Ill fitting aftermarket molded hoses for imports

[Tomioka]

Had to yank out a NAPA/Gates lower radiator hose for an OEM hose on an 04 Lexus LS430 because it started to rub on the power steering pump pulley and spew coolant. Initial installation looked like it would clear the pulley with 1/2" clearance but as the hose warms up it began to expand and flex and it would begin to rub on the pulley. Before that at the parts store I compared the original hoses to the new hoses. I knew it looked sketchy that it didn't bend enough for more clearance around the pulley area. I chanced it since I've used aftermarket hoses on BMW's and Mercs with no issues and it was cheap for the pair of upper and lower hoses. Lexus dealership had the hoses and swapped it over the same day.

 

[L_Sludger]

I might get stabbed for this comment - I was running the original OEM coolant hoses - all of them - on my '96 LS400 when I sold it last month with over 300,000 miles. I wonder if the 04 LS430 had a perfectly good set of OEM hoses replaced with new aftermarket garbage hoses as preventive maintenance.
FWIW the lower hose on the LS is quite a contortionist so it wouldn't be easy for an aftermarket company to exactly match up.

 

[Tomioka]

The car had a major collision a couple years ago where the rad hoses got bent and kinked up and the body shop hadn't replaced the hoses along with the new rad and condensor. I've let it pass but now the car has 160,000mi on it and I rather change the hoses as PM because I've seem so much cooling system failures especially when it gets hotter and getting stranded (along a freeway w/ no shoulder lane!) is not an option.

The heater core hoses are still original. I do cooling system drain/refills (pull lower rad hose) every two years to keep the cooling system healthy.

 

[L_Sludger]

With Lexus parts, especially the LS series - buying OEM truly is a buy once, cry once deal. The LS series OEM parts are amazing quality compared to aftermarket.

Other makes, other models, cheaper series cars - lots of times there's not gonna be that much difference between OEM and aftermarket quality.

 

[BigD1]

Wish those Toyota/Lexus spring hose clamps with the pull tab were cheaper. Just slide the clamp on the hose in the right spot, and then pull the tab off the clamp, and it's on there good.

 

[SHOZ]

I put all new cooling hoses on my '08 Accent last month. Big radiator hoses were from Autozone and the lower one was for the auto trans but fit. Upper was OK as was the water pump 90*. The heater hoses I got from NAPA and they fit good too.

All the OE hoses looked like they could go another 100k miles but some of the OE spring clamps were rusted pretty bad.

 

[HangFire]

One trick for bent hoses that stick out too far, is to cut an inch or so off of one end or half as much off both ends. That way they pull in their elbow when stretched to fit. Assuming they don't interfere with something else along the way... Also when you go to cut, you'll find out just how tough modern hoses are!

Sometimes aftermarket hoses are fine, sometimes they are not. I got a coolant leak on my Dakota top radiator hose, it's really two hoses with a plastic junction in the middle holding the cap. I happily bought both sides and with great effort, removed the factory hoses and clamped-on the aftermarket. I had coolant leaks for the next couple of years until I went to the dealer and bought the whole assembly- both side hoses and junction- for about the same price as I paid for the 2 aftermarkets.

The issue was the OEM junction didn't have enough barb on either side to hold on and seal the aftermarket hoses. It was made as an assembly, and the aftermarket attempt to make it into two hoses was just misguided.

On the flip side, I've replaced countless other hoses with Gates or other brand-name aftermarket, with zero problems.

 

[dlundblad]

I am having this issue now. My truck has a bypass hose. (Didn't know what it was called originally.) It runs from the water pump to the intake and is almost a u shape. Very short thing. NAPA was the only one that had it and I wanted the truck back together that day.. it's starting to kink now. I wish I would have went with AC Delco on Rock Auto.

 

[zorobabel]

This year I changed the 20 year old heater hoses on the Maxima. The originals were perfectly fine. No issues with the new Gates hoses yet.

 

[zzyzzx]

Ill fitting aftermarket molded hoses for imports

Buy domestic cars instead, so you won't have this problem.

Yes, I am being sarcastic.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
I might get stabbed for this comment - I was running the original OEM coolant hoses - all of them - on my '96 LS400 when I sold it last month with over 300,000 miles. I wonder if the 04 LS430 had a perfectly good set of OEM hoses replaced with new aftermarket garbage hoses as preventive maintenance.
FWIW the lower hose on the LS is quite a contortionist so it wouldn't be easy for an aftermarket company to exactly match up.


Same with my 300ZX. Had almost 20 year old original hoses. I replaced them all when I did the timing belt. They still looked and felt brand new. I of course replaced them with Nissan oem. Heck,the original timing belt looked and felt brand new too.

 

[nthach]

I had an Gates hose on an LS400, the lower hose. It fit OK, but I had to trim quite a bit of it off and twist it the right way to keep the hose from kissing the drive belt.

The upper hose I had to get OEM - the Gates one was kinked up a few degrees differently than OEM.