Radiator Pressure Tester Master Kits?

[CobraRed]

These 20-25 piece rad pressure test kits seem pretty comprehensive, but I've heard some people mention some of the caps not working from some kits for newer GM and/or Fords.
Anyone noticing some of the newer caps not being found in some of the master kits?

Seems like a lot of money to drop in assumption it will work on each model.

 

[CobraRed]

Seems like late model BMW SUV's are hard to fit as well.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Interested in comments. I'm also in the market.

 

[tjmonsen5]

The kits from snapon come with 4 or 5 standard adapters that cover the most common us/American cars. When you have a car that has a different filler neck, you really need to use it's designated adapter.

The inflated bladder style works really well and can save you hundreds of dollars by not buying all the adapters. I know plenty of franchisees who only sell the bladder style.

 

[shockwave]

i have the big kit with the aluminum adapters with mostly the assenmacher adapters that seem to have better fitment then the ones from matco,snao on and cornwell i reccomend the aluminum adapters over the plastic ones they will last a lifetime

 

[cide1]

I haven't found any "universal" kits that have the sizes needed for motorcycles. The only motorcycle solution I've found is the Mityvac kit for motorcycles. I bought it to work through a problem, but the quality of it was pretty poor, and hard to get good seal.

 

[Skyline]

I have this Astro Pneumatic kit, and it's worked well on several cars, no problem for my BMW X5.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042KOK28/?tag=atomicindus08-20


I did have a bit of a problem getting the adapter to seal on my Porsche Cayenne, but the Snap-on adapters didn't work right on that car either, nor did another brand aluminum adapter we had on hand. They seemed to thread on properly, just not seal 100%. So I bought the single Assenmacher Porsche adapter that worked fine.

Anyone who owns a 10 year old BMW needs one of these kits. Given how frequently the ****** plastic cooling system components fail, these kits save you a lot of time. The ability to **** out the fluid without making a mess, then do your repair an refill without air pockets is very nice. The fact that the Astro Pneumatic kit combines the features of an Air-Lift with all the adapters and the pressure tester is very nice. Mediocre Chicom quality is not a plus, but it works pretty well at a reasonable price.

 

[CobraRed]

I have this Astro Pneumatic kit, and it's worked well on several cars, no problem for my BMW X5.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042KOK28/?tag=atomicindus08-20


I did have a bit of a problem getting the adapter to seal on my Porsche Cayenne, but the Snap-on adapters didn't work right on that car either, nor did another brand aluminum adapter we had on hand. They seemed to thread on properly, just not seal 100%. So I bought the single Assenmacher Porsche adapter that worked fine.

Anyone who owns a 10 year old BMW needs one of these kits. Given how frequently the ****** plastic cooling system components fail, these kits save you a lot of time. The ability to **** out the fluid without making a mess, then do your repair an refill without air pockets is very nice. The fact that the Astro Pneumatic kit combines the features of an Air-Lift with all the adapters and the pressure tester is very nice. Mediocre Chicom quality is not a plus, but it works pretty well at a reasonable price.

Thanks Skyline! Cap #9 on that kit is supposed to work for Cayenne's, so it doesn't do the trick?
What cap did you use for your X5?
That kit is Taiwanese, right?

 

[Skyline]

Thanks Skyline! Cap #9 on that kit is supposed to work for Cayenne's, so it doesn't do the trick?
What cap did you use for your X5?
That kit is Taiwanese, right?

Well, not for my Cayenne. It seem to fit and screw on fine, but it just didn't seal properly. I don't remember which cap I used for the BMW, but no problems at all with that one.

Yes, COO is Taiwan.

 

[bobemmerich]

I'm going to get flamed for this, but I bought the HF kit. For as often as I'll use it, it works for me. It has a lot of caps and adapters for a lot of different cars. So far I fit my 66 Mustang, 96 Blazer, 95 Dodge Spirit, my dad's 04 Impala and my niece's 96 Jeep.
Granted, those are all US manufacturers, but there are several others in the kit for most cars/light trucks.

 

[jarosz89]

I would recommend this kit. Never had an issue and fit every system I used it on.
http://redlinedetection.com/collections/smartfit/products/smartfit-universal-cooling-system-test-kit