How to Buy a Good Quality Drive Belt Tensioner

The drive belt – also known as a serpentine belt – keeps important components of your car’s accessory system running smoothly. The power steering, air conditioning, and sometimes even the water pump, rely upon this belt to provide them with power. The drive belt can only perform its job, however, if proper tension is maintained on it.

With time, wear and tear can have a destructive effect on the automatic tensioner, impeding its ability to keep the serpentine belt tight enough. If the belt is too loose it could come free of its pulleys, which in turn affects the operations of the parts it’s connected to. If the drive belt is too tight it could put undue strain on the water pump bearings and other vital parts under the hood, shortening their lives.

If your drive belt is creating vibration, rattles, sticks, stops working, or the tensioner shows obvious cracks or looseness, it could need replacing. There are some things to take into account when selecting a new one:

  • Consider aftermarket parts: One advantage of an aftermarket automatic tensioner is that the weaknesses of some tensioners that have failed have prompted a reverse engineering of the part in order to tweak the problems. This has resulted in tensioners that are, in some cases, actually better than OEM.

  • Look for a tensioner with corrosion protection: Rust and decay can shorten your part’s life.

  • Check with your dealer about a warranty: Sometimes drive belt tensioners are covered under the powertrain warranty, which would save you a few bucks on the repair. While the average home mechanic can handle the job of replacing the drive belt tensioner, the job does require a couple of specialized tools. If you don’t want to invest the money in a set of tools that will rarely be used, go ahead and let a professional do the task for you.

YourMechanic supplies top-quality drive belt tensioners to our certified mobile technicians. We can also install a drive belt tensioner that you've purchased. Click here to get a quote and more information on drive belt tensioner replacement.


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Recent Drive Belt Tensioner Replacement reviews

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William

35 years of experience
731 reviews
William
35 years of experience
Honda CR-V L4-2.4L - Drive Belt Tensioner - Surprise, Arizona
William is very helpful and honest would recommend his services and expertise to anyone in need of a trustworthy mechanic.
Volvo XC70 - Drive Belt Tensioner - Peoria, Arizona
On time and the job was done correctly not tested on a long run yet but it’s running nicely. William overcame some unexpected disassembly problems around the battery box and did it in his stride.

Jean

16 years of experience
157 reviews
Jean
16 years of experience
Lincoln Navigator V8-5.4L - Drive Belt Tensioner - Seminole, Florida
Jean is great! On time every time, fast service, very knowledgeable and professional. Saved me time and money with this repair! Jean is my go to mechanic and I don’t trust my Navigator with just anyone. Thanks Jean!
Jeep Grand Cherokee - Drive Belt Tensioner - Tampa, Florida
Jean is one of the best mechanics I’ve had in years, he was very thorough, and he’s someone I’ll highly recommend to anyone

Corey

13 years of experience
511 reviews
Corey
13 years of experience
Acura ZDX V6-3.7L - Drive Belt Tensioner - Charlotte, North Carolina
Corey is exceptional!!! Great communication, excellent diagnosis of the issue(s) with my car and his work is top shelf!! Corey is HIGHLY recommended.
GMC Terrain - Drive Belt Tensioner - Cornelius, North Carolina
Took a little longer than expected for him to be able to fix it but it was due to parts and he always kept me updated about the situation. Overall very satisfied with Corey. When he did come to fix it, it literally took him 20 mins and he was done. Also very convenient that they came to me so I didnt have to tow it to a shop. Defintely recommend!

Marco

30 years of experience
329 reviews
Marco
30 years of experience
Acura TSX L4-2.4L - Drive Belt Tensioner - Corona, California
Really cool guy got the job done in the estimated time and was really knowledgeable about everything.

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