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Shocks aren't a big concern on these. I'm trying to think if the 210 wagon has rear self-levelling or not, if it does that would be a big expense for the rear. I don't know if I ever had to replace a 210 shock to be honest.
On the tires, isn't there a cold-wet 2 or 3 months where you'd want the tires to be their best? I thought someone from CA rebuked me once for assuming winter isn't a concern out there. Maybe it was AZ or NM where in some areas they get snowed on....or northern CA?
Overkill on the thermostat yes. But HEY if it gives you a warm fuzzy feeling go fer it. It's pretty cool, the tstat is part of the tstat housing, all 1 piece.
There are posts on checking the balancer, so search out "harmonic balancer" on this sites search feature, but yes, wobbles, cracking, and the outer balancer ring being displaced forward or back are the key things, but I think there is even a thread or post here with pictures of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Or a link to pictures.
These newer engines are really easy on belts. What you wanna do is look at the belt, at the "ribbed" side, and see if you see any of the ribs getting cracks in them. Best to do this on the tensioner, where the ribs are being flexed outwards (as opposed to the flat side being flexed outwards). If you see signs of cracking, it's about time, if there are LOTS of cracks I'd do it right away without waiting for a service routine. If the belt has been on a real long time, and it's looking especially "dry" or weatherchecked, I'd do it then too, if you think you got your "moneys worth" out of the belt. I'm sure with 4 kids and your wife you're probably extra-liberal when it comes to things like this, I can understand that. Can't give you a straight answer on how long the belt should last. In my opinion, it's not that unusual to see a 112/113 engine still have the original belt with that amount of miles on it. If you're sure it's original, and don't want your wife to be the "serpentine belt durability tester", then maybe you could think about swapping it out, it's not that difficult to do.
I'd still recommend leaving the tranny fluid alone on this.
Gilly
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