I took my 2005 corolla in for a 60,000 mile check up. They called me later to say my drive belt was dry and/or cracked and it needed replacing at $149. I live in Phoenix. 60,000 miles seems soon for the drive belt to go bad. Any thoughts?
Not much to say except that it lasted a long time. Some are stretched out at 20,000 miles. You really don’t want to pay a $75 towing fee to go with a belt coming apart on the road.
I don’t think that 60k is too soon for belt replacement, and, in fact, I have replaced belts by that number of miles on more than one car.
My thoughts:
You could ignore their advice, continue to drive with a bad drive belt, and take your chances on being stranded in an inconvenient location, at an inconvenient time. I don’t recommend that you do this, but I don’t see an alternative to replacing a bad belt, no matter what the odometer mileage might be.
The other responders are right, but the price seems steep, and I infer that you took it to a Dealer for the checkup. You can probably find a competent independent mechanic who can do this job – and lots of other maintenance and repairs – cheaper than the dealer, and you will still meet the warranty service requirements.
I replace mine every 3 years/30k miles which is a little overkill. Is this a dealer? The price seems a little high. I suggest you replace it yourself for ~$30 or take it to an independent mechanic for ~$80 to $100.
Ed B.
Ditto ditto ditto.
You may also want to check your owner’s manual to see if you have a timing belt replacement coming due, and if so have them done together (the serpentine belt needs to ebe removed in the process anyway). I can’t recall whether the '05 has a belt or a chain.
That’s significant mileage for a 2005. Count your blessings.
I agree with everyone about the price. Buy the belt yourself (just googled for $19 average price). Ask around for recommended mechanics and I bet you can find one to put it in for $30 if you hand him the belt.