Best Prices for Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement

Our mobile mechanics offer services 7 days a week. Upfront and transparent pricing.

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(5,908)

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.

Customer Ratings

(5,908)

How much does Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement cost?

It depends on the type of car you drive and the auto repair shop you go to. Our mechanics are mobile, which means they don't have the overhead that repair shops have. They provide you convenience by coming to your home or office.

Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement pricing for various cars

CarsEstimateParts CostLabor CostSavingsAverage Dealer Price
2013 Chevrolet Impala$207$61.14$145.99-22%$168.64
2008 Pontiac Solstice$205$58.54$145.99-23%$166.04
2008 GMC Savana 2500$300$153.59$145.99-14%$261.09
2016 Cadillac CT6$195$49.50$145.99-24%$157.00
2009 Mercedes-Benz B200$170$24.28$145.99-29%$131.78
2011 Jaguar XF$250$45.42$204.38-27%$195.92

Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement Service

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.

Recent Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement reviews

Excellent Rating

(5,908)

Rating Summary
5,654
140
32
21
61
5,654
140
32
21
61

Raymond

38 years of experience
613 reviews
Raymond
38 years of experience
Nissan Versa Note L4-1.6L - Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement - Henderson, Nevada
Raymond is super awesome and fixed the belt on our car super fast and was super nice I would definitely hire him again.

Andrew

16 years of experience
657 reviews
Andrew
16 years of experience
Ford Taurus V6-3.0L - Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement - Portland, Oregon
Andrew was very nice and pleasant. He was very thorough with his work and he really went out of his way to get my car running again. He was very knowledgeable and he was kind enough to answer all of my questions in a way that I could easily understand. This was one of the best experiences I have had working with a mechanic.

Ben

42 years of experience
1589 reviews
Ben
42 years of experience
BMW 328i xDrive L6-3.0L - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Houston, Texas
Ben was very personable and competent. He was a pleasure to work with and was able to finish before the heat of the day. Be sure and make an appointment with Ben you’ll be glad you did.

Brandon

9 years of experience
133 reviews
Brandon
9 years of experience
Chevrolet Captiva Sport L4-2.4L - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Nashville, Tennessee
Brandon was very professional and ensured that I got the correct service. Would definitely recommend.

Recent articles & questions

How to Check If Your Tires Are in Good Condition
Tires Tires are the foundation on which your car or truck rests. Checking if your tires have good tread and suitable pressure will improve your car's handling, gas mileage, and general tire life. Here's how: Assess how much tread is...
How to Buy a Good Quality Seat Back Organizer
Does Does it seem like you are constantly misplacing things in the car? Do you have kids that ride in the backseat? Do their belongings seem to be scattered all over the seat and floor at all times? If you’ve...
How Long Does an Engine Mount Last?
Your Your car needs its engine in order to run properly, and with that said it needs to be placed in your vehicle in the exact right position. All kinds of parts/components are running in and out of the engine,...

Car ticking, sounding like a tractor

A ticking sound coming from the motor can sometimes be normal, but in this case there are a few possibilities. The oil level should be checked by a qualified technician to ensure the motor has enough oil for proper lubrication....

My air conditioner blower won't always turn on until I hit this white box behind my glove compartment.

As the air conditioner blower motor ages the bearings get worn and can cause the motor to not start turning unless you tap on the motor or the motor housing. The fis is to replace the blower motor before it...

Coolant circulation issues Impala LS 3.8L.

Hi Adrian. Thanks for contacting us today. Typically, when a water pump goes bad, it's the inner seals that fail, which leads to bearing failure and overall water pump failure. This will produce a slow leak of coolant. This video...

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