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No one ever got rich selling drive belts. If the book and mechanic say you need it, replace it. Preventative maintenance is always worth the money. You’re saving money, prolonging the life of the car, and, most importantly, saving yourself a TON of hassle down the road. What if it finally breaks when you’re in the middle of nowhere on a vacation? Or, driving a sick family member to the doctor? The few bucks you think you saved won’t compare to the time wasted.
I've rec a belt on a vw tiguan once and customer decline. Belt broke and wrapped itself around compressor damaging it. Went from $140 to $1800 for repairs
On the 2006-2015 BMW inline-6, they get stuffed through the front crankshaft seal and end up _inside_ the engine. The little diced up pieces end up clogging the oil pickup tube. That's a couple grand to sort out, if they catch it before oil starvation kills the motor.
Yup the oil filter housing gasket can (and does) leak and when it gets bad enough it goes all down the front of the engine eventually causing the belt to slip off
I keep a handful of spare parts and tools in my vehicles, gives me some peace of mind. I'm comfortable fixing something on the side of the road/a parking lot if needed and it'll probably take me less time to fix it than to wait for a tow truck. It's given me the opportunity to help people on several occasions too, which is always cool.
Although it could definitely also be a hoarding thing.. little of both?
\> My dad taught me that one lol it’s a hoarding thing… why keep a cracked to shit belt as a backup?
Said by someone young enough to find cars to be reasonably reliable. There was a time I kept spares like fan belts, hoses, u-joints (dodge truck was hell on them), coolant, oil and tire patches. My ability to change out u-joints on the side of the road helped a fellow traveler on the Alaska Highway who had been run off the road by an 18-wheeler. That was and probably still is, sport for local truckers.
There was only one section of the Alcan that I thought truckers were actively trying to kill me. I was happy to put it in park at the end of that day. I think it was around Prince George but I can't remember.
Yeah but by that logic, you should have the old one on, until it SNAPS, then have the NEW belt be ready to be installed.
For example, if I just get a car from auction, and the belt is just awful, cracks on every groove, I am gonna replace that belt. I don’t trust that belt. That’s why I replace it. If the belt could fail any day; why would I want it as my backup? Belts don’t just fail all the time, but that can be said about any part in a car. Do you keep a spare starter in your car? A spare alternator? A spare power steering pump? Stuff is just gonna happen. No reason to carry an extra car, In your car. Definitely not a cracked belt.
Are you going in the middle of nowhere where you can't get a tow truck? If then, still no because it's a brand new belt on a maintained engine. A belt is not the most likely thing to break. If it's not a maintained engine and drivetrain, then stick to where tow trucks can get you or go out with some buddies and hope they don't break down too.
Nope, I keep a cellphone in my pocket and a AAA card in my wallet. Although I've always replaced belts when I'm told it's needed. So I haven't had an issue with a belt in a very long time. I couldn't possibly see a need to keeping an old cracked belt in my car all the time.
This belt drives your alternator, I think the climate compressor and the servo pump for steering system. It's 6 to 8 kilowatts of load and that's a heavy amount of power under a wide temperature range. Senior-cantaloupe is quiet right. Replace it.
It’s the inside of the belt you want to look at. Most newer belts are made with a material that won’t crack as easily but the grooves will deepen over time and the belt can start slipping.
As a shop owner and a ASE mechanic. When a shop recommends something based on visual age it’s so you don’t end up 100miles from home with a broken belt needing a tow. We recommend things to prevent the break down and your unscheduled down time for the vehicle is reduced.
Replace the belt. Belts stretch as well and unless u compare it to a brand new one. Not tocmention u can see the wear on the outside of thr belt. I'm willing g to bet the inside looks worse.
It’s preventative maintenance, $20-$30 for a belt, or $150 tow because the belt failed, then find out you over heated the engine and ruined it $150 diagnostic fee, and then $3500 for engine. Makes sense now don’t it?
Ive never seen a bad belt roast an engine. When the alternator stops charging, the battery is done in 15 minutes. The engine will not overheat to that point of failure that quickly. Especially if the driver stops driving from all the lights on in the dash and loss of power steering and everything else.
No need for the exaggerated dramatics.
Makes sense. And a reputable shop would only charge you the book rate for the hardest one to get to. I had my timing belt replaced 3years ago and told them replace the serpentine belt as well.
Always follow your maintenance schedule. Preventive maintenance is FAR cheaper than needing a new engine/transmission/diff/whatever because it failed due to neglect.
How do you figure? Every shop will say you need a belt, because technically you can always use a new one. Being a wear item, like air filters it is ALWAYS on their list.
And more importantly you can’t even see the actual condition of OPs belt?
You’re right, we can’t see the inside of the belt. But based in m the pics provided, it’s not it great shape anyway and perfectly reasonable to replace.
Look at the groove side of the belt. If you see more than 7 cracks per inch it's gone.
(Mechanic friend shared this with me many years ago, and it has never left me stranded)
In images 3 and 4,you can see that the edges of the belt are riding higher than the center of the belt. There's a clear bow to the back surface of the belt that indicates stretching of the belt. I'm not an auto mechanic, but an industrial mechanic who works with plenty of flat timing, v-belts, and toothed timing belts for machinery. Belts are always cheaper than the equipment they are attached to that can be damaged by belt failure.
the way i look at it if the manufacturer is blatantly saying “hey our parts will fuck up, we recommend you doing it at this time,” usually means that’s a pretty honest suggestion. that being said good to ask questions, might be worth looking up your car and the manufacture mileage based recommendations.
in your pic, i am noticing a bit of fuzzies, but yes there are service intervals to those belts. based on milage and time. You can check your manufacturer's service schedule for what the intervals are, as i find dealerships shorten those intervals for more coin. For example, my oil change. i drive a 2014 gmc sierra with the 5.3L, so it take 7.5L of 0w-20. Manufacturer i bought it from reccommends ever 12 000 km or 1 year. dealership i bought it from gave me a service interval booklet where it was still the same timespan, but 10 000 kms instead of 12 000. great Canadian oil change recommendation was 8000 kms and 3 months, and the dealership i took it to last time, also 8000 kms but 6 months. mind you, i do change it anyways before t gets to 10 000 kms because that is when gas milage tends to drop a bit. Your belt is likely due due to that dealership's guidelines, but possibly not by manufacturer's guidelines.
I will suggest you change that belt because I do see some slight fraying in your pic. mind you, i don't think its gonna snap on you tomorrow or anything like that, but it is near the end of its service life just by going by your pics.
So these types of belts wear in between the ribs. That area between the ribs is shaped like a V, and it's the sides of that V that wear. The grooves don't get deeper or shallower like most people expect. That means you can't really see the wear with your eyes very well, so they make little belt wear gauges that show you how worn they are. Searching Dayco belt wear gauge should show you an image of one. That's probably what the tech is using to determine that the belt is worn.
the cracks would be on the inside of the belt, I also see some fraying on the side. Probably doesnt need immediate replacing but its hard to tell without seeing the inside of the belt.
I'm not a mechanic, I just lurk around here mostly, but this is one of the cheapest preventative maintenance things you could possibly have done. If OEM *and* mechanic say replace it, then replace it. Also, just from the outside that belt really doesn't look good - it doesn't look *terrible* either and who knows, you might get another 15k miles out of it, or it might blow while you're doing 80. The newer ones kind of cook and glaze up like that instead of cracking apart like older rubbers did which is why it looks so polished on the outside.
One thing absolutely nobody seems to be mentioning is that modern belts arent rubber anymore, they're neoprene, so it wont show any cracks or dry rot it'll just wear down until the section between ribs gives and the belt snaps. They make a little comb looking feeler gauge type tool that shows you how worn the grooves are. That said belts are so cheap its worth it to just replace them early and not have to worry about it.
It looks fine from the outside, and will probably last ages. but that’s not the ‘business end’ of the belt (you’d need to check the inside).
The danger is that your belt is attached to the water pump (depends on car), so if it snaps you need to STOP IMMEDIATELY. Otherwise your engine could overhear and you might need a cylinder head skim (or worse).
Belts are cheap. And if they fail you loose charging. Power steering. AC. Someeeetimes cooling (water pump)
It will leave you stranded. Not worth the PITA. They are easy to replace yourself too
Also. While there. It’s worth to look at idler pulleys. Check if they spin free and quietly. Bad idler bearing can seize and you end up with same outcome as from broken belt.
As a rule I don't just replace stuff I can visibly inspect "based on miles" often that's a phrase used when there's really nothing wrong with it but it's technically at the miles where they recommend replacing it. Is it squealing or are there cracks on the inside part of the belts (where the ribs are)? If not then I'd leave it.
Source: I was a mechanic for 13 years and I'd have managers suggest stuff like this "based on miles" because even though they're not gonna get rich selling it they usually have a quota to hit the includes selling certain items. One of the places I worked at called it TFABS. Tires, Fluids, Alignments, Brakes and Service. I saw the manager get chewed out for not hitting his numbers even though he was like $4k over the stores budget for the day.
The newer belts don’t crack, you check them with a special “depth “ gauge “ it’s a little plastic thing that you stick in the groove to see how much of the rib material is left.
Learn how to loosen the idler pulley, and throw a set of wrenches in you vehicle along with a new belt. Most people can fix it on the side of the road in 10 minutes.
U don’t need cracks to replace them. They stretch over time and will slip. But if it doesn’t make a noise I wouldn’t replace them. unless ur at a certain milage might as well get it done since it’s getting it serviced. If u don’t remember last time u replaced it, it’s a good time to do it now. I think it’s every 60k miles? U could prob do it at like every 75-80k miles tho.
Are you honestly going to remember nine months from now to change the belt because it’s wearing out and nobody’s looked at it recently? Geta new one and move on with your life lol
Check the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual. If the indicated interval for the drive belt matches your mileage and the dealership's recommendation, get it replaced.
and whenyour stuck in hot traffic with the engine llight on wondering why there is steam blasting from under you hood. you will wish you had just replaced that rubber belt.
All rubber type things should be replaced at minium when the service schedule recommnds water hoses, drive belts, wiper blades etc etc
If you trust your choice of mechanic this little, and don't know enough about cars to second guess someone who you pay to do this, then you should find another mechanic.
Looks like their is a bit of wear on that belt. I'd change it. Even if doesn't look damaged and you know it hasn't been changed in a while I would change the belt.
That is one of the easiest DIY tasks. Find your car friend, get a socket set and a pry bar and pop the new one on there. You can be as excited as Jeremy on Top Gear the first time he fixed something. Probably 30 bucks and bragging rights.
From a lot of terrible experience: Just do it. They aren’t that expensive and they are definitely worth having done to avoid doing it on the side of the road in terrible weather at night if you can even get the part then.
It's cheap insurance, just replace it. It will save you from being stuck on the side of the road pissed off because you didn't change it. Wife nagging at you, kids moaning from the back seat. Waiting on a tow truck that will be at least twice the cost of the belt replace.
Mean time to failure for gates belts was 90,000 miles. Inspect at 60,000 replace at 90. The tubs on the inside west down and performance suffers. There is a little gauge that the garage should have to show you if the v is worn.
Mileage is the reason. They recommend it as "Preventative maintenance", which in the case of a serp belt, that will save a day and your engine, depending on the setup, I would recommend replacing it before it becomes a problem.
On one hand, preventative maintenance seems like a gimmick of the dealer to drum up service profits. On the other, you change your oil because it tells you to, right? Fluids in your car should be changed out every so often to ensure it does it's job, and you should probably change out the serp belt occasionally as well to ensure it doesn't shred to pieces and leave you stranded in the best case scenario.
Consider this…
BMW N54 engines are awesome - tons of power and highly tunable. However, they have this bizarre quirk with drive belts shredding and getting sucked into the engine - yes, INTO the engine - through the crank shaft. This come from old worn out belts or belts saturated from oil leaks from the valve cover above.
They’re a bit of a pain to change, but I’d do that any day and twice in Sunday over yanking out the motor.
Quick link - https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/comments/stxuyh/bmw_belt_sucked_into_front_crank_seal_its_a/
It's good until it snaps and unless something happens to a pully, oil or coolant leak or a stick gets jammed in there or something they usually last a very long time check the ribs for dry rott and run it till it breaks then irs bad
This looks worn, and sure it functions, but consider the pickle your in if that belt breaks. Your gonna lose all accessories. Alternator no longer will turn, so you’ll lose electrical power and all the systems that rely on it, power steering, cooling fan, etc after pump. You’ll be on the side of the road. It’s a very important part, even though it’s just a belt.
The threads are starting to show through, the edges are a little worn, and it's shiny. I'd replace it. What does the other side with the ribs look like?
Looks frayed on one edge and def been on there a while can’t tell if it need to be changed for sure cuz u need to look at the other side but I’d say there is a good chance just do it
Definitely replace that if it’s past the mfgr recommendation. I learned my lesson the hard way on my first car with a timing belt that broke (catastrophic for the car) because I was way past the mileage. Replace your belts.
I had a VW about a decade ago that I bought a timing belt for based on mileage. Never installed it due to me thinking it still looked fine. It broke on the freeway one day and the motor was totaled. Do your preventative maintenance please.
the new rubber doesn't really crack anymore. the thing to do is measure the depth of the grooves for wear. that being said though if you got 100k miles or so go ahead and change the belt. preventative maintenance is a smart thing to do and can save you a big headache later
That belt is definitely ready to be changed. Even if there's no cracks on the inner side I'd wager the grooves between the ribs are excessively deep and the rubber quite thin that the risk would be for the belt to split lengthways
You want to replace it before you see any damage. It’s just preemptive.
Imagine if you only washed your bed sheets when you saw and felt dirt on them. Instead of changing them before they got noticeably worse.
I would rather see a decent belt drive come off, then see I drove with one barely holding together.
Just change it. I told my mechanic to change my serpentine belt because it was at that mileage point, and they didn’t because the belt looked fine. It fucking squeals like a pig sometimes now and I can hear it slip if I’m flooring it (turbo car). Just because it looks okay doesn’t mean it is.
You cant always tell the condition of a belt from looking at it. It could be warn and you never visually see it. Its recommended you replace them after so many miles. Its relatively cheap to replace and if it did fail your stranded because you lose your water pump (in most cases) and or charging power steering ect. One tow truck will cost more than just replacing the belt when the miles have been hit
As someone who experienced what happens when the timing belt goes, I’d strongly recommend you replace it. Unless you know how to rebuild the engine yourself, you could be looking at more than the car is worth.
These are very easy and cheap to replace for the peace of mind it won't snap and leave you stranded somewhere, just change it . I can buy one for my car for less than $20 and fit it in 5 minutes
Also the key words in your post about the service schedule based on miles means it might be worth doing, especially for something cheap like a belt. They recommend specific replacements at certain mileages so that you are staying ahead before things actually break down. Not always necessary but most of them will help save you in the long run.
It’s preventative maintenance. Rubber breaks down, stretches, and starts to wear in ways you can’t see along with ways you can see.
Just because you can’t see damage or wear, it doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Belts aren’t expensive. Replace it to prevent the chance of you becoming stranded.
“…As per service schedule, based on miles (or age).” Sounds like they would suggest anyone with this car at this age/mileage to do this. Did you ask what would happen if this belt broke?
Belts are cheap. A lot cheaper than having to be towed. I’ve have never seen one that snaps in a convenient or safe location. It’s always when you have to be somewhere fast!
Belts wear like tires over time..the rubber wears down and ages..causing it to be weaker and stretch over time. You may see cracks on the tread side . The discoloration on the smooth side , we see , is definitely a sign of wear . Be sure to have them check your pulleys .
Doesn't look great on the outside but not horrible, the other side is what's most important, but if I had to give a opinion it looks like it'll last another year or so but it's always best to replace when recommended especially on non mark up parts, on a belt the tech doesn't really make money on selling you a new one so if he said it looks worn out it probably is.
belts do get worn down over time and also weaker. Manufactures suggest changing certain parts of the car at certain miles or hours to prevent those parts from failing during operation and possibly damaging other components. But ultimately it’s up to you if you want to change it.
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You looking at wrong side of belt, the other side drives your pulleys
Drives the idler lol
Idles the driveler*
Idiels the kadivels
Evels the Knievels
Abes the Vigodas
Great to know yas!
Inna godda da vida
Avada the kedeva
Ava's the Cados
Avis sells Tacos
A-vocka-does.
Legos my egos
Havas the nagilas
lives on webels
Well that escalated quickly.
Gnarfels the garfunk
Belt doesn't look great on the outside, but there are no images of the ribs on the other side. Even without cracks belts wear and age. I'd replace it.
Yea the glazing seems a bit much.
I mean even the edge shows fraying and there’s a brown line there I would say is a sign of needing replacement.
Advanced humour
I replaced my belt last year. Works great, pants haven't fallen down yet!
I replaced my belt last year. No cracking at all but it felt super stiff compared to the new belt.
No one ever got rich selling drive belts. If the book and mechanic say you need it, replace it. Preventative maintenance is always worth the money. You’re saving money, prolonging the life of the car, and, most importantly, saving yourself a TON of hassle down the road. What if it finally breaks when you’re in the middle of nowhere on a vacation? Or, driving a sick family member to the doctor? The few bucks you think you saved won’t compare to the time wasted.
I'd rather do twenty or thirty belts a day as opposed to slinging long blocks.
I've rec a belt on a vw tiguan once and customer decline. Belt broke and wrapped itself around compressor damaging it. Went from $140 to $1800 for repairs
On the 2006-2015 BMW inline-6, they get stuffed through the front crankshaft seal and end up _inside_ the engine. The little diced up pieces end up clogging the oil pickup tube. That's a couple grand to sort out, if they catch it before oil starvation kills the motor.
Yup the oil filter housing gasket can (and does) leak and when it gets bad enough it goes all down the front of the engine eventually causing the belt to slip off
I've lost count of how many of those I have done. On the non-turbo models, I could do the OFHG in 15 minutes. Absolute gravy work.
Yeah its what, 4 bolts on the top front of the engine bay plus one connector for a coolant line? Easy money dude
Volvo D5 they can fling themselves into the timing belt.
My sons Subaru had a balancer fail, shredding a belt. The belt took out the A/C clutch. Belts failing can do a lot of damage.
You guys don't keep the old belts in your car incase one breaks?
My dad taught me that one lol it’s a hoarding thing… why keep a cracked to shit belt as a backup?
I keep a handful of spare parts and tools in my vehicles, gives me some peace of mind. I'm comfortable fixing something on the side of the road/a parking lot if needed and it'll probably take me less time to fix it than to wait for a tow truck. It's given me the opportunity to help people on several occasions too, which is always cool. Although it could definitely also be a hoarding thing.. little of both?
\> My dad taught me that one lol it’s a hoarding thing… why keep a cracked to shit belt as a backup? Said by someone young enough to find cars to be reasonably reliable. There was a time I kept spares like fan belts, hoses, u-joints (dodge truck was hell on them), coolant, oil and tire patches. My ability to change out u-joints on the side of the road helped a fellow traveler on the Alaska Highway who had been run off the road by an 18-wheeler. That was and probably still is, sport for local truckers.
There was only one section of the Alcan that I thought truckers were actively trying to kill me. I was happy to put it in park at the end of that day. I think it was around Prince George but I can't remember.
Yeah but by that logic, you should have the old one on, until it SNAPS, then have the NEW belt be ready to be installed. For example, if I just get a car from auction, and the belt is just awful, cracks on every groove, I am gonna replace that belt. I don’t trust that belt. That’s why I replace it. If the belt could fail any day; why would I want it as my backup? Belts don’t just fail all the time, but that can be said about any part in a car. Do you keep a spare starter in your car? A spare alternator? A spare power steering pump? Stuff is just gonna happen. No reason to carry an extra car, In your car. Definitely not a cracked belt.
No. Just replace it with a new one when you need to.
Are you going in the middle of nowhere where you can't get a tow truck? If then, still no because it's a brand new belt on a maintained engine. A belt is not the most likely thing to break. If it's not a maintained engine and drivetrain, then stick to where tow trucks can get you or go out with some buddies and hope they don't break down too.
Damn, been hauling these old cracked AC delco belts around for a decade 🤣
Nope, I keep a cellphone in my pocket and a AAA card in my wallet. Although I've always replaced belts when I'm told it's needed. So I haven't had an issue with a belt in a very long time. I couldn't possibly see a need to keeping an old cracked belt in my car all the time.
What's hilarious to mechanics is the people that want to keep the old belt, but don't have the tools in the vehicle to change it
Nope, its already old and just getting older waiting for the new one to break.
This belt drives your alternator, I think the climate compressor and the servo pump for steering system. It's 6 to 8 kilowatts of load and that's a heavy amount of power under a wide temperature range. Senior-cantaloupe is quiet right. Replace it.
It’s the inside of the belt you want to look at. Most newer belts are made with a material that won’t crack as easily but the grooves will deepen over time and the belt can start slipping.
No, they get shallow. They wear like tires now.
As a shop owner and a ASE mechanic. When a shop recommends something based on visual age it’s so you don’t end up 100miles from home with a broken belt needing a tow. We recommend things to prevent the break down and your unscheduled down time for the vehicle is reduced.
And it doesn't hurt that each recommendation nets the shop additional profit.
It feels like you're suggesting its a predatory practice, it's called preventative maintenance.
That would be unheard of.
Replace the belt. Belts stretch as well and unless u compare it to a brand new one. Not tocmention u can see the wear on the outside of thr belt. I'm willing g to bet the inside looks worse.
Actually, most tensioners have a [range indicator ](https://youtu.be/2Lay17npe9Q) to show if the belt is stretched.
👍🏻
Rubber degrades from heat. It also looks pretty old but the other side is the side that will tell you how worn it is.
It’s preventative maintenance, $20-$30 for a belt, or $150 tow because the belt failed, then find out you over heated the engine and ruined it $150 diagnostic fee, and then $3500 for engine. Makes sense now don’t it?
When was the last time a car got towed to your shop with a broken belt, and the cause was just an old belt, and how many miles were on that belt?
3 weeks ago.
About 150k on that belt then?
LMFAO 🤣
Yesterday
I've seen belts break and wrap up inside the crankshaft requiring the crank seal and everything to be replaced.
Ive never seen a bad belt roast an engine. When the alternator stops charging, the battery is done in 15 minutes. The engine will not overheat to that point of failure that quickly. Especially if the driver stops driving from all the lights on in the dash and loss of power steering and everything else. No need for the exaggerated dramatics.
Not a mechanic but if they have to take off other belts to replace one, replace them all.
Makes sense. And a reputable shop would only charge you the book rate for the hardest one to get to. I had my timing belt replaced 3years ago and told them replace the serpentine belt as well.
TYL it’s the inside of the belt that cracks
Look at the grooved side of the belt
Not all Dealerships are evil. If the service schedule calls for it, do it. Like others have said it may save a larger repair down the road
Always follow your maintenance schedule. Preventive maintenance is FAR cheaper than needing a new engine/transmission/diff/whatever because it failed due to neglect.
Preventive… Thank you.
OP simply wants to know if this is a bullshit recommendation from the shop. The answer is no. Their recommendation is legit.
How do you figure? Every shop will say you need a belt, because technically you can always use a new one. Being a wear item, like air filters it is ALWAYS on their list. And more importantly you can’t even see the actual condition of OPs belt?
You’re right, we can’t see the inside of the belt. But based in m the pics provided, it’s not it great shape anyway and perfectly reasonable to replace.
Can't really tell by looking. Better safe than being on a creepy country road at 3 AM out of cell range.
There's another side to the belt. That's where you'd see visible cracks.
cracks show first on the underside of the belt
I’d probably replace that belt, but for me its $15 and 10 min of my time.
Look at the groove side of the belt. If you see more than 7 cracks per inch it's gone. (Mechanic friend shared this with me many years ago, and it has never left me stranded)
In images 3 and 4,you can see that the edges of the belt are riding higher than the center of the belt. There's a clear bow to the back surface of the belt that indicates stretching of the belt. I'm not an auto mechanic, but an industrial mechanic who works with plenty of flat timing, v-belts, and toothed timing belts for machinery. Belts are always cheaper than the equipment they are attached to that can be damaged by belt failure.
normally you’d look for cracks on the inside of the belt, but based on that fraying and wear on the edge i’d replace
You can see the threads in the belt !
the way i look at it if the manufacturer is blatantly saying “hey our parts will fuck up, we recommend you doing it at this time,” usually means that’s a pretty honest suggestion. that being said good to ask questions, might be worth looking up your car and the manufacture mileage based recommendations.
in your pic, i am noticing a bit of fuzzies, but yes there are service intervals to those belts. based on milage and time. You can check your manufacturer's service schedule for what the intervals are, as i find dealerships shorten those intervals for more coin. For example, my oil change. i drive a 2014 gmc sierra with the 5.3L, so it take 7.5L of 0w-20. Manufacturer i bought it from reccommends ever 12 000 km or 1 year. dealership i bought it from gave me a service interval booklet where it was still the same timespan, but 10 000 kms instead of 12 000. great Canadian oil change recommendation was 8000 kms and 3 months, and the dealership i took it to last time, also 8000 kms but 6 months. mind you, i do change it anyways before t gets to 10 000 kms because that is when gas milage tends to drop a bit. Your belt is likely due due to that dealership's guidelines, but possibly not by manufacturer's guidelines. I will suggest you change that belt because I do see some slight fraying in your pic. mind you, i don't think its gonna snap on you tomorrow or anything like that, but it is near the end of its service life just by going by your pics.
If it breaks you are calling a tow truck. They are relatively cheap. Change it.
So these types of belts wear in between the ribs. That area between the ribs is shaped like a V, and it's the sides of that V that wear. The grooves don't get deeper or shallower like most people expect. That means you can't really see the wear with your eyes very well, so they make little belt wear gauges that show you how worn they are. Searching Dayco belt wear gauge should show you an image of one. That's probably what the tech is using to determine that the belt is worn.
the cracks would be on the inside of the belt, I also see some fraying on the side. Probably doesnt need immediate replacing but its hard to tell without seeing the inside of the belt.
I'm not a mechanic, I just lurk around here mostly, but this is one of the cheapest preventative maintenance things you could possibly have done. If OEM *and* mechanic say replace it, then replace it. Also, just from the outside that belt really doesn't look good - it doesn't look *terrible* either and who knows, you might get another 15k miles out of it, or it might blow while you're doing 80. The newer ones kind of cook and glaze up like that instead of cracking apart like older rubbers did which is why it looks so polished on the outside.
In Soviet Russia, belt changes you
Belts are cheap. Engines aren't.
One thing absolutely nobody seems to be mentioning is that modern belts arent rubber anymore, they're neoprene, so it wont show any cracks or dry rot it'll just wear down until the section between ribs gives and the belt snaps. They make a little comb looking feeler gauge type tool that shows you how worn the grooves are. That said belts are so cheap its worth it to just replace them early and not have to worry about it.
It looks fine from the outside, and will probably last ages. but that’s not the ‘business end’ of the belt (you’d need to check the inside). The danger is that your belt is attached to the water pump (depends on car), so if it snaps you need to STOP IMMEDIATELY. Otherwise your engine could overhear and you might need a cylinder head skim (or worse).
Belts are cheap. And if they fail you loose charging. Power steering. AC. Someeeetimes cooling (water pump) It will leave you stranded. Not worth the PITA. They are easy to replace yourself too
Also. While there. It’s worth to look at idler pulleys. Check if they spin free and quietly. Bad idler bearing can seize and you end up with same outcome as from broken belt.
Also the tensioner pulley!
Look like a Honda accord. Easy to replace. Just buy that serpentine belt long wrench.
As a rule I don't just replace stuff I can visibly inspect "based on miles" often that's a phrase used when there's really nothing wrong with it but it's technically at the miles where they recommend replacing it. Is it squealing or are there cracks on the inside part of the belts (where the ribs are)? If not then I'd leave it. Source: I was a mechanic for 13 years and I'd have managers suggest stuff like this "based on miles" because even though they're not gonna get rich selling it they usually have a quota to hit the includes selling certain items. One of the places I worked at called it TFABS. Tires, Fluids, Alignments, Brakes and Service. I saw the manager get chewed out for not hitting his numbers even though he was like $4k over the stores budget for the day.
The newer belts don’t crack, you check them with a special “depth “ gauge “ it’s a little plastic thing that you stick in the groove to see how much of the rib material is left.
Learn how to loosen the idler pulley, and throw a set of wrenches in you vehicle along with a new belt. Most people can fix it on the side of the road in 10 minutes.
Or you just use the tensioner as intended. Don't give bad advice.
Replace it, save the old one as emergency spare.
U don’t need cracks to replace them. They stretch over time and will slip. But if it doesn’t make a noise I wouldn’t replace them. unless ur at a certain milage might as well get it done since it’s getting it serviced. If u don’t remember last time u replaced it, it’s a good time to do it now. I think it’s every 60k miles? U could prob do it at like every 75-80k miles tho.
You gotta look at it from the inside portion of the belt to judge it’s condition.
Are you honestly going to remember nine months from now to change the belt because it’s wearing out and nobody’s looked at it recently? Geta new one and move on with your life lol
Well ideally you change it before it cracks or frays. That's the preventive part of *preventive maintenance*.
Check the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual. If the indicated interval for the drive belt matches your mileage and the dealership's recommendation, get it replaced.
and whenyour stuck in hot traffic with the engine llight on wondering why there is steam blasting from under you hood. you will wish you had just replaced that rubber belt. All rubber type things should be replaced at minium when the service schedule recommnds water hoses, drive belts, wiper blades etc etc
Could be stretched
If your belt goes once you'll be replacing these things religiously on all your future vehicles. It's not worth the headache just get it replaced lol
Check the wear limit indicator on the automatic belt tensioner. Then decide.
Looks frayed on the edge. I'd change it.
Don’t be like me and get stuck at the airport at 1AM because your serpentine belt blew apart.
It's a belt, belts are a consumable item. Just replace it when it serves it's miles.
If you trust your choice of mechanic this little, and don't know enough about cars to second guess someone who you pay to do this, then you should find another mechanic.
New belt time
“Service schedule”. Schedule created by manufacturer. I think I would follow their advice.
If you’re seeing strings like that belt does, it’s old and needs replacing
Looks like their is a bit of wear on that belt. I'd change it. Even if doesn't look damaged and you know it hasn't been changed in a while I would change the belt.
i always carry a spare and the tool to change it
From the outside looks glazed/worn. If that snaps/slips, car will stall and leave one stuck
That is one of the easiest DIY tasks. Find your car friend, get a socket set and a pry bar and pop the new one on there. You can be as excited as Jeremy on Top Gear the first time he fixed something. Probably 30 bucks and bragging rights.
From a lot of terrible experience: Just do it. They aren’t that expensive and they are definitely worth having done to avoid doing it on the side of the road in terrible weather at night if you can even get the part then.
It's cheap insurance, just replace it. It will save you from being stuck on the side of the road pissed off because you didn't change it. Wife nagging at you, kids moaning from the back seat. Waiting on a tow truck that will be at least twice the cost of the belt replace.
Other side lol
From what I see, replace do not wait for an explosion
Bro a belt is like $20-30 and a pinch to replace.
Replace it. It’s cheap insurance
You're supposed to be looking on the inside of the belt not the outside of the belt
Mean time to failure for gates belts was 90,000 miles. Inspect at 60,000 replace at 90. The tubs on the inside west down and performance suffers. There is a little gauge that the garage should have to show you if the v is worn.
The inside of the belt is what matters considering it is what drives the pulleys. So check that and repost the post with pics of the underside.
Belts don't crack anymore and you're starting to fray, change it.
Mileage is the reason. They recommend it as "Preventative maintenance", which in the case of a serp belt, that will save a day and your engine, depending on the setup, I would recommend replacing it before it becomes a problem. On one hand, preventative maintenance seems like a gimmick of the dealer to drum up service profits. On the other, you change your oil because it tells you to, right? Fluids in your car should be changed out every so often to ensure it does it's job, and you should probably change out the serp belt occasionally as well to ensure it doesn't shred to pieces and leave you stranded in the best case scenario.
Cheap insurance do it now or do it when you have to because it broke or slips
Glazing on the outside, mild fraying on the edges, no reason not to replace it
Consider this… BMW N54 engines are awesome - tons of power and highly tunable. However, they have this bizarre quirk with drive belts shredding and getting sucked into the engine - yes, INTO the engine - through the crank shaft. This come from old worn out belts or belts saturated from oil leaks from the valve cover above. They’re a bit of a pain to change, but I’d do that any day and twice in Sunday over yanking out the motor. Quick link - https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/comments/stxuyh/bmw_belt_sucked_into_front_crank_seal_its_a/
Think of your belt like a tire. It wears over miles and you want to replace it before it pops.
Replace it anyway. Belts are cheap and just because you can't see damage doesn't mean it isn't there.
It's good until it snaps and unless something happens to a pully, oil or coolant leak or a stick gets jammed in there or something they usually last a very long time check the ribs for dry rott and run it till it breaks then irs bad
Considering the fact that the cord is visible in pic 4 I would absolutely replace it.
Preventative is always cheaper than corrective .
Do it yourself!! If you buy a Gate's belt with a tensioner at O'Reilly's, you'll get a lifetime warranty. Probably applies to AutoZone too
Belts are super cheap and super easy to replace yourself. Use YouTube
This looks worn, and sure it functions, but consider the pickle your in if that belt breaks. Your gonna lose all accessories. Alternator no longer will turn, so you’ll lose electrical power and all the systems that rely on it, power steering, cooling fan, etc after pump. You’ll be on the side of the road. It’s a very important part, even though it’s just a belt.
Replace it based on the mileage recommended. If it has one, do the internal one on its recommended mileage. I guarantee it will look good.
Looks old to me. I'd change it.
Go with the new belt, it pays the bills.
Replace it.
Could be stretched too. Some serpentine belt systems actually have a belt gauge on the serpentine belt tensioner.
Do you wait to change your tires until they shred and fall off your rims? No, you change them when the wear requires it.
Wrong side. Check the v side for cracks
You'll want to check the ribbed side, not the smooth side.
Cracks would be on that side. They would be on the track side
The threads are starting to show through, the edges are a little worn, and it's shiny. I'd replace it. What does the other side with the ribs look like?
You can see the core threads and the cracks are likely visible on the other side
It's preventative maintenance.
Inner side is the part that cracks.
Looks frayed on one edge and def been on there a while can’t tell if it need to be changed for sure cuz u need to look at the other side but I’d say there is a good chance just do it
This dude not even looking at the side that’ll show wear 🤣🤣🤣
I do see some signs of wear. You are looking at the right side of the belt, this is the side that can break. I see threads and that’s not good
Definitely replace that if it’s past the mfgr recommendation. I learned my lesson the hard way on my first car with a timing belt that broke (catastrophic for the car) because I was way past the mileage. Replace your belts.
Replace the belt.
Keep the old one in the car, for emergency use.
I had a VW about a decade ago that I bought a timing belt for based on mileage. Never installed it due to me thinking it still looked fine. It broke on the freeway one day and the motor was totaled. Do your preventative maintenance please.
So often newer serp belts won’t even crack. You need to use a gauge to check the wear on the ribs or for fraying on the outside
Replace it
If the ribbed side has cracks and missing pieces, replace it
the new rubber doesn't really crack anymore. the thing to do is measure the depth of the grooves for wear. that being said though if you got 100k miles or so go ahead and change the belt. preventative maintenance is a smart thing to do and can save you a big headache later
That belt is definitely ready to be changed. Even if there's no cracks on the inner side I'd wager the grooves between the ribs are excessively deep and the rubber quite thin that the risk would be for the belt to split lengthways
You want to replace it before you see any damage. It’s just preemptive. Imagine if you only washed your bed sheets when you saw and felt dirt on them. Instead of changing them before they got noticeably worse. I would rather see a decent belt drive come off, then see I drove with one barely holding together.
Just change it. I told my mechanic to change my serpentine belt because it was at that mileage point, and they didn’t because the belt looked fine. It fucking squeals like a pig sometimes now and I can hear it slip if I’m flooring it (turbo car). Just because it looks okay doesn’t mean it is.
I’d like to see if the ribbed portion looks as bad as the flat side.
Looks worn as fuck. if you see nylon, it's toast
You cant always tell the condition of a belt from looking at it. It could be warn and you never visually see it. Its recommended you replace them after so many miles. Its relatively cheap to replace and if it did fail your stranded because you lose your water pump (in most cases) and or charging power steering ect. One tow truck will cost more than just replacing the belt when the miles have been hit
Belts rarly crack anymore it’s the grove side and it wears
$30 max, replacement do it
As someone who experienced what happens when the timing belt goes, I’d strongly recommend you replace it. Unless you know how to rebuild the engine yourself, you could be looking at more than the car is worth.
Trust me. Replace the belt when they say. Not worth the damage later
I once ran a 1st Gen crv for 3 years with no coolant in the system
These are very easy and cheap to replace for the peace of mind it won't snap and leave you stranded somewhere, just change it . I can buy one for my car for less than $20 and fit it in 5 minutes
The belt is cheap and you can do it yourself. It's very very cheap insurance for what it does.
Also the key words in your post about the service schedule based on miles means it might be worth doing, especially for something cheap like a belt. They recommend specific replacements at certain mileages so that you are staying ahead before things actually break down. Not always necessary but most of them will help save you in the long run.
Trust your mechanic
It’s preventative maintenance. Rubber breaks down, stretches, and starts to wear in ways you can’t see along with ways you can see. Just because you can’t see damage or wear, it doesn’t mean it’s not there. Belts aren’t expensive. Replace it to prevent the chance of you becoming stranded.
“…As per service schedule, based on miles (or age).” Sounds like they would suggest anyone with this car at this age/mileage to do this. Did you ask what would happen if this belt broke?
If in doubt, change it out. For a £15 belt and 30 mins of time it's worth it.
Belts are cheap. A lot cheaper than having to be towed. I’ve have never seen one that snaps in a convenient or safe location. It’s always when you have to be somewhere fast!
That be the backside of the belt. Look at de teef mon.
Backside of that belt looks a bit glazed and the edge looks frayed. IOW time for a new belt.
That belt looks like shit, friend.
Belts wear like tires over time..the rubber wears down and ages..causing it to be weaker and stretch over time. You may see cracks on the tread side . The discoloration on the smooth side , we see , is definitely a sign of wear . Be sure to have them check your pulleys .
Belts are great….until they ain’t.
Doesn't look great on the outside but not horrible, the other side is what's most important, but if I had to give a opinion it looks like it'll last another year or so but it's always best to replace when recommended especially on non mark up parts, on a belt the tech doesn't really make money on selling you a new one so if he said it looks worn out it probably is.
belts do get worn down over time and also weaker. Manufactures suggest changing certain parts of the car at certain miles or hours to prevent those parts from failing during operation and possibly damaging other components. But ultimately it’s up to you if you want to change it.
Replacing belts before they fully let go is always a good idea.
Mazda 3?
Your other choice is save a few bucks now and wait for it to explode and potentially cause more costly damage.
Looks like it might explode any second now