[rpoz-29]

After my spark plug issue, I started think a little more about my car. As I've said before, it's a very low optioned 2002, with around 7,300 miles, that I bought new in October of 2001. The car has been garaged all it's life, but still, it's almost 10 years old. I'm taking care of the fluids, but what about the tires? Should I consider replacing them? The tires are Z rated Goodyears, they look good and don't seem to have any cracks or leaks. I realize I'm not doing the car any favors by letting it sit, and I plan to drive it a good bit more in the future. Thanks for any thoughts you guys may have.

[pknowles]

I change hoses when I see cracks, bulges, or the ends distort and don't seal as well. Not sure what rubber they are made of, but original GM hoses last a very long time. In fact I still have a bunch of original GM hoses on my 97 C2500 truck with 232k miles on it. I take a few of the hoses off and look at them in detail every time I do anything that requires a cooling system drain and they look good as new. My truck is also my mostly driver, so hoses and belts may rot quicker on vehicle that sits. If I find any cracks starting, I will probably change all of the original hoses at that time. For some reason I never get the same life out of the parts store hoses.