2007 Accord - Replace T-Stat and Hoses as Maint?

[The Critic]

I am working on the gf's 2007 Accord this week and will be installing new front and rear motor mounts.

It appears that the bolts to the front motor mount are mildly easier to access if I removed the connection to the thermostat housing. So, I am wondering if it would be a good idea to go ahead and replace the thermostat and both hoses while I'm in there.

I plan to only use Genuine Honda parts. The thermostat would cost me $50, and the two hoses are $26 total. The car has 104,000 miles on it at the moment, and the cooling system appears to be healthy -- but it has only received one coolant service in its life (which was about 2,000 miles ago, by me).

What do you guys think?

Edit - I normally do not sweat spending a small amount of money on refreshing the cooling system, but I have spent about $1500-1800 in parts over the last six months to bring this car completely up-to-date (or to my picky standards). At this point I am somewhat tempted to cut some corners, but only where it makes sense (and not where it is foolish).

 

[surfstar]

Coming from experience, don't fix it 'till its broke.

 

[Kool1]

Genuine OEM Honda mounts are the way to go!! I've tried Anchor mounts, made in India, and they ripped in less than a thousand miles. I've also tried Beck/Arnley mounts, made in Taiwan, and those also ripped in short order. I finally switched to Genuine Honda mounts and have no problems. The vehicle I have is an 03 CRV.

 

[BRZED]

You can tell when rubber hoses deteriorate. Is there any serious deformation going on in the hose clamp areas? Is there any seeping going on? If so, replace the hoses. Modern coolant hoses may live happily for 200k miles. A thermostat is a fickle creature. A new one may be more failure prone than the old one. I would carry a new spare.

 

[Nick1994]

I would do the thermostat.

My mom's 2003 Buick Rendezvous had the original thermostat get stuck closed at around 135k miles earlier this year. It overheated since she was stuck in traffic with nowhere to pull off and it blew the head gasket. I had been meaning to replace it too but didn't get around to it yet.

 

[philipp10]

motor mounts went bad?

 

[Silverado12]

I would do the T-stat also. Replace the upper hose while you're there. The lower hose is the cold hose so that wears slower. The upper hose is the hot one and since they wear from the inside-out, the only way you can catch it before it pops is you might see some swelling or softness/squishyness. What parts have you replaced? That's a lot of $$$ for a car with only 100K.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
I would do the T-stat also. Replace the upper hose while you're there. The lower hose is the cold hose so that wears slower. The upper hose is the hot one and since they wear from the inside-out, the only way you can catch it before it pops is you might see some swelling or softness/squishyness. What parts have you replaced? That's a lot of $$$ for a car with only 100K.


Most of it was preventative maintenance, some of it was work that I re-did because I was not satisfied with the quality of the repairs that were previously done:

Genuine Honda Shocks + boots, front/rear - $500
Compliance Bushings - $50
Lifetime alignment - $170
Rear adjustable upper control arms - $160
Front OE Pads and high carbon rotors - $150
Rear Akebono Pads and high carbon rotors - $100
One tire - $170
Transmission flush with ATF-DW1 and new inline filter - $90
Engine/Cabin Filters - $25
P/S fluid flush - $20
Brake Fluid Flush - $8
Wiper Inserts - $15
Drive Belt and Valve Cover Gasket - $35
A/C Recharge - $100
HVAC driver-side air mix motor - $80
Coolant drain/refill - $40
Front/rear motor mounts - $220