My Honda Civic's 3-year warranty had just expired in when the engine's temperature gauge indicated it was over-heating in traffic. After topping off (and spilling) the radiator with coolant fluid, I took it to Ourisman Honda of Laurel where the service manager informed me that the hose connecting the radiator and the reserve-well was leaking coolant. He claimed to have rigged a temporary replacement for the hose, which was currently out-of-stock, but warned that the temporary fix wouldn't last beyond 1,000 miles; therefore, I should return to Ourisman's the following week and he would install the new hose & charge me for the repair work.
Shortly afterward, I noticed that the engine didn't always over-heat when stuck in mid-day traffic, but instead tended to red-line when I was driving 60 mph down the motorway. I quickly concluded that the engine's thermostat, not the connection hose, was at fault. Accordingly, I took the car to the local corner garage, where the hard-working mechanics replaced the faulty part —and they obviously didn't notice any leaking connection hose.
Four years & 40,000 miles later, the engine still work fine (with no over-heating) and I am still driving with, allegedly, a replacement connection hose between the radiator and the reserve coolant-tank.
The bottom line: Ourisman Honda's service manager deliberately lied about the temporary replacement hose... He probably stuck his nose under the hood & concluded that my spilt coolant was leaking from the connection hose which he didn't bother to examine. Never take your car to the dealer for repairs, the mechanics at the local corner garage are more honest...
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