Hoses in general don't fail. I'd check to see if they're still pliable and not mushy or expanding excessively when they're under pressure. I make a habit of changing them when other stuff is getting fixed like a water pump, radiator, timing belt etc.

 

Hoses in general don't fail.

I was under the impression they did, with a lifespan of not more than ten years.
Let's look this up. From https://www.cars.com/articles/how-long-will-my-belts-and-hoses-last-1420680318839/ we see "Coolant hoses typically last several years, though anything longer than 10 years may be pushing the limits. Rubber weakens with age and from repeated exposure to hot coolant, so the older they get the higher chance they’ll leak and cause the engine to overheat."

 

Just my 45 years in the industry. Sounds like you have your answer.
Caveat being you don't know if they've ever been changed?
Take it to an independent shop for a second opinion.
Consider getting a water pump and thermostat at the same time.

 

you don't know if they've ever been changed

Am sure they haven't. I'm the car's second owner. First owner had all maintenance done at the dealer where the car was bought, and Carfax doesn't mention hoses being changed for the 5-year-old car.
After I bought the car (in 2016) I did have the coolant flushed, if that matters.
I like your idea of waiting until the car's in the shop for a thermostat or water pump to replace all the hoses then.
Is this a job for any good repair shop? Not necessary to have a dealer do it, right?
And if done by a repair shop, what hoses should be used? Toyota's or the best at Autozone's?

 

Mine are putting along nicely at 21.5(x2) and 23 years. My brothers 81 truck made it twice that long. Of course that is the old Toyotas that seem to just last forever. In my shop we used to think 10 years was good, but then they just started lasting longer. I have not heard of a cooling hose failure in quite some time, especially the hose failing NOT DUE TO SOME OTHER FAILURE. It amazes me how my twenty year old Toyotas compare to cars from much earlier times, 200k plus starters, alternators, even heater cores just keep on going.
What was a ten year life expectancy, when the average car was 7.2 years old has now progressed to close to 12 years old, with my examples at 21 plus years and still going strong. I guess they could fail next week. But then I also know when my car gets hot make sure everything is working right and be prepared to tow or trailer it, like when the fan belt broke. I had the only spare part in my trunk, but forgot I had it LMAO. Bought two new spares.

 

Mine are putting along nicely at 21.5(x2) and 23 years. My brothers 81 truck made it twice that long.

Now this is the kind of first-hand feedback I was hoping for. Many thanks, Old Mechanic.
It tells me I'd be dumb to change perfectly good hoses now. Yes, they might burst tomorrow, but I'll deal with that when it happens.
Thanks again. (Love this forum. Just saved me hundreds of bucks.)

 

Those jobs are all basic and any reputable shop can handle them.
Water pump and thermostat, I'd go with Aisin which are an OEM supplier. Hoses can be OEM or a name brand like Gates or Dayco. Links give ya an idea of costs. Some shops will let you provide parts but if a part you supply fails thats on you. My local shop doesn't care.
Repairpal estimates $195-$250 in labor for a water pump job. The shop has to take hoses off anyway. Thermostat might add a little to the labor. Throw a new accessory belt on at the same time.

More Information for AISIN WPT803

More Information for AISIN THT019

More Information for GATES 23153

More Information for GATES 23154

 

Those jobs are all basic and any reputable shop can handle them.

Thanks for confirming my thoughts on this.
I understand a shop would want to use their own parts, but if I buy them I know quality parts are being used.
Had never heard of Aisin, will look for them when the time comes.

 

One more question.
A coolant flush is $170 at the dealer. Nearby Pep Boys, probably about $100. Where would you go?
The Pep Boys has been in business there since 2008 when we moved here, so must be doing something right. Its open bays look clean and organized. I trust them to do good work. Does the dealer do it so much better?

 

One more question.
A coolant flush is $170 at the dealer. Nearby Pep Boys, probably about $100. Where would you go?
The Pep Boys has been in business there since 2008 when we moved here, so must be doing something right. Its open bays look clean and organized. I trust them to do good work. Does the dealer do it so much better?

I am curious what pep boys hourly rate is?
How does it compare to local dealer rates
Or a local Firestone car care place

No pepboys in my area

 

It's all about overhead. The dealers have much higher operating costs. If your comfortable with the local Pep-Boys
I'm pretty sure they can handle a flush. The only thing that maybe different is if the dealer takes the thermostat out to do the flush. That might be old school but was standard years ago when I was working in a radiator shop.

 

I've never met a Toyota that was fussy about coolant. You can use any new allmakesallmodels/AMAM or Asian coolant.

10 years..... radiators hoses, thermostat, radiator cap, drain/refill of radiator, and serpentine belt too.... This stuff isn't rocket science and ANY mechanic should be able to complete it. But, I'd wager that some aftermarket hoses are junk so I would stick with OE or a quality brand of hose. Antifreeze isn't picky at all. And, I only recommend OE cap/thermostat.

 

My 2001 Avalon with 110K miles is still running with the original coolant hoses. I have changed the timing belt and water pump at 81K miles, and I change the Toyota LLAC RED coolant (sold as a concentrate, and MUST be mixed 50:50 with distilled water) every 3 years or 30K miles.

Your Venza, and my Tacoma use Toyota SLLC PINK coolant (sold pre-mixed and must NOT be mixed with ANYTHING - including other coolants [blue, green, orange]!), which should be changed every 5 years or 50K miles. I change the coolant in my Tacoma, or most of it, regularly, but have never flushed the system and have not had to change a hose or the water pump. I have had no problems with the Tacoma in 101K miles.

 

This is the kind of feedback I was hoping to see. Many thanks. Big help in my own decision.

 

Our old '86 Corolla that we drove until 2009, never had a hose go bad over 220,000 miles. I had a '73 Dodge Coronet 360 vV8 that burst a hose around 90,000 miles. I had a '72 Dodge Colt (Mitsubishi ) that had a heater hose chafe a hole in it where it passed through the firewall around 45,000 miles. My '98 Corolla- all the hoses are fine at 150,000 miles. I did need to replace its water pump at 115,000 miles after it developed a slight leak...There was coolant loss causing slight temperature rise. What does all this tell you?

 

Our old '86 Corolla that we drove until 2009, never had a hose go bad over 220,000 miles. My '98 Corolla- all the hoses are fine at 150,000 miles. I did need to replace its water pump at 115,000 miles after it developed a slight leak...There was coolant loss causing slight temperature rise. What does all this tell you?

Ha, it tells me NOT to change my perfectly good Toyota hoses! Thanks for the feedback.

 

Hoses usually fail due to other things like a slow leak that gets them very hot before it gets bad enough. I think the key is to really keep an eye on your coolant level when cold. I like to mark the spot and keep an eye on it. Once heard about a woman who was scared to death of breaking down on the Interstate, so she drove her car until the engine locked up when it overheated. Get a scan gauge or ultra gauge which gives you the ability to monitor things much more carefully that stock instrumentation.
In addition you can learn about things like deceleration fuel cut off that allows you to coast while using no fuel whatsoever. Combine that with strategic light timing and strategic traffic anticipation. Thousands of times I have seen someone blasting off from a stop only to slam on the brakes when they catch the next light.
They key to efficiency is to not give your inertia away burning up brakes. A smooth operator also benefits from much longer service life of every component.
My oldest brother was one of those who never replaced anything until it was broke, and he broke my cars just the way he drove them. Eventually he learned and I saw his 81 hilux with the original fuel filter that was 41 years old. We used to blow through fuel filters backwards and warn the customer if their gas station was selling dirty fuel. WE did that when we replaced them as part of a service. That is what I call SERVICE.
Its not what I advocate, BUT, when you have the right car, then you can see what last the longest as long as you do NOT push it too far.
My wifes Rogue has 55 k miles on the OE tires, ONCE rotated and NEVER rebalanced. It's not neglect, they never needed it. She is the easiest driver on a car I have ever seen, in almost 60 years.
My 20 year old manager at Domino's took her car to the selling dealership where they told her the cat was bad. NO CEL, no evidence to support their diagnosis, oil dripping off the bottom of the engine, so they ASSumed it was due to a plugged exhaust, they even added oil without charging her for it, but charged her $145 to tell her cat was bad. Ironically the cat was the only thing not covered by any warranty.
There was nothing wrong with the cat. The quick lube shop had either intentionally or accidentally punctured the oil filter. For $145 they could not take the time to find the oil leak. Another quick lube shop felt so bad about it they put a new filter on for free and topped off the oil. No more lea, no more loss. Talk about a fraud, the stealerships SENT me customers with lousy service. Once they got to know me they would NOT buy any car I would not work on.
With u-tube and a few tools why even try to deal with stealerships. My recent Echo purchase and one issue, the cooling fan came on when the ignition was turned on, even with a cold engine. A visual inspection revealed damage to the temp sensor right in front of the oil filter. Dealer wanted $135 for the part, got one for $12.16 shipped to my door in a Toyota package. Now that is highway robbery. 11 times the price for the same part. It's a simple thermistor people. I do love the way they designed it to save the engine when it had been destroyed by carelessness, of the type I have seen destroy engines.
Today is my 71st birthday, JFK was assassinated on my 13th, 58 years ago. Been driving since 1966. My 59 bug eyed sprite got 32 MPG, almost the same as my most recent Echo with a automatic transmission. The sprite was a deathtrap compared to the ECHO.

 

2011 Venza, 6-cyl, 94000 miles, bought 2016 with 75000 miles, garaged in daytime.

Replacing the coolant hoses might eliminate a breakdown on the highway. At the same time, the hoses look and feel good. Never a need to add coolant.

Am worried replacement hoses, or their installation, would be the opening to problems I don't have now. (I once had sparkplugs changed at the dealer - Ford Taurus, not the Venza - and the engine never ran as well as before.)

Dealer quoted $522 to replace all coolant hoses and flush the system. In my younger days, it's a morning's work in the driveway, of course. Those days are behind me.

Even if a local shop could do it for, say, $300, do you think I should have the hoses replaced?

And if so, what are the best quality hoses to be installed? Gates was back when, right? Still now? Or should I go to the dealer and buy Toyota brand?

Thanks for all advice.

I have an 05 Highlander Limited with 105k on it and haven’t replaced a hose yet. I asked my mechanic (independent) about it. He said the new formulation in them lets them last for (almost) ever. They are just as pliable and defect free as they were when it was new. Now, keep in mind, a dealer might tell you a different story as it is a quite expensive job.

 

The only hose that I have had an issue with on my '01 Avalon is the power steering return hose.

After 20 years the hose had developed a leak, and I was slowly losing power steering fluid. I addressed this by cutting off the spring clamp, and ½" of the end of the hose. I replaced the spring clamp with an AWAB (marine) hose clamp which I can tighten, and now that the hose has moved by ½" it is not leaking any more. Should it leak again, I will replace the 5/8" rubber hose with fresh 5/8" hose from an auto parts store.

 

When draining the coolant, that’s a good time to replace all the coolant hoses including those to the heater matrix

 

My 2 cents:


My Dad passed away several years ago, and I ended up with his '91 pickup, 2.4 liter. He had had replaced the original radiator, but the rest of the cooling system was bone stock. Having owned classic air-cooled VW's for a long time, I didn't expect what happened next. To shorten the tale, I ended up replacing all of the hoses. The worse was the two hoses on the passenger side under the intake manifold.

 

Ok, I'm back from the coolant flush. Leading to another question.

Arriving home, I popped the hood. The expansion tank has a Low and High mark about 2 inches apart. After a 5-mile drive home and the temp gauge normal, the coolant level is about a half-inch above the Low mark.

My understanding is that when the engine is at regular temperature, expanding coolant goes to the tank. When the engine has cooled off, coolant goes back to the engine.

My engine is now at regular temperature. Shouldn't the coolant in the tank be at the High mark right after the engine is turned off?

 

Ok, I'm back from the coolant flush. Leading to another question.

Arriving home, I popped the hood. The expansion tank has a Low and High mark about 2 inches apart. After a 5-mile drive home and the temp gauge normal, the coolant level is about a half-inch above the Low mark.

My understanding is that when the engine is at regular temperature, expanding coolant goes to the tank. When the engine has cooled off, coolant goes back to the engine.

My engine is now at regular temperature. Shouldn't the coolant in the tank be at the High mark right after the engine is turned off?

Yes. When the engine has been at normal operating temperature for some time the coolant should be at (or near) the high mark on the expansion/overflow tank. As the engine cools it should draw coolant from the tank back into the engine's coolant passages. Most likely that air was introduced into the system during the flush, and the system is now a little low.

Why did you have a flush done? If the OEM coolant was in the system, and there were no other issues, a flush (drain, rinse with DISTILLED water, and refill) is unnecessary. A simple drain and refill (aka "Spill & Fill") is all that should have been necessary.

 

No reason to flush.

Take the car to whomever flushed the system, and have them top it up. Should be no additional charge.