Snapped Aux Belt! :(

[BrettBlade]

Aux belt went today while driving, alternator tensioner and pulley looks fine so appears to just need the belt changing.

I need to source a new belt ASAP as I need to commute 40 miles on Xmas eve!

With that in mind, Halfords have this:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...&productId=157443&categoryId=256260&langId=-1

Anyone bought this sort of part from Halfords before?

 

[RUM4MO]

I'd reckon that if Halfords is easiest to get it from then you have no choice. Halfords would not be buying them in from just any old crap third world manufacturer, so I'd reckon that it would be good enough. If you are still worried, maybe get a VAG one as soon as you can, if I remember correctly, my wife's Polo did have a crappy French made one on it, but that lasted okay until I replaced it at 8 years old. Its smarter to get this belt replaced when the cam belt is getting replaced - that way this problem should never turn up. It has been known, on some makes of cars, that a failed auxiliary belt, can end up whipping the cam belt area cover off and stuffing it into the cam belt with disasterous results!

 

[BrettBlade]

It was changed with the cambelt, approx 11k miles, but such is life!

 

[RUM4MO]

It was changed with the cambelt, approx 11k miles, but such is life!

Hum, so much for that theory then!! These belts are very durable, even the crappy French make that VAG tends to supply for that application - could have been a "bad" belt, though that is cold comfort to you!

I would have thought if that belt was up to the VAG standard, then something else might be causing a problem like pulley misalignment or the belt never been fitted correctly - as you can do I'd expect with a microgroove belt, that is unless all the outer and inner grooves are higher than the rest.

 

[BrettBlade]

Prior to it snapping it seemed to be aligned fine, I'd had a decent look it at it when I serviced the car.

Anyone know if these aux belts are stocked on the AA vans? I'll need a plan B in case I can't get one myself tomorrow.

 

[Badger]

Eurocarparts?

Much be one local?

 

[BrettBlade]

They don't open on Sunday, or at least not the ones local to me I'm afraid.

 

[Badger]

Ouch, you could try the old fashioned Yellow Pages to find local motor factors then ring to check stock.

Or get down to a scrappy and get a used one if you were really desperate, but not recommended!

 

[cactusjack]

That Halfrauds belt is too small, as I found out yesterday. Needs to be around 1180mm.

 

[BrettBlade]

Ended up getting a ContiTech (Continental) belt, wasn't too expensive at all, but fiddly to fit but it's on and car is back running thankfully!

 

[cactusjack]

Same, fitted mine today. Easy when its the right size!

 

[BrettBlade]

Tensioner went today! Typical!

 

[RUM4MO]

Tensioner went today! Typical!

Ah, I'd reckon that was "root cause of previous failure", as I said these belts are normally very dureable.

 

[RUM4MO]

Ended up getting a ContiTech (Continental) belt, wasn't too expensive at all, but fiddly to fit but it's on and car is back running thankfully!

I'd reckon that a Conti belt will be higher quality that the possible Day*** that would have been fitted at factory and supplied by VAG.

 

[RUM4MO]

That Halfrauds belt is too small, as I found out yesterday. Needs to be around 1180mm.

That seems to be the way life pans out - been there done that when replacing a belt on a Ford Zetec engine AND buying the belt from Ford.

Now I'm much older and maybe a wee bit wiser, so, when I buy a new car, I tend to make up a list of consumables for future use - you can normally read the numbers off the previous belt - that allows you to either select the correct one or reject the one the VAG parts place offers you BEFORE you get to trying to do the job. Ther will be two sets of number on a VAG supplied belt, the VAG P/N and the belt manufacturer's P/N - this second number will tend to include its width and length.

I'm just writting this down to save someone else wasting their time, or if buying a new belt and keeping it as a spare - bad idea, change the belt after maybe 6 years and keep the old one as an emergancy get you home belt.