I went to get an oil change today at Acura since they do free inspection for my 03 tl. They told me that my upper radiator hose is cracking from the inside. The car has 80k. How can they tell if cracking from the inside without removing the hose and having coolant spill out?

 

They must have seen something floating in the Radiator or Whatever, But since the car has 80K and Radiator Hoses arent expensive why to Care?
Just change it.

 

Why don't you just ask them how they determined that? It's very possible it needs to be replaced though esp. if it's original. That's something you could DIY right?

 

there can be signs of wear on the outside,,dryness, softness when pinched is bad!!

seems a bit of the ~service writer stretch of the truth~
you can always speak to the service manager who will go direct to the tech for an explanation
You are supposed to be happy and understand whats going on with your car - before you leave
Thats what the survey cards are about--make you happy before leaving

 

Im surprised more people dont replace the hoses with the timing belt water pump job

in this case= its 8 years and under miles, but must have some operations in severe duty to wear out the hoses
inspect the rest of the cooling system- replace rad cap, replace thermostat as well,,
if any rubber is in the system...would be smart to open the engine block drain and run house water hose thru the rad to flush the system

 

You can squeeze the hose and if it feels crunchy that means the hose is cracking on the inside. The inner wall of the hose is starting to break down. There too cheap not to replace. I would do a coolant flush at the same time. I might even do the timing belt / water pump combo as well. It's due every 105k miles OR 6 years. Sounds like your due.....

 

if the hoses are coming apart inside at 80/8 years, its a good bet the tbelt wp job is ready to be done NOW!!

something is accellerating parts wear on this car

 

Maybe he's using a wrong coolant, or has mixed two different brands of coolant. Sometimes they don't play nice.

The only other thing I could think of is rapid heating and cooling. Driving 100mph+ and then turning off the car will make a lot of stuff brittle.

 

plus the OE coolant is rated at 7 years MAX, then 5 years on replacement with acura fluid
The coolant additives break down and it turns acidic
Who stayed awake in chemistry class for aluminum radiator versus acids?

most aftermarket `approved for acura` coolants advise 5 years max or less of you abuse it

 

I dont believe the Hype, I change my Coolant every 2 Years just to Be Sure.

 

I'm with you--sooner is better considering how some of us treat the TL and how well it rewards us with steady temp in all conditions

If only people would change the brake fluid that often!

 

I will start to do so, Too. I didnt really payed attention to the Brake Fluid but since I already have the Legend Calipers Ill start to pay attention to that as well...

Since Im using DOT 5.1 how much time you recommend to change it? Same 1 Year interval?