Belt wear/tear
 

I have a 2003 Eclipse GT with almost 70K miles. I was told by the manager at Goodyear who has had Eclipses, that the belts have a reputation of cracking and breaking around 70K miles. Because I'm a woman, I just said OK and left. Can anyone verify this, and which belt is going to break on me?? Thanks!

RE: Belt wear/tear
 

Which belt is he talking abt, if he means the timing belt, that should be done every 60k.

RE: Belt wear/tear
 

He must've meant the timing belt then. He just said the belt. Do other belts need to be changed out? I ask b'c at my last oil change at an express lube place, they mentioned my "Serpentine" belt was worn. Is that it? Thanks for your quick reply!

RE: Belt wear/tear
 

there are 2 main belts in your car. The first is the Serpentine (accessory belt) which controls things like the power steering pump and alternator. So the worst that happens with that belt is it breaks and you lose power steering and also power so you will need a tow. However the serpentine belt is cheap to fix. Its a pretty simple job to replace and the belt itself is pretty cheap.

The second belt is the timing belt. This one is VERY important. If this belt ever goes you will have major engine problems and things to fix. What i would do is if the serpetine is worn then it might be worth it. But it shouldnt be too much. Then at the same time they can very easily check the timing belt for any signs of wear. If its bad you may want to change it. It will cost you somewhere around $300 to do the timing belt, but if it breaks you will be looking at $2k in fixes. So its worth it.

RE: Belt wear/tear
 

You're a life saver! Thank so much!

RE: Belt wear/tear
 

When doing the timing belt be sure to use oem stuff, thats not an area you want to cheap out on.