# May have to replace a heater core **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 11, 2015, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227 "2015-06-11T00:56:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227/41 "2015-06-14T05:38:15Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Yes except you seem to ignore the fact that many cars fail well before that mark. And people get cranky when there’s a shit-ton of labor to fix something. I’ll go back to the 86 Honda as an example. It actually had more failures early on than later cars I purchased. But it was so much easier to fix that my tolerance for it was very high. There was clearly some thought put into it’s design for serviceability. If it had been a stick shift I’d probably still have it as a parts chaser spare car today. I would quibble with your claim that many cars fail “early.” A lot of people wrongly think that their car has failed, when they just don’t want to be bothered with the repairs anymore. For the most part, a car doesn’t really fail until the engine or transmission goes out–and sometimes not even then. I currently drive a '96 Buick. I will be surprised if it doesn’t make it to 180,000 miles. You should look at used-car ads sometime–there are several cars listed that are 200,000+ miles. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227/42 "2015-06-14T23:16:16Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Yes except you seem to ignore the fact that many cars fail well before that mark. And people get cranky when there’s a shit-ton of labor to fix something. I’ll go back to the 86 Honda as an example. It actually had more failures early on than later cars I purchased. But it was so much easier to fix that my tolerance for it was very high. There was clearly some thought put into it’s design for serviceability. If it had been a stick shift I’d probably still have it as a parts chaser spare car today. Three things. First off if someone tried to build and market an 86 Honda in today’s market it would fail on several levels. It would not meet any current safety or emission standards. Secondly even if you could sell them the consumers wouldn’t buy it as it does not have all the bells and whistles your standard 2016 car has. Second thing is cars have changed so much that bringing an almost 30 year old car into a discussion of how modern cars are designed and built is BS. But hey if you want to go down that road I worked on this 1928 Model A that was so easy to work on… Thirdly. Kudos to Honda’s ad agency. By your own admission the cars was a POS, yet you kept fixing it and we’re happy with it. Yugos were also pieces of shit and easy to fix. To bad Yugo didn’t have Honda’s ad agency. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227/43 "2015-06-15T00:04:25Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Three things. First off if someone tried to build and market an 86 Honda in today’s market it would fail on several levels. It would not meet any current safety or emission standards. Secondly even if you could sell them the consumers wouldn’t buy it as it does not have all the bells and whistles your standard 2016 car has. > Second thing is cars have changed so much that bringing an almost 30 year old car into a discussion of how modern cars are designed and built is BS. > But hey if you want to go down that road I worked on this 1928 Model A that was so easy to work on… > Thirdly. Kudos to Honda’s ad agency. By your own admission the cars was a POS, yet you kept fixing it and we’re happy with it. > Yugos were also pieces of shit and easy to fix. To bad Yugo didn’t have Honda’s ad agency. Firstly, nobody is suggesting they build an 86 so that’s a strawman. Second, changing technology doesn’t mean shoddy design. Thirdly, I’ll gladly drive a car I can fix in 30 minutes versus one that takes 8 hrs even if I have to repair more items that randomly failed. It was the polar opposite of a POS. It’s the whole point of the discussion. Nothing has changed from 1986 in regards to a heater core. It’s the same part it’s always been. Some cars are much easier to work on than others. That’s good design. Unless you’re prepared to say all cars are equal in ease of repair then you’re just arguing for the sake of arguing. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227/44 "2015-06-15T01:10:08Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Firstly, nobody is suggesting they build an 86 so that’s a strawman. Second, changing technology doesn’t mean shoddy design. Thirdly, I’ll gladly drive a car I can fix in 30 minutes versus one that takes 8 hrs even if I have to repair more items that randomly failed. It was the polar opposite of a POS. Silly me I thought the definition of a POS was something that broke all the time. All I can say to your comment is behold the power of Honda advertising. > [@](#): > > It’s the whole point of the discussion. Nothing has changed from 1986 in regards to a heater core. It’s the same part it’s always been. Some cars are much easier to work on than others. That’s good design. umm yeah nothing has changed except there is three times as much shit under the dash as there was in 1986. Auto climate control 8" display screens , navigation control module, about 10 more control modules. That is my exact point. To talk about an 86 and a 2015 in the same breath is useless they are that different. Let me tell you about that Model A. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227/45 "2015-06-15T03:11:17Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Silly me I thought the definition of a POS was something that broke all the time. All I can say to your comment is behold the power of Honda advertising. I guess you have a reading comprehension problem then. Behold someone who hears what he wants to hear. > [@Rick](#): > > That is my exact point. To talk about an 86 and a 2015 in the same breath is useless they are that different. Yes except I didn’t do that. I compared cars of the same year and same functionality but pointed out how much easier one was to work on versus another. Seriously, read what you’re responding to. It’s noticeable when engineers take assembly into consideration. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227/46 "2015-06-15T07:33:25Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I guess you have a reading comprehension problem then. Behold someone who hears what he wants to hear. > > Yes except I didn’t do that. I compared cars of the same year and same functionality but pointed out how much easier one was to work on versus another. Seriously, read what you’re responding to. It’s noticeable when engineers take assembly into consideration. But they don’t. For example cars back then had rotors and distributor caps, today they are coils. And that doesn’t even start to talk about all the added emissions crap. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227/47 "2015-06-15T13:37:49Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Yes except you seem to ignore the fact that many cars fail well before that mark. And people get cranky when there’s a shit-ton of labor to fix something. \*\* I’ll go back to the 86 Honda as an example.\*\* It actually had more failures early on than later cars I purchased. **But it was so much easier to fix that my tolerance for it was very high.** There was clearly some thought put into it’s design for serviceability. If it had been a stick shift I’d probably still have it as a parts chaser spare car today. (My Bolds) 😕 Was your '86 Honda a motorcycle? I had an '86 Accord which was a really extremely nice car for the time, but “easy to work on” was certainly never a phrase I’d use to describe it. I was lucky enough to have an EFI one so it wasn’t as bad as [this](http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/03/Civic_Vacuum_Diagram-All-550x533.jpg), but it was still a complete nightmare to do pretty much anything on. Even the oil changes were a pain in the ass on it, with the filter tucked away on the back of the engine right on top of the exhaust pipe (I think I still have a bare spot on my arm from that). Of course there was also the whole pulling the CV axle to change the alternator thing, which was especially annoying because of the overcomplicated double wishbone suspension they used. Maybe the Civics of the era were easier, but I doubt it, especially since they’re more likely to have the carburetor emissions rat’s nest. (Er… sorry about the hijack of a hijack…) ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227/48 "2015-06-15T14:29:33Z")
You know who got the heater core design right? Seriously, it’s fucking Porsche. This is the heater core in my 1999 Boxster. Similar vintage 911 models have the same design. You can pull the core from under the front hood, right at the firewall. [http://www.renntech.org/forums/uploads/monthly\_11\_2010/post-6627-0-87312800-1289188221.jpg](http://www.renntech.org/forums/uploads/monthly_11_2010/post-6627-0-87312800-1289188221.jpg) The brown colored plastic you see there is the top of the core. Held in by two screws, and two clips. Clamp off those two hoses, loosen clamps, remove hoses. Pull core out. Reverse steps to install new core. Do it right, and you hardly even have to burp the system. An hour max. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227/49 "2015-06-15T14:41:16Z")
You know what sucks more than taking a full weekend to replace your heater core? Doing it again the next weekend because the replacement core you bought was also defective! ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227/50 "2015-06-15T14:45:43Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > You know who got the heater core design right? Seriously, it’s fucking Porsche. This is the heater core in my 1999 Boxster. Similar vintage 911 models have the same design. You can pull the core from under the front hood, right at the firewall. > > [http://www.renntech.org/forums/uploads/monthly\_11\_2010/post-6627-0-87312800-1289188221.jpg](http://www.renntech.org/forums/uploads/monthly_11_2010/post-6627-0-87312800-1289188221.jpg) > > The brown colored plastic you see there is the top of the core. Held in by two screws, and two clips. Clamp off those two hoses, loosen clamps, remove hoses. Pull core out. Reverse steps to install new core. Do it right, and you hardly even have to burp the system. An hour max. worth noting that what enabled Porsche to do that was putting the engine on the other end of the car. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227/51 "2015-06-15T15:40:33Z")
On any car repair jobs are going to be easy, some repair jobs are going to be OK, and there will be some that are cast iron bitches. Which jobs fall into what category will vary from car to car, but on any car there will be some easy jobs, and some that are bitches. There is no car on the market that every job will be easy. It can’t be done. You can’t put every part on the top. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-have-to-replace-a-heater-core/722227.md?page=2)