I always look at the hoses anytime a hood is up . If they appear
softened or swollen near the ends where the clamps are or have any other
visual deterioration, off they come .

I almost never change hoses, but when one of them starts looking "iffy"
I change them all, as the rest are likely not far behind.

nate

I recently screwed up and let one go too long....far too long...100,000
miles and
7 years.  I thought it had been changed earlier, but turns out it wasn't.

I would say that you should change every 3-4 years, or 50,000 miles.  I am
sure
you will get many different answers on this.

I have a 1992 Beretta with 140,000 miles that still has the original hoses. I use a low pressure cap and use 60% antifreeze; both will greatly extend hose life.

The answer depends on on the particualr vehicle and your
personal willingness to take a risk. Persoanlly, I no longer
change hoses on a fixed schedule. If one looks bad I will
replace it. Otherwise, I don't worry about it. Two of my
current vehicles have "fail safe cooling." This allows you
to drive (with a significant reduction in performance) for
up to 50 miles with no coolant at all. Other vehicles I own,
don't have this feature, but they rarely get more than a few
miles from home. If one of their hoses blows, I am
comfortable with leaving them on the side of the raod while
I go for a replacement. As of today I have one 24 year old
farm tractor with all the original hoses, another 15 year
old farm tractor with all the original hoses, a 34 year old
Dodge truck we have owned for 20 years with the hoses that
were on it when bought it, a 1992 F150 with all the original
hoses, and several newer vehicles, all with original hoses.
For that matter my sisters 1997 Honda Civic still has all
it's original hoses as well (although the timing belt was
replaced). I haven't had to replace a hose on anything since
I sold my 1986 Sable with 137,000 miles. That car would eat
a heater hose about every 30,000 miles. This was becasue of
a design defect (the hose was short and flexed a lot) and
not becasue of the quality of the hose. The hose never
failed catestropically, but alway gave plenty of warning
(small leak) in time toi avoid disaster.

Hoses are a lot better today than they were when the 2 or 3
year replacement recommendation was the norm. In many cases,
they are a lot more expesnive as well. If you want to be
very conservative, and don't mind spending the money, then
the two year replacement cycle may suit you. But not me.

Ed

Back in the Day! I'd recommend the hoses R/R every 30,000 miles -- here we are
in the year 2005 Hoses are NOT made the same, can handle more heat, are more
durable - I have seen a set of (oem) hoses last a good 150,000 miles - even
longer in some cases!! NEW improved Recommendations i.e. R/R @ every 120,000
mile intervals --  or as the others have stated - soft or cracked rubber is a
sure indication = R/R ASAP!!