Not happy with last mechanic: new belts squealing, too tight, burnt rubber smell

December before last (2012) I had accessory belts installed in my truck. I noticed over the summer that they were way too tight. This bothered me.... but not enough to complain. But now, a little more than a year later (and not many miles, since I use public transportation mainly to get around) they are starting to squeal on start-up. Also, more alarmingly, if I run my truck for more than 5 minutes, I get this burning rubber smell coming from the engine bay. I'm not 100% sure if that's the belts or not but I suspect it is.

I want to go back to this local shop before it's too late and press them to replace the belts and the pulley bearings they probably have destroyed. Do you think I have a case? My only leverage is that I'll leave some pretty negative reviews of them on google maps and the likes. How would you handle it?

 

I think you're right.

 

Over a year later I think you're SOL. If you suspected a problem such as the wrong belt being used, you should have brought it up then not waited a year for it to cause additional damage and then try to push it back on the shop. I would agree that the shop should have known better in the first place but you noticed the problem a long time ago and didn't say anything about it bother to fix it properly.

 

EXACTLY what Pugga said. You suspected an issue for a long time, but failed to respond to it. Your issue now. You don't have a fair right to leave a negative comment on them when you didn't take the time to go back when you first thought you might have an issue and give them the chance to correct it. Besides, after a YEAR you can't prove that, if they WERE tight to begin with, that they were the cause of a bearing or pulley failure. I have seen overtightened belts before, and they usually will ruin a bearing pretty fast (within a month or so) Sounds like just bad luck on your end. Loosen the belts and find what pulley is binding, then get it replaced, or replace it yourself. That is my opinion.

 

My belts were fine before. But My A/C unit was bad and I had bought the belts already and had them sitting around so I asked them to change it when they took the a/c unit out.

I've put maybe 3,000 miles or less on since they changed the belts. This is because I went out of town for 3 months and left my truck at home, and I live a quarter of a mile from the University I go to, so I take the bus. I only drive my truck like 5 miles a week, if that. So that being said, I don't think it's right that the belts are already squealing. I had a suspicion that they were over tightened when I checked them over the summer. They didn't start squealing until December. The burning rubber smell came in January. It's all spaced out because I don't drive my truck often.

How long should brand new belts last? I'm thinking a lot more than a year and a few thousand miles.

 

You are SOL. I own a repair shop. We don't do automotive we do large diesel engines. If you wait 1yr to bring the problem back to a shop its to late. Most shops have a 30day warranty on parts at best. I give my customers 90days. A lot can happen in a year. How does a shop know you or a friend did not tighten the belts again. If you suspected a problem you should have taken the truck back asap.. there are lots of people looking for free service and that's why shops mostly do 30-90 warranty to cover their ads against scammers..

 

If you provided the belts to boot, I'd definitely say you're SOL. The shop probably should have questioned if it was the correct belt or told you it was tight but it's been a long time and additional damage has potentially been incurred. I think you'll have a very tough time fighting this one...

 

You waited WAY too long....the first hint of a problem and you should have taken it back immediately...

Comes down to cause and effect, even with only 3000 miles since the change out, you waited a year, you are, like someone else posted, SOL...

Bummer...

 

There is your answer right there. You can't fault them, even with low miles, over 12 months. Just because you do not drive the truck, does not mean that the belts don't age and wear. Plus how long had you had them before installing? Sorry, but I stand firm. You should have said something as soon as you suspected a possible issue.

 

I'm still here wondering how it took you 6 months to figure out your belts were too tight? And if that was the case, you should have taken action THEN. Not whine about it ANOTHER 6 months later.

The action you should have taken:

• Taken it back to the shop THEN
• Or loosened them yourself

Why would you leave the belts too tight when you knew they were too tight?

This is kinda like taking your car to Jiffy Lube for an oil change. You don't bother checking to make sure they put in the right amount of oil (because they never do), so you drive away and decided to check your oil level 6 months later. OH NO! The oil level is low!! Well, I'll just leave it be for another 6 months and then try to raise the issue.

 

I had them for a couple of months. They were brand new.

 

I'm not a very confrontational person, and I guess I was hoping they would loosen or just not be an issue. But then things started getting worse. I guess I shouldn't have been nice and by giving them the benefit of the doubt.

The amount of time seems to be a big issue for you guys, but for me, the amount of driving time is more important than just time. To me, miles per month is not the same as just months.

How long are new belts, installed correctly, supposed to last?


EDIT: Also, if the belts being too tight wrecked the bearings, than why does it matter how much time was between when I discovered they were too tight, and when it started squealing? The damage was already done by the time I discovered it. So nothing changed by me waiting. In the end, it was their mistake that's costing me money. (on top of the money I already paid them to change the belts, and the money I spent on the belts)

 

The point we are trying to make with you is that you ALREADY suspected a problem, and should have addressed it THEN, not wait and wait, then when something DOES come up, try to blame the shop and threaten to give them a bad review if they don't fix it. THAT bothers me the most.

 

Some shops give warranties for as much as 12 months/12K miles but supplying your own part is a different story. They will only warranty the labor. Check your receipt.

 

A year latter and you provided the belts? I would laugh you right out of the shop.

 

This is a great example of why I work on my own truck.

If I do it I know for a fact that it's done corectly , and if not then I have no one but myself o blame and then I know how to fix it.

 

And how did you determine that the belt was too tight? You push it with your finger? Used a tension gauge? Guessed? You have removed the belt and checked the bearings and they are bad? Did the bearing fail because the belt was too tight? Or did it just go bad and now it's making noise? Or is the bearing really bad? Now it seems to me that if you decided the belt was too tight you must know all there is to know about belts so it would be best at this point to go buy the parts and fix it yourself because the shop is not going to do it for you. You can give them a bad review if you like but despite the fact you think you had a tight belt and they are a terrible shop they are still in business so it probably will not make much difference to them. You bring your own parts, I know of no shop that will warrant any part they did not sell and rightfully so you waited a year driving around with a tight belt (in your opinion) and now you’re pissed?

 

If you have the original receipt with the mileage recorded at the time of install,,and those miles are really low. Lets say,,around 30-40+ miles since, then they might cut you a break on working on it again so long as you go in with the right attitude. If you go in slamming your fist down, calling there mothers ultimate loosers,,there just gonna dial 911 and your back to squeaky over tight belts that you will have to take to another shop and start all over again.

When the too tight of belts bothered you that summer that you drove it, and you chose "not enough to complain" or to ignore your gut feeling, you kind of gave up at that point. I have done that, and I am sure several folks on here have. Wishing and hoping that it will fix it self hypothetically. It usually doesn't work out so well in the long run for anyone.

A new belt trashing the OEM pulleys/ bearings?, sorry, you don't have a leg to stand on as they say for that one. To tight or to loose a belt, doesn't matter per say. The bearings already had mileage on them and something like that could bite us all and we would all be up shit creek in a colander canoe.

Some shops give 30-90 days on parts and labor, some a year or more on the same. The big but is,,there parts used. Doesn't matter if your belts and there's are exactly the same sitting on the supply store shelf side by side. The warranty is with parts and labor that they supply.

["How long are new belts, installed correctly, supposed to last?"]quote
My factory installed originals lasted 175K before I replaced them. They were in pretty rough shape, but still usable and I still have them tossed in the truck for backups. Put the new ones on myself.

 

it's still funny to me because you also had them install a new A/c compressor which is kind of a moderate job. Take the belt off, undo all the hoses and bracketry, pull the old one out, put the new one in, bolt it up, put the hoses on, pull a vacuum and charge the A/C system, and then do belts. So they did all that, and they fucked up on the belts...?

Kinda like getting an engine rebuilt: bore, oversize pistons, rings, polished crank, new rods, shot-peen rods, new valves, valve seals, hot tank and deck block, mill head, etc. Then you get mad at them for the valve cover bolts being too tight. Oh you're gonna hear about it from me!!! ...from the security and privacy of my own home on yelp see the mad face I'm making?? feel my wrath!



and seriously, you keep making a big deal how you drive like .0035246346 miles per year. If this is truly the case, then the over tightened belts really wouldn't have had the opportunity to break anything too badly. The belts ain't gonna break your crank pulley, and they likely won't fuck up a brand new A/c compressor. they MIGHT hasten damage and play on an old tensioner pulley. So replace that thing. like $15-20 or something on rockauto

 

You're sol. Try changing it yourself... its like a 30min job.