My very 1st post. I just had my 2005 Honda Accord EX (66,550 miles) in for service this morning. I have done a lot of maintenance to the car in the last 2 weeks. New Heat shields (one fell off-rusty), new Michelin tires (warranty-Michelin ate 70% of cost), new battery, LOF etc. I am basically trying to extend the life of the car.

Earlier this year I did (well the mechanics...I don't know cars well) the Auto Transmission fluid (dirty).

Car runs well, no complaints.

This mornings service was to flush the coolant and put in new (never been done since I bought the car in Dec 2004. I asked for radiator hoses. They said they don't even keep them in stock. This is a Honda Dealer. He claimed Honda and Toyota hoses are different.

What ever happened to the 4 year rule. I was always told you change belts and hoses after 4 year no matter what. I figured it was the perfect time to do it, but they said all I needed was a system flush because although the book says 100,000 miles for the coolant, its not a bad idea to do it now. They actually suggest every 45,000 miles.

Can someone explain to me Radiator hoses ?? How long are they supposed to last ??

 

I just replaced the original hoses on my 15-year-old, 220K+ Honda. They weren't leaking but the upper hose was getting kind of soft; it looked bad but it never leaked. I've owned Toyota's with over 200K that had their original hoses as well.

I think the four-year-rule is a marketing ploy by hose manufacturers. Maybe it was reasonable in decades past but I think hoses have an easy 10-year/100K lifespan nowadays.

 

Thanks. I'm just trying to do what is right by the vehicle. I can afford a new car, but not knowing how much longer I will have a job...I prefer to get some more miles out of this one. People tell me these go 250,000 if maintained.

With only 66,500 or so, I figure I can wait a year or 2.