Preventative maintenance for your vehicle is about saving money and ultimately time. You can save money by avoiding expensive repairs and you can save time by not needed to wait for repairs to be done. Checking your motor oil and changing it as required is one of the basic aspects of vehicle maintenance. It is also about keeping the proper air pressure in your tires and checking the tread for wear or cracks. Thirdly, ensure that the belts in your vehicle are kept in good condition and replaced as required.

How to check the belts in your vehicle:

Regardless of the visible condition of the belts in your vehicle, they should all be changed at the sixty-thousand mile tune-up. The timing belt is part of the sixty-thousand mile tune-up so there should be no extra labor charges for your mechanic to change the other belts when the timing belt is changed.

To check the belts yourself, first you need to be sure the engine is not running. Both the engine and the belts themselves must be cool before you reach under the hood. The hood release can be found under the dashboard. Then simply slide your hand under the front of the hood to find the safety catch, which will need to be either squeezed or slid to open the hood.

Directly in front of the vehicle’s engine you will be able to see the belts. If you have a vehicle that is a rear wheel drive then the engine is close to the front bumper and radiator. If your vehicle is a front wheel drive then the engine is close to the fender.

The number of belts may vary.

The number of belts to be checked will depend on the make and model of the vehicle. The belts are responsible for driving components such as the alternator, fan and water, smog and power steering pumps. As such, they are collectively called drive belts. There will be a minimum of two belts on your vehicle. The belts run over pulleys and as you locate them you can press the belt lightly with your thumb in the middle of the longest part of the belt. What you are checking for is tension of the belt. The amount of give you should find in the belt will be detailed in your vehicle’s owner manual. Usually it is less than an inch of give when you press down gently.

This is also a good time to check the belt for any signs of cracks or drying out. It is normal to notice a small amount of cracking on the belt. However there should not be larger chunks missing.Check for missing pieces or large cracks but note that some small cracking is normal and nothing to worry about. Don’t worry if you notice a rust color on the belt, as this is also normal. The action of the belt, especially the one for the air conditioning clutch, creates a fine dust and this will rust over time. It does not hurt anything. If the belt has too much give or you see obvious signs of wear then it needs to be replaced before it breaks. Another sign that the belt must be replaced or tightened is when it makes a screeching sound as you hit the gas. It can work out to be quite costly should a belt break.

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