The Project Pad

Considering taking the wife's A4 on a CO ski road trip, and started thinking if it's ready to go....
Been wondering lately about when I should consider pulling all the OE coolant hoses on that car for a preemptive strike.
Car is '06 with 165K on it now.
All the hoses look fine, but I was wondering what other folks are doing?
Anyone experience failures, or have you already changed them out?

My A6 4.2 was an '01 at 180k when I sold it and I never had any issues with coolant hoses. THey seem to last for a long time

I'd worry about it if it's leaking or brittle... otherwise OE hoses can last quite a long time.

Is worth more about plastic parts in the cooling system. A preemptive strike never hurts though...

I found the o-rings in the radiator connectors and such failed way before the hose itself.

OEM hoses seem to last a long time. My car has 280k on it, and a lot of hoses look original and very serviceable. I would check it over closely and replace things that look suspect. I always carry a roll of this along with a couple gallons of water in my car survival kit.

Thanks y'all
I'm pretty sure the hoses in my 200 20V were OE too when I let 'er go - 205K
Amazing how good, and how bad, rubber products can be.

Dana, interesting stuff - curious though if you have ever tried to wrap a flexible (rubber) hose with that product? Think you can get a good tight wrap?

I have not had to try it (luckily) but it is advertised to be used for repairing coolant hoses in a bind. Im not sure if this is the exact product I have, I got mine off the shelf at NAPA. I wouldnt want to use it permanently, but its nice to have it as an option.

nmerrill wrote:Thanks y'all
I'm pretty sure the hoses in my 200 20V were OE too when I let 'er go - 205K
Amazing how good, and how bad, rubber products can be.

Dana, interesting stuff - curious though if you have ever tried to wrap a flexible (rubber) hose with that product? Think you can get a good tight wrap?

I bet if you have a rag and some weasel piss to clean off any road grime you can get a good seal using the tape.

Can confirm! Silicone tape is a godsend; I always carry a roll in the trunk. It's also very effective for fixing boost leaks