........hoses.

I recently decided to replace the upper hose on the SD. The original 20 year old hose was still serviceable but had bulged slightly just outside the clamps.

It's a very well made hose and quite stiff with decent wall reinforcement.

Bought an aftermarket hose from one of the usual sources. It's a Continental hose. The wall thickness is about 2/3 of the original and it's very soft and pliable. When installing it, the bend at the thermostat housing actually causes the hose to kink slightly because it's so weak.

I took it back off and put the 20 year old hose back on.

Now, the replacement hose is ordered at the dealer. The aftermarket hose will be compared to the replacement hose from the dealer, at the dealer counter. If they are identical, then the dealer hose will not be purchased. If they are not identical, then the dealer hose will be purchased and a photograph of both hoses will be taken and posted.

I'm really hoping that the hose from the dealer will be of higher quality.