BMW 1602 Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement Costs

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

Included for free with this service

Online Booking

Mechanic comes to you

12-month / 12k-mile warranty

Free 50 point safety inspection

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to your home or office 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

See availability

Customer Ratings

Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement Service

How much does a Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement cost?

On average, the cost for a BMW 1602 Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement is $142 with $47 for parts and $95 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

Car	Service	Estimate	Shop/Dealer Price
1970 BMW 1602L4-1.6L	Service typeSerpentine/Drive Belt Replacement	Estimate$209.95	Shop/Dealer Price$251.19 - $335.54
1968 BMW 1602L4-1.6L	Service typeSerpentine/Drive Belt Replacement	Estimate$189.95	Shop/Dealer Price$231.22 - $315.59
1969 BMW 1602L4-1.6L	Service typeSerpentine/Drive Belt Replacement	Estimate$189.95	Shop/Dealer Price$231.22 - $315.59
1967 BMW 1602L4-1.6L	Service typeSerpentine/Drive Belt Replacement	Estimate$189.95	Shop/Dealer Price$231.18 - $315.52
1971 BMW 1602L4-1.6L	Service typeSerpentine/Drive Belt Replacement	Estimate$189.95	Shop/Dealer Price$231.25 - $315.64

Show example BMW 1602 Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement prices

What is a serpentine belt and how does it work?

A serpentine belt is a relatively long, flat, multi-ribbed belt that is driven by the engine’s crankshaft pulley. The belt drives many, and often all, of the engine accessories such as the alternator, air conditioning compressor, power steering pump, water pump, and air pump. The serpentine belt is tensioned by a hydraulic or spring-loaded automatic tensioner. Some older cars use a serpentine belt to drive most accessories but will also have a shorter v-style belt to drive, for example, the power steering pump.

Belts

When to consider replacing the serpentine belt:

Regularly scheduled maintenance. Typically, belt manufacturers recommend belt replacement at 90,000 miles. However, the belt must be inspected for wear or damage at regular intervals prior to this high mileage.
Squealing noise, belt slippage, visible belt damage. Should the belt fail or wear out prematurely, you may hear noise or you may see visible signs of deterioration such as missing chunks of rubber, excessive cracking, or a shredded appearance on the edge of the belt.
Battery Light. A loose belt, perhaps caused by a defective tensioner, may not drive the alternator at adequate speed and thus the battery may discharge, causing the warning light to illuminate.
Engine overheating. Often, the serpentine belt drives the water pump. In those applications, if the belt breaks the engine will overheat in seconds to minutes. If the belt is inadequately tensioned, you may notice higher-than-normal engine operating temperature.

How do mechanics replace the serpentine belt?

Prior to removing the belt, the mechanic must run the engine to determine if the idler pulley and the belt tensioner are noise-free. Those rotating components have grease filled bearings and are subject to wear. In addition, the mechanic will ensure that all pulleys and accessories are turning in the same plane. These steps help make sure your new belt will operate trouble-free for its full-service life.
The belt’s routing path through the various components is noted. The belt tensioner is released, usually with a wrench or lever, to release the tension from the belt. With the tension off, the belt slides off the pulleys.
All rotating components — that is the alternator, air conditioner compressor, etc. — are checked for smooth operation and no noise.
If everything checks out, the new belt is slipped over all of the pulleys while holding the tensioner away from the belt. Once the belt is centered on all pulleys, the tensioner is released and the installation is complete. The engine is run to ensure normal operation.

Is it safe to drive with a serpentine belt problem?

No. Should the belt have visible damage, you risk unexpected and sudden breakage that could potentially leave you stranded. Serpentine belt problems that result in the alternator not charging may cause the battery to discharge, which will result in loss of electrical power to the vehicle. Additionally, if a deteriorated belt breaks and that belt drives the water pump, the engine will overheat in a matter of seconds.

When replacing the serpentine belt keep in mind:

On many cars, the expected service life of a serpentine belt is around 90,000 miles. Should the belt fail well prior to that, a very careful inspection should be performed to check for out-of-alignment pulleys, a possibly out-of-position crankshaft harmonic balancer on which the drive pulley is mounted, binding pulleys, or a defective belt tensioner.
Attention should always be given to serpentine belt routing, since proper routing is critical to proper belt tension, and function of the driven components.
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish serpentine belt related noise from other engine noises. In these cases, a mechanic will determine the origin of the noise by momentarily running the engine without the serpentine belt attached.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee

Meet some of our expert BMW mechanics

Real customer reviews from BMW owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(216)

Rating Summary

205

2

4

1

4

205

2

4

1

4

SEE REVIEWS NEAR ME

Eric

12 years of experience

230 reviews

Eric

12 years of experience

by Jamie

BMW 320i L4-2.0L Turbo - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Raleigh, North Carolina

Punctual, knowledgeable, professional. Eric is fantastic, and would recommend his services to anyone! Thank you again!

Rigoberto

11 years of experience

739 reviews

Request Rigoberto

Rigoberto

11 years of experience

Request Rigoberto

by Franks

BMW M3 L6-3.2L - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Arlington Heights, Illinois

Rigoberto was great. He was right on time, professional and very transparent, which I really appreciated. He let me know what he did was nice to walk me through everything.

AL

12 years of experience

234 reviews

AL

12 years of experience

by Pierce

BMW 335i L6-3.0L Turbo - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Melbourne, Florida

Awsome work, Al arrived sharp on time. Worked non stop to get it done. This is the best garage service we found for our BMW.

Melvin

17 years of experience

221 reviews

Melvin

17 years of experience

by Trina

BMW 325Ci L6-2.5L - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Atlanta, Georgia

Excellent Rating

(216)

Rating Summary

205

2

4

1

4

205

2

4

1

4

SEE REVIEWS NEAR ME

Recent articles & questions

Is It Possible to Repair a Flat Tire?

Your Your tire pressure monitoring light comes on. Before you have a chance to even process what that means, you hear the dreaded flap-flap-flap and your car feels like it has an anchor attached to the back. You limp it...

P2444 OBD-II Trouble Code: Secondary Air Injection System Pump Stuck On Bank1

P2444 P2444 code definition The P2444 diagnostic trouble code is an indication that the bank 1 secondary air injection system pump is stuck. Related Trouble Codes: P2445 OBD-II Trouble Code: Secondary Air Injection System Pump Stuck Off Bank 1 P2446...

P0923 OBD-II Trouble Code: Gear Shift Forward Actuator Circuit High

P0923 means the voltage reading from the gear shift forward actuator circuit is unusual due to a faulty forward gear guide rail, or shift shaft.

How do I adjust the steering wheel of a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox?

Your steering wheel adjusts so that it can be in the ideal position for you while driving. Adjusting the steering wheel only takes a few seconds: 1. Locate the steering wheel lever, which is to the left of the steering...

Whisting noise when increasing or decreasing speed

There is a tensioner pulley (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/drive-belt-tensioner-replacement) that keeps the correct amount of tension on your serpentine belt (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/serpentine-drive-belt-replacement). When these bearings wear out, they can cause this type of a whistling sound that you describe. This is a quick fix...

Why does my 2014 Chevrolet Impala have a P0016 code.

Hello. This code can come up for a few different reasons. It may be as simple as low engine oil or a faulty or clogged oil filter or it can be an issue with the variable valve timing system. Most...

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (855) 347-2779 · hi@yourmechanic.com