Car guy's I have a question. - GoFuckYourself.com

TurboAngel · 01-03-2005, 07:01 AM

I went and had an oil change done the other day and they gave me a list of thing's that they wanted to fix. One of thing's is the Serp belt, I have no clue what that is

. I can't get my car in the shop till Wensday. How safe is it to drive do you think? I wanted to go to Asheville today, it's about 2 hours away. Do you think it would be ok to drive that far?

Digipimp · 01-03-2005, 07:26 AM

I think generally everytime you get an oil change they suggest all kinds of bullshit that you should repair. I would generally think that while doing an oil change the guys aren't looking at anything that's really vital to your car other than your oil. But then what do I know, I just know they always suggest a bunch of shit just as add on money for them since a lot of times they lowball on the oil change price itself.

DEA - banned for life · 01-03-2005, 07:29 AM

Run the fucker until it breaks down...then fix it ...fuck that preventive shit...this is the USA not iraq..BUY BUY BUY...drive

to ashville ,blow the motor and buy a new one is what i say.

xclusive · 01-03-2005, 07:30 AM

You should be fine if it was anything major they would tell you just to cover their ass

FuckFind · 01-03-2005, 07:30 AM

Need a lil' more info, what kind of car, year, etc.....

FF

FuckFind · 01-03-2005, 07:39 AM

and ya generally it should be fine to drive it for a few days, from what i can remember the serpentine (serp as you referred to it) DO get old / dried out / blistered / and eventually can either displace or fall of their teeth. I "believe" once again....that the serps (not google ;)) control the alternator, power steering, and coolant / water pump, so ya losing one or having it bust would be shitty... you'd def. be screwed...

but once again these things are just common maintenance for your vehicle which should be replaced every 60,000+ miles or so. I know some friends that have drove on bad belts for thousands of miles so not a panic thing, just a when ya have time thing.

But if your ride breaks down because you didn't fix it this week, you didn't read any of this text,...... but i'm sure if it was really really damaged or cracked the mechanic would have been a lil' more adament about getting it fixed pronto.

FF

infecto · 01-03-2005, 07:48 AM

You should be fine with the belt. If your worried take a look at it...not that hard. Its just a rubber belt that will either be on the side of the engine or the front depending on the type of engine it is. If its hanging on a thread then I would replace it asap otherwise no biggie.

01-03-2005, 08:00 AM

Serpentine belts getting replaced always seem to be a money grab, for GM dealers anyway. They are considered fine as long as there are no more than 3 cracks per inch on them, and no chunks missing.

You will be fucked though if it breaks.

Holly · 01-03-2005, 08:14 AM

That's why I hate getting my fucken oil changed. They ALWAYS do that shit to me. Ask me 10,000 stupid questions about crap that they know I have no idea about.

"When was the last time you had _____ changed?; How old is this ______?; What kind of _____ do you use for ______?; Have you had the _______ replaced?"

I know they're just waiting to assrape me because I'm always standing there with this look on my face like "how the fuck should I know?". It's one of the few things I miss about having a husband. At least he always took my car in for all that junk.

Rochard · 01-03-2005, 08:17 AM

My Mach 1 got a flat tire yesterday, and I had to have it fixed before the drive to Vegas this morning. Much to my surprise when I got there they had the car up in the air and the hood open. When I asked what it was, they told me they do a ten point inspection to every car that comes into their shop. My car has 14k miles on it so it's brand new, they didn't recomend anything.

BV · 01-03-2005, 09:21 AM

A serpantine belt is the belt that runs all the accesories on your car. A/C, water pump, air pump, alternator, etc etc... It's a flat belt with grooves in it. (different than the older fan belts that are a V shape)

Newer cars usually only have one of these that runs everything. If you have never replaced it and you have over 50K miles chances are it needs replacing. If it breaks then nothing will work and you could cause more damage or be stranded somewhere.

If you dont have it replaced at least go to a parts store and buy the correct replacement and keep it in the trunk for when it does break you will have it and not be stranded for too long.

justfreemovies · 01-03-2005, 09:24 AM

your be alright
its just the belt that turns your alt powerstearing pump, water pump etc etc
they get old and dry rot but its a pretty good idea to replace it
although i would do it myself and save $$

fr33s3x · 01-03-2005, 10:35 AM

bump for angel

Dalai lama · 01-03-2005, 10:45 AM

I have no idea turboangel but here's a bump for you sweety

jt420 · 01-03-2005, 10:48 AM

i hate the fucking bullshit an oil change always turns into.

BradM · 01-03-2005, 10:51 AM

When I had my jeeps I just did my own work. Was a hell of a lot easier and nicer taking it to my shop than to some dork who is going to rip it apart to find something else to fix.

Some shops do have a policy to have an inspection done before it leaves... covers their ass so they can say "Well it wasn't completely shot, but I did warn them it needed to be replaced." They document all of it just in case.
Do you really blame them with all the morons out there that go "You changed my oil and now my belts snapped!"

Noir · 01-03-2005, 12:22 PM

I change my own oil. No BS.

Unless your belt is all cracked, or squeeky, or if your car has like 100K on it, I wouldn't bother.

dasexi1 · 01-03-2005, 12:32 PM

do what BV said, get a spare one and keep it in your trunk so if it does break you won't be stranded, I had to change one about 6 years ago, was driving a t-bird at the time, broke a couple nails doing it but it wasn't as bad as i though it would be took me about three tries to get it on. anyway if you have AAA plus and the extra belt in your trunk you should be ok.

machinegunkelly · 01-03-2005, 12:48 PM

depending on the car they are like $50 tops ..
better safe than sorry
they probally just look at your odometer and recommend stuff based on milage .

let me tell you , if it goes and you don't have one .. its not gonna be a good day , cause YOU KNOW it wont blow in town , it will blow when your in the middle of nowhere .. guarranteed .

TheMob · 01-03-2005, 01:47 PM

bah humbug, your car is perfectly fine

iwantchixx · 01-03-2005, 01:56 PM

if you plan to do some serious highway driving you're better off getting the belt checked by someone you trust and replaced if needed. losing power steering while doing highway speeds is dangerous if your not strong enough to steer the fucker. Not acusing you of being weak but most people seriously aren't strong enough to steer a dead car in panick mode.

AgentCash · 01-03-2005, 02:11 PM

If you do buy a spare, keep in mind you'll prolly need a tool to pull the tension pulley back. The correct path to run the belt should be on a sticker near your radiator.

Edit - also, I've been told, never tried it myself, that in a bind you can use nylons as a temporary replacement to limp to a shop.

Fred Quimby · 01-03-2005, 02:50 PM

RULE # 1

Never Ever Ever Never Ever Ever get your car fixed at an oil change place.

Funky Bastard · 01-03-2005, 03:00 PM

The serpentine belt go to your nearest auto parts store a pick up a can of belt dressing spray alittle of that on the belts and you should be good to go.

The Bootyologist · 01-03-2005, 03:06 PM

better safe than sorry being a woman on the roads

TurboTrucker · 01-03-2005, 03:27 PM

If it has cracks in it, it can break but there's no way to know when. Buy one at Autozone and install it, it should be fairly easy to do and cost like $30 for the belt.

sixxxthsense · 01-03-2005, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurboAngel

I went and had an oil change done the other day and they gave me a list of thing's that they wanted to fix. One of thing's is the Serp belt, I have no clue what that is

. I can't get my car in the shop till Wensday. How safe is it to drive do you think? I wanted to go to Asheville today, it's about 2 hours away. Do you think it would be ok to drive that far?

just change ur oil thats alll!

anything else u do is bullshit they just trying to rip u off!

MarkH · 01-03-2005, 03:49 PM

so many wrong answers, if the belt tears down, your engine is gone....do the math.

MarkH · 01-03-2005, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurboTrucker

If it has cracks in it, it can break but there's no way to know when. Buy one at Autozone and install it, it should be fairly easy to do and cost like $30 for the belt.

its not that easy if you dont know what you are doing.
you can always ask the repair man to show you the belt.

TurboAngel · 01-06-2005, 06:09 AM

Thank you guys for all the info, I went ahead and went to Asheville. It was real nice I'll post some pics in a bit. I'm going to take my car to the shop on Monday and they can change the belt, I can't do it myself I might break a nail LOL.

01-03-2005, 07:01 AM	#1
TurboAngel H.B.I.C. Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: NC Posts: 30,122	Car guy's I have a question. I went and had an oil change done the other day and they gave me a list of thing's that they wanted to fix. One of thing's is the Serp belt, I have no clue what that is . I can't get my car in the shop till Wensday. How safe is it to drive do you think? I wanted to go to Asheville today, it's about 2 hours away. Do you think it would be ok to drive that far?

01-03-2005, 07:26 AM	#2
Digipimp BP4L OT DL Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: BP4L Swap Meet Posts: 13,481	I think generally everytime you get an oil change they suggest all kinds of bullshit that you should repair. I would generally think that while doing an oil change the guys aren't looking at anything that's really vital to your car other than your oil. But then what do I know, I just know they always suggest a bunch of shit just as add on money for them since a lot of times they lowball on the oil change price itself. __________________ Still Hosting at Webair and You Should Be Too

01-03-2005, 07:30 AM	#4
xclusive Too lazy to set a custom title Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 35,218	You should be fine if it was anything major they would tell you just to cover their ass __________________ I support MediumPimpin.com / Shemp's Outlawtgp.com /

01-03-2005, 08:14 AM	#9
Holly Too lazy to set a custom title Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Jesusland Posts: 10,017	That's why I hate getting my fucken oil changed. They ALWAYS do that shit to me. Ask me 10,000 stupid questions about crap that they know I have no idea about. "When was the last time you had _____ changed?; How old is this ______?; What kind of _____ do you use for ______?; Have you had the _______ replaced?" I know they're just waiting to assrape me because I'm always standing there with this look on my face like "how the fuck should I know?". It's one of the few things I miss about having a husband. At least he always took my car in for all that junk. __________________ War National Damn Champions Eagle

01-03-2005, 08:17 AM	#10
Rochard Jägermeister Test Pilot Industry Role: Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: NORCAL Posts: 74,048	My Mach 1 got a flat tire yesterday, and I had to have it fixed before the drive to Vegas this morning. Much to my surprise when I got there they had the car up in the air and the hood open. When I asked what it was, they told me they do a ten point inspection to every car that comes into their shop. My car has 14k miles on it so it's brand new, they didn't recomend anything. __________________ “The choice is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal and crazy.” - Sarah Huckabee Sanders YNOT MAIL \| THE BEST ADULT MAILING SOLUTION

01-03-2005, 07:29 AM	#3
DEA - banned for life V.I.P. Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: InYour Head Posts: 7,886	Run the fucker until it breaks down...then fix it ...fuck that preventive shit...this is the USA not iraq..BUY BUY BUY...drive to ashville ,blow the motor and buy a new one is what i say.

01-03-2005, 07:30 AM	#5
FuckFind Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 1,188	Need a lil' more info, what kind of car, year, etc..... FF

01-03-2005, 07:39 AM	#6
FuckFind Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 1,188	and ya generally it should be fine to drive it for a few days, from what i can remember the serpentine (serp as you referred to it) DO get old / dried out / blistered / and eventually can either displace or fall of their teeth. I "believe" once again....that the serps (not google ;)) control the alternator, power steering, and coolant / water pump, so ya losing one or having it bust would be shitty... you'd def. be screwed... but once again these things are just common maintenance for your vehicle which should be replaced every 60,000+ miles or so. I know some friends that have drove on bad belts for thousands of miles so not a panic thing, just a when ya have time thing. But if your ride breaks down because you didn't fix it this week, you didn't read any of this text,...... but i'm sure if it was really really damaged or cracked the mechanic would have been a lil' more adament about getting it fixed pronto. FF

01-03-2005, 07:48 AM	#7
infecto Confirmed User Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 1,697	You should be fine with the belt. If your worried take a look at it...not that hard. Its just a rubber belt that will either be on the side of the engine or the front depending on the type of engine it is. If its hanging on a thread then I would replace it asap otherwise no biggie.

01-03-2005, 08:00 AM	#8
evildick Guest Posts: n/a	Serpentine belts getting replaced always seem to be a money grab, for GM dealers anyway. They are considered fine as long as there are no more than 3 cracks per inch on them, and no chunks missing. You will be fucked though if it breaks.

01-03-2005, 09:21 AM	#11
BV wtf Industry Role: Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Bikini State, FL USA Posts: 10,914	A serpantine belt is the belt that runs all the accesories on your car. A/C, water pump, air pump, alternator, etc etc... It's a flat belt with grooves in it. (different than the older fan belts that are a V shape) Newer cars usually only have one of these that runs everything. If you have never replaced it and you have over 50K miles chances are it needs replacing. If it breaks then nothing will work and you could cause more damage or be stranded somewhere. If you dont have it replaced at least go to a parts store and buy the correct replacement and keep it in the trunk for when it does break you will have it and not be stranded for too long.

01-03-2005, 09:24 AM	#12
justfreemovies Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Springfield, Illinois Posts: 1,150	your be alright its just the belt that turns your alt powerstearing pump, water pump etc etc they get old and dry rot but its a pretty good idea to replace it although i would do it myself and save $$ __________________ Signature views since 1/13/11 If you can read this, your ad could be here. Sig for rent www.BlogMilfs.com Domain for sale Click for details

01-03-2005, 10:35 AM	#13
fr33s3x Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 5,064	bump for angel __________________

01-03-2005, 10:45 AM	#14
Dalai lama Strength and Honor Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 16,540	I have no idea turboangel but here's a bump for you sweety __________________ A program you can trust. Gallerybooster Run multiply TGPs of 1 script

01-03-2005, 10:48 AM	#15
jt420 Confirmed User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: in the foothills of the mind. ICQ: 279561428 Posts: 2,479	i hate the fucking bullshit an oil change always turns into. __________________ I made my fortune selling pubic wigs! New program Merkin Money coming soon!

01-03-2005, 10:51 AM	#16
BradM Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: 1123,6536,5231 Posts: 3,397	When I had my jeeps I just did my own work. Was a hell of a lot easier and nicer taking it to my shop than to some dork who is going to rip it apart to find something else to fix. Some shops do have a policy to have an inspection done before it leaves... covers their ass so they can say "Well it wasn't completely shot, but I did warn them it needed to be replaced." They document all of it just in case. Do you really blame them with all the morons out there that go "You changed my oil and now my belts snapped!"

01-03-2005, 12:22 PM	#17
Noir Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 449	I change my own oil. No BS. Unless your belt is all cracked, or squeeky, or if your car has like 100K on it, I wouldn't bother.

01-03-2005, 12:32 PM	#18
dasexi1 Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: if i told you, then THEY'D know Posts: 934	do what BV said, get a spare one and keep it in your trunk so if it does break you won't be stranded, I had to change one about 6 years ago, was driving a t-bird at the time, broke a couple nails doing it but it wasn't as bad as i though it would be took me about three tries to get it on. anyway if you have AAA plus and the extra belt in your trunk you should be ok.

01-03-2005, 12:48 PM	#19
machinegunkelly Confirmed User Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 3,285	depending on the car they are like $50 tops .. better safe than sorry they probally just look at your odometer and recommend stuff based on milage . let me tell you , if it goes and you don't have one .. its not gonna be a good day , cause YOU KNOW it wont blow in town , it will blow when your in the middle of nowhere .. guarranteed . __________________ dead.

01-03-2005, 01:47 PM	#20
TheMob Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: 2006 Posts: 8,584	bah humbug, your car is perfectly fine

01-03-2005, 01:56 PM	#21
iwantchixx Too lazy to set a custom title Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: The Boonies Posts: 12,860	if you plan to do some serious highway driving you're better off getting the belt checked by someone you trust and replaced if needed. losing power steering while doing highway speeds is dangerous if your not strong enough to steer the fucker. Not acusing you of being weak but most people seriously aren't strong enough to steer a dead car in panick mode.

01-03-2005, 02:11 PM	#22
AgentCash Confirmed User Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 720	If you do buy a spare, keep in mind you'll prolly need a tool to pull the tension pulley back. The correct path to run the belt should be on a sticker near your radiator. Edit - also, I've been told, never tried it myself, that in a bind you can use nylons as a temporary replacement to limp to a shop. Last edited by AgentCash; 01-03-2005 at 02:12 PM..

01-03-2005, 02:50 PM	#23
Fred Quimby Confirmed User Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 5,430	RULE # 1 Never Ever Ever Never Ever Ever get your car fixed at an oil change place. __________________

01-03-2005, 03:00 PM	#24
Funky Bastard So Fucking Banned Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 2,544	The serpentine belt go to your nearest auto parts store a pick up a can of belt dressing spray alittle of that on the belts and you should be good to go.

01-03-2005, 03:06 PM	#25
The Bootyologist So Fucking Banned Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: m00dville Posts: 2,912	better safe than sorry being a woman on the roads

01-03-2005, 03:27 PM	#26
TurboTrucker Confirmed User Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Phoenix Arizona Posts: 2,363	If it has cracks in it, it can break but there's no way to know when. Buy one at Autozone and install it, it should be fairly easy to do and cost like $30 for the belt. __________________

01-03-2005, 03:49 PM	#28
MarkH Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 384	so many wrong answers, if the belt tears down, your engine is gone....do the math. __________________ Some text in my sig was deleted because I didn't feel like getting sued...are you hiding anything?

01-06-2005, 06:09 AM	#30
TurboAngel H.B.I.C. Industry Role: Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: NC Posts: 30,122	Thank you guys for all the info, I went ahead and went to Asheville. It was real nice I'll post some pics in a bit. I'm going to take my car to the shop on Monday and they can change the belt, I can't do it myself I might break a nail LOL.