Serpentine Belt Replacement Cost

Regular maintenance of an automobile prolongs its life and reduces major repair costs to the owner.  Some replacements are unavoidable, but the owner should always carefully evaluate their car’s condition to avoid unreasonable bills.  Failure to routinely inspect your serpentine belts can lead to damage to more expensive components.  The typical serpentine belt replacement cost is cheap compared to the money you would have to spend on a belt failure.

The serpentine belt is an integral part of a car engine as it distributes torque from the crankshaft of the engine to its subsystems. These subsystems will include the power-steering pump, water pump, AC compressor and car alternator. All these sub-systems can sustain serious damage, if the serpentine belt breaks down suddenly.  Replacing an inexpensive part like the serpentine belt can lead to a big savings when compared to the cost of replacing an entire engine.

How much does Serpentine Belt Replacement Cost?

Serpentine belt replacement cost may vary from repair center to repair center but typically ranges between $100 to $200 dollars.   If you are really stingy you can replace the belt yourself.  Doing it yourself would reduce the serpentine belt replacement cost by 75% or so.  Just make sure you have the correct belt type and take note of the belt routing before removing the old belt.  National auto part chains like Napa and O’Reilly Auto Parts typically have belts for most makes and models.

Apart from just the cost, any wear and tear to the serpentine belt can bring on accidents or engine malfunction.  Delaying the serpentine belt replacement cost today can lead to bigger worries tomorrow.  Squeaking noises, a visibly slack belt or malfunction of other engine components like power steering are typical indication s for replacement of the serpentine belt. In some cases, slackness of the serpentine belt can be due to malfunctioning of the tensioner pulley or bolt.  Serpentine belt tensioner replacement cost is usually even less than the cost of serpentine belt replacement.