Upper, lower, and heater hose replacement
When is the recommended time/miles to replace hoses on the tow vehicle? I have about 120,000 miles on the truck and still have original hoses and am thinking its time. I have a couple of estimates f...
Forum Discussion
DownTheAvenue wrote:
The reality is that belts and hoses last considerably longer than they did even in the 1980's and 1990's, but all it takes is one pinhole to leave you stranded who knows where! If you have not yet done so, it is time for a coolant change, so swapping out the belts and hoses may provide you with a lot peace of mind. One thng to be certain is that there are a lot of cheap after market auto parts that have flooded the market, so be wise and specify OEM parts. Some cheap hoses available from 3rd party (read Chinese) suppliers may be worse than your existing hoses.
For years, I changed hoses ever two or three years on my cars. I did use the red or blue jacket heater hose, and never changed it. As you have noted, hoses have become much better quality. I think I am rather conservative but somwhere around 7 to 10 years or 80K to 100K miles is more than enough on GOOD quality hoses. Whenever possible I use OEM hoses, even at twice the price. If they are no longer produced, I use Gates, or possibly Dayco.
Charles
