Tech Tip: Check for Worn Belts and Hoses in Need of Service
When a customer’s vehicle is in your service bay, be sure to check its belts and hoses. The Automotive Car Care Council says that nearly 30% of the vehicles entering your shop need a new belt or a hose replacement. This is critical business given the fact that a belt can cause an overheated engine, loss of power steering and loss of the electrical charging system ….
Inspecting Belts and Hoses For Your Customers
Everybody wants a reliable vehicle to drive, but not many people are forward-thinking enough to practice preventive maintenance beyond the barest of basics. After all, preventive maintenance costs money and nobody likes to spend money “unnecessarily.” We put unnecessarily in quotes because we want to emphasize the fact that most consumers do not appreciate the
Tech Tip: Inspect the Spring-Loaded Automatic Belt Tensioner when Replacing Serpentine Belt
Most late-model engines have serpentine belt drives for the engine-driven accessories. And most people know that belts are a maintenance item and eventually have to be replaced. But many don’t know the spring-loaded automatic tensioner that keeps a serpentine belt tight is also a wear item. Consequently, the automatic tensioner may also have to be replaced when the time comes to change the belt.
Tech Tip: This Camaro Shreds … Belts?
It happens to us all sooner or later – a vehicle we have repaired comes back to the shop with either the same problem or a related problem that the owner is certain we’ve caused. It doesn’t occur very often, but when it does, it’s extremely disheartening and embarrassing – not to mention detrimental to our paychecks because we have to fix it on our own time.
Tech Tip: Belts & Tensioners
Many engines today have two or more belts that will need to be replaced at some point. One is the timing belt, if the engine has an overhead cam design and uses a belt rather than a chain to drive the cam(s). The other is one or more serpentine belts on the front of the engine that drive the engine’s accessories, such as the alternator, power steering pump and A/C compressor.
Component Connection:Becoming a Better Belts & Hose Inspector
Accessory drive belts and coolant hose replacements are perhaps the most popular and lucrative add-on services in the independent repair shop. Because belt and hose inspections are included in auto manufacturers’ scheduled maintenance charts, service writers at most well-managed shops recommend a belt and hose inspection along with tuneup, oil change, starting, charging, cooling, air
Belts and Hose Inspectionscan Lead to Profitable Add-On Sales
Accessory drive belts and coolant hose replacements are perhaps the most popular and lucrative add-on services in the independent import shop. Because belt and hose inspections are included in auto manufacturers’ scheduled maintenance charts, service writers at most well-managed shops recommend a belt and hose inspection along with tuneup, oil change, starting, charging, cooling, air
CRP Offers ContiTech Accessory Drive System Service Poster To Help Educate Vehicle Owners
CRP Automotive, a leading source of OE-quality replacement and service parts, has developed a special ContiTech Accessory Drive System Service Poster, which is part of an overall support program for its ContiTech Serpentine Belts and Accessory Drive Kits.
Gates Introduces Belt Wear Education Program
As part of the program, Gates has launched the website www.gatesbeltwear.com and announced the availability of a new serpentine belt wear gauge that can aid in diagnosing wear on serpentine belts.
Tech Tip: Regular Belt Inspections are Important to Thwart Breakdowns
Serpentine belts are much longer-lived than V-belts, but they don’t last forever. After 50,000 or 60,000 miles, they often become glazed, noisy or cracked. A belt failure is bad news because all of the engine’s accessories that are driven by the belt stop turning. The vehicle looses cooling, power steering and charging output, and the engine quickly ….