I'm going to be in the market for a new radiator pretty soon as a preventive measure the next time it's time to renew my coolant. In my opinion, with the possibility of internal failure of the transmission lines causing the "Pink Milkshake" problem and damaging your automatic transmission, I'd go with OEM.
With that being said, I am in the opinion that the pink milkshake issue is much rarer than we think. I've now asked two experienced Toyota employees, one with around 25 years experience as a service writer and another a technician with about the same experience about the radiator/transmission pink milkshake issue. The service writer said he doesn't remember anyone ever having that problem. The technician said he's seen it a couple times.
I know some have ran out and bought an external trans cooler to avoid the problem and if that gives them peace of mind, I guess it's money well spent. I may be totally wrong, but I think since it's been a reported problem with the 3rd Gens on our forum and others, people are abnormally concerned with this rare occurrence. For example, my 1999 Subaru Outback has trans cooler lines through the radiator. That original radiator lasted almost 300,000 miles before it sprung a small coolant leak.
However, with all this information in hand, I'm still going to replace my radiator with an OEM one and I'll most likely get it from Camelback Toyota. They sell it for $208. I figure it's pretty cheap insurance since I go on trips several states away from home. I know I'd be more worried having an issue with an aftermarket radiator than with an OEM one.
Here's the link to the Camelback website if you're interested:
Toyota Parts - Camelback Toyota Parts - Genuine OEM Parts - Free Shipping
