This topic contains 3 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by 
Its me 9 years, 2 months ago.
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Topic
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2001 Honda Civic, 28,000 original miles on it. I’ve drained the coolant and replaced upper and lower radiator hoses. Wondering if I should replace the thermostat, as well? For that matter, was I being overly concerned in replacing the hoses, and what about the belts? This car was an inheritance from my mother, who didn’t drive very much. If the car had miles commensurate with it’s age, I’d have a better idea of what to do, but in this situation, I’m just not sure.
Paul
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The short answer is that most makers of rubber parts recommend no greater than a 10 year service life. Regardless of how little usage the part sees.
Thermostats are a bit trickier. Their lifespan is usually measured by the number of heat cycles they have to endure. Yet conversely thermostats have to be regularly “exercised” to remain functional as well. Cars that have sat for a long time, often have stuck thermostats, even if the thermostat was brand new when the car was parked.
Well, it hasn’t exhibited any “sticking”. The car is typically only driven once or twice a month, as it’s my second vehicle. I only put about 2,000 miles on it per year, so the next coolant change won’t happen for at least another 3 years, at which point, the original thermostat will be roughly 16 years old. On my daily driver, I change the thermostat every other coolant change, or about 70,000 mile intervals. Really not sure where to go with this, but if I’m going to replace it, now’s the time, while it’s drained.
As far as I am aware, there is no service interval to replace the thermostat… Cheap insurance, sure…. while you are in there and it is easy… Nothing wrong with that… I would stick to an OEM thermostat though…
No right or wrong answer to this question IMHO… That thermostat could last much longer… but since you put so few miles on the vehicle, I personally would skip it until it fails…
About belts…
Neoprene belts can easily be visually inspected for cracks and wear and are generally good for 50-60K miles….
EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) belts show less wear and may last for 100k… I believe 8-10 yrs is a good rule for service life if mileage has not been achieved… They are much less prone to cracking…
JMHO
-Karl
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