My VX has 55000 miles on it. I decided that it would be a good idea to replace the heater hoses and upper and lower radiator hoses. Even though they looked ok I didn't want to take a chance getting caught off-road somewhere.

Everything was fine before I started this project!

I bought a set of Gates hoses. The heater hoses were really hard to replace. The connections to the heater are between the engine and the firewall. It is really a tight squeeze. I really struggled with that. Now that I have my new hoses on, small amounts of coolant disappear when I drive. I mark the overflow reservoir with a pencil line before I start up and then after the engine goes cold again I check the level. Every time I drive for about 1/2 hour or so, the reservoir fluid will drop about 1/8 inch. I've looked at all my connections with the engine running and don't see anything at all leaking. It is very frustrating because I almost never had to add coolant before this. I feel like I should have just left it alone. Could the heater core been damaged somehow when I pushed the new hoses on? Anyone have any ideas?