Replacement of air conditioning hoses are to be only postponed to a dealer service department or air conditioning shop capable of safely depressurizing the system and extracting refrigerant. Always take care not to take out air conditioning parts or hoses before depressurizing. An engine compartment may experience high temperatures that lead to the degradation of rubber and plastic hoses that are used to operate the engine, accessory, and emission systems and hence inspection to check against cracks, loose clamps, hardening of material and leaks is necessary on a regular basis. Other hoses are clamped and they need to be tensioned to avoid leakages and those that are not clamped need to be monitored on whether they have expanded or hardened. Color-coded or striped: The use of vacuum hoses especially in the emissions system, the replacement hose must be of the same material. Checking a hose can best be done by taking the hose all the way off, marking hoses and fittings so they can be installed properly. Check any plastic T-fittings during the inspection, both in terms of cracks and distortion that may be the cause of leakage. Vacuum leaks may be detected by simply listening to hissing by using a small hose of vacuum. The rubber fuel lines must be inspected on their detergence and chafing, and particularly holes that are made when the hose is bent or connected to fittings. Replacements of fuel lines to high pressure fuel injection systems should be with high-quality fuel line that is not unreinforced vacuum lines or clear plastic tubing. Clamps on fuel lines are spring-type that tend to lose their tension as time goes by and need to be replaced with screw clamps when changing hoses. Areas of metal line that were routed along the frame between the fuel tank and engine should be inspected to ensure that they do not contain bends, crimps or cracks. When replacing a metal fuel line, seamless steel tubing should be employed, and copper and aluminum do not have the required strength to survive the vibration of the engine. Also, inspect metal brake lines at the master cylinder and brake proportioning unit of cracks or loose fittings of which any indication of brake fluid leakage should be an immediate and exhaustive inspection of the brake system.