Drive Belt Replacement
Also called fan belt change
The drive belt runs the alternator, the water pump on many engines, the power steering pump and the air conditioning compressor. Belts crack, glaze and stretch with heat and age. If one breaks while driving you lose charging and often coolant circulation within minutes, so this is a part worth replacing before it fails. Fitting a new belt does not repair a worn tensioner, a seized pulley or a failing accessory, and any of those will destroy a new belt quickly.
Signs you need this
- Squealing on start-up or when the air conditioning switches on
- Battery or charging warning light coming on
- Cracks, shiny glazed faces or missing chunks on the belt ribs
- Steering feels heavy at low speed on a car with hydraulic assistance
- A chirping or rumbling noise from the front of the engine
Not all of these have to be present, and one of them on its own can mean something else entirely. That is what the diagnosis is for.
What the job includes
- Inspection of the old belt for cracking, glazing, fraying and missing ribs
- Check of tensioner, idler pulleys and accessory pulleys for play and noise
- New belt of the correct length and rib count fitted to the routing diagram
- Tension set to specification, or tensioner operation confirmed
- Engine run and belt alignment checked under load with air conditioning on
How we do it
Inspect belt and pulleys
The belt condition is recorded, and each pulley is spun by hand to check for roughness, wobble or bearing noise.
Release tension safely
The tensioner is released or the adjuster slackened, with the routing noted or photographed before the belt comes off.
Fit the correct belt
A belt of the right length and rib count is routed exactly as the maker specifies, since a wrong route shreds it.
Set tension and test
Tension is set to specification, the engine is run with the air conditioning on, and the belt is watched for slip or tracking.
How we work
The same on every job, which is why we can write it down.
Diagnosis before quote
We find the fault first. A price given over the phone for a noise nobody has heard is a guess.
The price is agreed first
You approve the work and the cost before a spanner is picked up. Extra work means another call.
Parts you can check
We tell you whether a part is genuine, OEM, aftermarket or used, and what each one costs.
Old parts returned
Ask and we will hand back whatever we replaced. It is the simplest proof that the job was done.
Book drive belt replacement
Fill this in and a person will call you back to confirm the time and the price. Only your name and one way to reach you are required.
You send this
Takes a minute. No payment, no obligation.
We call you
To confirm the car, the time and the location.
Tell us the car and the symptom
We will arrange a mechanic at your location, or a slot at the nearest workshop. No payment until the price is agreed.