Stealership and Serpentine Belts

[BUBBA0420]

I took my Nissan to the Stealership for there free 100 point
inspection. I maintain my car very well and for a 1998
Maxima it only has 96,000 miles. They told me (of course)
that I needed a new Serpentine Belt and that the other drive
belt to the AC also needed replaced. I asked the service
Jerk what car was he looking at as mine only has one belt ??
He then came back and said he made a mistake but I still
needed to replace the Serpentine Belt and that it would
cost $149.00 plus tax. Is that insane or what ???
The belt by the way has 36,000 miles on it.
What is a fair price for changing the belt ??

 

[WishIhadatruck]

I have no idea how easy or hard it is to change one on a Maxima but my fwd Pontiacs were always a 5 minute job and even a GM belt was never more than $25-35 bucks IIRC. Hopefully someone will chime in that owns one of these and has done it themselves before. My belts usually last 2-5 years before they start to get any cracks in them and need replacing. 5 years is more the norm I think for me which works out to 60,000 miles or more. Are you sure it needs changing? Who changed it last? Do it yourself it is easy.

 

[CBDFrontier06]

I'd be looking at it myself before just blindling believing Nissan's claim. 36,000 miles isn't a lot....granted, if the belt breaks, you really are screwed but unless you're in the habit of washing your engine weekly with degreasing solvents, your belt shouldn't need replacing quite yet. A note about changing the belt...that 3.0 is crammed in there and while routing the belt may be fairly easy, maneuvering the tensioner may be a different story. But, this is something ANY general mechanic can do, and probably for much less than a Nissan shop.

 

[Drew99GT]

Most shops charge an hour of labor or so to do a FWD transverse V6 where the engine mount has to be removed to slip the belt off. Although the proration to an hour is always hard to swallow, I'd say $150 would be legit for a GM transverse V-6. But if all you have to do is move the tensioner with a ratchet and switch belts in a 5 minute total task (including a coffee break!), then 150 is a mega rip off.

 

[JTK]

Serpentine belt replacement has got to be one of the easiest money makers for a dealer service dept. They always recommend you change them for that reason. 36Kmi is nothing for a serp belt. I've seen them cracked, frayed and still doing their job. A siezed/wobbly pulley is pretty much what always makes them fail, not the belt itself. A 1998 @ ~100Kmi will be due for a belt tensioner and maybe a new idler if so equipped. If it's not a DIY'er for you, a good independand shop should be able to replace the belt and tensioner for under $150.

 

[RD400]

I've got the same A32 Maxima and the serpentine belt is an easy job with the adjuster on top, but give yourself an hour for the first time. The power steering belt is separate from the serpentine and IIRC, the car needs to be on ramps or stands to access its tension adjuster from the bottom using a ratchet with double extension. I don't remember if the PS belt needs to be removed for the serpentine to go on. Recommended belt replacement interval is 60K miles or 48 months.

 

[BUBBA0420]

Well I just dropped off some drain oil at lube stop
and asked them how much. They said $63.99 but less if you
bring in your old belt. I guess that's why we call it
Stealerships

 

[Tosh]

What aren't you telling us? If you maintain the car so well, then why are you taking it to the stealer for a free 100 point inspection? That's a hundred opportunities for them to yank on something until it breaks. And then you act surprised that they (wrongly) found something to remark about? What's the whole story? Did they also offer a free lunch?

 

[toneloc12345]

What do you think a free inspection is for? Uhhhh to sell stuff! I always replace a belt once it starts to have a lot of cracks on the inside of it.

 

[The Critic]

Dad took his '92 Previa (61,000 miles) into the local Toyota dealership for a free oil change. They did a complimentary inspection, and didn't find anything to sell us.

 

[01rangerxl]

Quote:

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What do you think a free inspection is for? Uhhhh to sell stuff! I always replace a belt once it starts to have a lot of cracks on the inside of it.

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I don't know. My truck has had about a billion of those courtesy checks (and a handful of free alignment checks too) and nobody has ever tried to sell me anything for it. It depends on the shop I suppose. Some are honest about it, some really do just want to upsell.

As far as the serp belt, it should still be alright at 36,000 miles. Check it out yourself and see if there is any glazing, a significant amount of any ribs missing, damage, etc... If it really does need to be replaced, see if you can do it yourself. I replaced the one on my truck at around 60,000 miles and the old one still looked okay. I just wanted to do it as a preventive thing. It didn't take long and only cost me $25.

 

[ewetho]

I have seen them go bad by then and some last a lot longer (Upwards of 150K) but have them show you what is wrong and why? If you think you getting taken for a ride then get another opinion.

Yeah the inspection is to sell stuff, but it should be limited to mainly safety items and general wear and tear. I have people come in and not realize that they desperately needed 4 tires or their tie rod end was about to fall apart. Or just might need a filter or worn belt. I frequently tell people that they could use a belt or pair of tires but not necessary at this moment. If you have 4/32" tread you are getting down and could use tires, can you wait 3 weeks sure unless you are driving around the country 3 times in that time you may want them NOW. Take it as an advisory and check into yourself. No big deal. But the red flag is you need two belt and you only have one. So then it should be followed with SHOW ME!!!

 

[Gary Allan]

Many dealers offer lifetime FREE state inspections. It's just to route you to them for the service. For many cars, the annual state inspection is the only time that it's serviced. People expect a $400-$500 bill.

 

[toneloc12345]

Well yeah, they aren't going to sell you anything if you don't need it. I work at a dealership and we use those inspections to find stuff that people might not know about. Like 10% brake pads, loose tie rods, leaks, belts, bulbs and stuff like that.

 

[Cutehumor]

hey..guys..were talking about a Nissan dealership here..

 

[The_Jeff]

Gates sells belts and even they admit cracks in the ribbed part mean some life is left in the belt. Squealing or missing chunks of rib are cause for immediate replacement. It depends on when you want to go in for service next.

 

[Jim 5]

Quote:

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Well yeah, they aren't going to sell you anything if you don't need it. I work at a dealership and we use those inspections to find stuff that people might not know about. Like 10% brake pads, loose tie rods, leaks, belts, bulbs and stuff like that.

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Ya right...

When I was doing the due diligence and checking the maintenance records on a used Chevrolet I just bought from a local dealership, I had noticed that the previous owner had recently paid this dealership $60 for a fuel filter change.

I pointed this out to their service department which had just 5 minutes before told me that 04 and up full size chevrolet trucks do not have serviceable fuel filters on the frame rails. I had confirmed this previously with 2 other dealerships, a GM parts supplier and by crawling under the truck to find the filter - not there. The filters are now part of the fuel pump assembly within the fuel tank. I asked how much it would cost to replace it if I was willing to pay? Their answer was near to $1000 (based on the labor to replace a fuel pump), since the fuel tank would have to be removed from the truck, taken apart to remove the fuel pump assembly, then that assembly would have to be taken apart to remove and replace the filter. It was safe to assume that they did nothing to the truck's fuel filter, and just charged the guy $60 for this "service" in conjunction with a "speedy service" oil change.

I then showed them the service records and asked them to explain the $60 charge they made to the previous owner, and what he got for his $60.

There was no answer given, just some mumbling about some kind of mistake. But I suspect the owner didn't need to be separated from his $60. I hate to think of how many women have paid $150 to have their "muffler bearings" replaced in north america in the last 50 years.

I don't mean to sound cynical, but I wish I had the kind of confidence in dealerships you do. My view is that there is a reason why they are universally referred to as "Stealerships" on the internet.