I use some closed nuts that I screw on straight away then take the bugger out to the garden and undo them and let the sludge flow out. I must say with new boilers and filtering systems there is less black sludge, but it still gets in there.
Replace it yourself. If it's a straightforward like for like it is quite easy. Turn off the valves, undo the nuts, if you have some play in the pipes the pies will come off quite easily, then remove the radiator. Get some ptfe and attach the new Rad, bleed the rad of air and top up the system if...