I recently did a coolant change on my 2008 Forester X, auto transmission. I was smelling coolant and had to top it off a couple of times (thin king maybe some residual spilled antifreeze and needing to top of because of a few air bubbles surfacing) but tonight I noticed some wetness around the seam nea rthe top of the radiator where the top tank joins the core soo I'm thinking a small leak has developed at the seam.

I'm guessing there is no effective way to repair it so it looks like I'll need a new radiator. Any recommendations on radiator brand or where to buy?

 

I put the full aluminum one in my 2006.  The fan assy would not work, but I had older independent fans that went right in.  

Also when I did mine, just moving the PS hose caused it to suck air.  I put some clamps on the hose and it solved the problem.  You may want to change the hose.

I have been buying more and more parts form Rockauto.com. Quality is good, so is pricing. I generally buy their mid priced offerings, not the cheapest, or most expensive. Rock Auto delivers quickly, and if a return is necessary, they will send you a Fed ex return label on line that discounts cost of return at the Fed ex store.

For my gonna-make-it-maybe-into-the-summer 248000 mile forester I bought the cheapest amazon radiator for the same problem. It was a skosh too tall and the top bracket holes would not line up.

 

held it in place with zip ties...

had the same problem with my 05 forester, slow leak from the seam, there's no good repair for that.

managed to find a Denso DRM36002 radiator (OEM quality) for around 150 euro, (about 160 $), really easy job to change

I've bought a couple Spectra Radiators with very good results.