One good looking serpentine belt

[KrisZ]

Decided to change the serpentine belt, idler and tensioner pulleys as I started to hear a bit if chirping during morning starts. The car has 90k miles and the belt is original. I don't think the belt was slipping, the noises were from the pulleys as they were very loose and there was visible grease loss on them.

I was genuinely surprised how good the belt looked. Probably the best looking used belt I've ever seen. No visible cracks anywhere, fibers or anything like that.

 

[RooflessVW]

11 years and 160k on my Touareg's original serp belt and it still looks new.

 

[vavavroom]

That's a good-looking belt. It reminds me of a Cinturini silicone wristwatch strap. Does it by any chance smell of vanilla?

 

[Nukeman7]

What kind of timing belt is that? Did it come off of the 2015 Grand Caravan in your signature? I've never seen a belt with that diamond pattern on the smooth side.

 

[dumkid]

Continental belts have a pattern on the smooth side

 

[Hall]

Manufacturers like Continental, Gates, etc rate a lot of their serpentine belts for 100k miles or so and with that, they have a safety rating built-in that would put them at 125-150k miles easily.

 

[2010Civic]

It does look good although modern belts don't crack anymore.

 

[Jetronic]

What kind of timing belt is that? Did it come off of the 2015 Grand Caravan in your signature? I've never seen a belt with that diamond pattern on the smooth side.

Not a timing belt, but to drive all the auxilliairies

 

[Nukeman7]

Not a timing belt, but to drive all the auxilliairies

My bad...it is obviously a serpentine belt as you stated in the OP.

 

[Ursatdx]

EPDM belt.

Neoprene vs. EPDM Serpentine Belts - Automotive Advice - Auto Parts U

Learn what sets neoprene and EPDM serpentine belts apart in this in-depth guide that details the difference between the two materials.

beltsystemu.com

 

[simple_gifts]

Serpentine Shelly Serpentine!

 

[KrisZ]

What kind of timing belt is that? Did it come off of the 2015 Grand Caravan in your signature? I've never seen a belt with that diamond pattern on the smooth side.

Yes, it stood out right away to me too.
It’s the original Mopar belt, not sure who makes it.
I replaced it with a continental belt and it was smooth.

 

[Traction]

I'm still running the original belt on my 2012 Camry with 185kmi, and no signs of cracking and still works fine. Only failure on that car has been a $22 oil pressure sender.

 

[The Critic]

Yes, it stood out right away to me too.
It’s the original Mopar belt, not sure who makes it.
I replaced it with a continental belt and it was smooth.

The dealer belt can easily last 150K IME. Can’t say the same about any of the aftermarket ones.

 

[Oliveoil2]

I do them every 120k (miles) or at the
Same time as a timing belt. I don’t worry about the belt as much as the pulleys. If a pulley goes so does the belt. Not the other way around.

 

[dumkid]

On some cars if the belt goes it gets wrapped around the crank and stuffed under the timing belt. I think it was one specific car that did this but I don't remember which make/model it was

 

[Tman220]

still original belt on a 2007 camry at almost 310,000 miles....

 

[Tman220]

This is what it looked like 20,000 miles ago, still going strong.

 

[KrisZ]

The dealer belt can easily last 150K IME. Can’t say the same about any of the aftermarket ones.

Yeah, now that I think about it, I should've just changed the bad pulleys and put the original belt back on.
Fortunately it is a very easy job with good access, so it's not a big deal.

 

[ctechbob]

Belts and hoses. Two things that have quietly gotten 100x better than they were in the last 20 years or so. 100k out of a belt, no problem. 20+ years out of a set of coolant hoses? Sure, my Accord still rolls at 270k and 20 years on original hoses.