Just realized a zip tie can save you from pulling the whole dash on a certain heater core job

Had a 2014 Civic last week with a slow drip from the heater core pipe connection. The book time says to pull the dash, which is a 6 hour job. Instead of going that route, I cut a small slot in a heavy duty zip tie and cinched it around the factory clamp. The leak stopped completely in under 10 minutes. The customer drove out happy and I saved a ton of time. Has anyone else found a simple fix that completely bypasses a huge, book-specified repair?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_ryan1h ago

Yeah, until it blows and you get to do the whole job for free when they come back mad.

betty_scott181h ago

That's a clever trick, but it might not hold up long-term on a pressurized system.