Volkswagen Routan Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement at your home or office.

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

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(72)

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

(72)

Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement Service

How much does a Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement cost?

On average, the cost for a Volkswagen Routan Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement is $179 with $39 for parts and $140 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
2009 Volkswagen RoutanV6-3.8LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$248.44Shop/Dealer Price$275.40 - $348.18
2009 Volkswagen RoutanV6-4.0LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$252.21Shop/Dealer Price$280.60 - $361.64
2014 Volkswagen RoutanV6-3.6LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$224.15Shop/Dealer Price$245.55 - $305.56
2011 Volkswagen RoutanV6-3.6LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$224.15Shop/Dealer Price$245.55 - $305.56
2010 Volkswagen RoutanV6-3.8LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$239.43Shop/Dealer Price$266.12 - $338.70
2012 Volkswagen RoutanV6-3.6LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$224.15Shop/Dealer Price$245.69 - $305.81
2013 Volkswagen RoutanV6-3.6LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$224.15Shop/Dealer Price$245.56 - $305.59
2010 Volkswagen RoutanV6-4.0LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$252.21Shop/Dealer Price$280.62 - $361.68
Show example Volkswagen Routan 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 Volkswagen mechanics

Real customer reviews from Volkswagen owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(72)

Rating Summary
70
0
0
0
2
70
0
0
0
2

Brian

8 years of experience
72 reviews
Brian
8 years of experience
Volkswagen Routan V6-3.6L - Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement - Dayton, Ohio
Brian was awesome! He changed out what was needed and got us back on the road. Appreciated the time he took to explain everything. Would definitely use him again!

Tom

43 years of experience
205 reviews
Tom
43 years of experience
Volkswagen Routan V6-4.0L - Amazon Local Brake Pads Package - San Jose, California

Peter

37 years of experience
346 reviews
Peter
37 years of experience
Volkswagen Routan V6-3.8L - Other Inspections - Chula Vista, California
Peter was very helpful and answered all of my questions about my van. I needed a second opinion about some work I had done at the dealership and he confirmed what the issues were (and weren't). I waited too late to make my appointment for the actual service, so now I've got that appointment tomorrow. For some work I would've paid $1,100 for at the dealership I only have to pay $120 and Chet (the mechanic doing the service) is coming to me! Thank God for YourMechanic.com!

Theodore

17 years of experience
1794 reviews
Theodore
17 years of experience
Volkswagen Routan V6-4.0L - Brake System Flush - Seattle, Washington
Theodore was prompt and did a job well done. I had initially requested to have both my front and rear brakes and rotors done, but he told me that I only needed the front ones replaced at this time. He also rotated my tires at no charge, and gave me additional details about managing some other potential issues about my car. I appreciate his honesty, and trust his advice.

Excellent Rating

(72)

Rating Summary
70
0
0
0
2
70
0
0
0
2
Number of Volkswagen Routan services completed
792+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Volkswagen MECHANICS
1000+
experts on our platform

Recent articles & questions

How to Find Your First Car
Finding the perfect first car is important for a new driver. You want one that fits your personality but also falls within a budget you can afford. Read on for some crucial steps in your search (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-to-buy-a-used-car) for your first...
Alternator or Car Battery: How to Tell Which Part Is the Problem
When When you need to go somewhere and your car won’t start, it’s not unreasonable to think that you could have a car charging problem. A jump start might fix it in the short term and get you to work...
Symptoms of a Bad or Failing Supercharger Belt
Common signs include a ticking sound from the motor, decreased fuel efficiency, and immediate loss of power.

Battery is dying, even after a jump start.

As you know the alternator (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/alternator-replacement) is responsible for charging the battery and when not working properly will cause the battery to die prematurely. This may also be potentially related to the voltage regulator not working properly. This is a...

My car has done 37,500 miles service but it only has 33,300 miles, what kind of maintenance do I need?

The maintenance reminder system (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/reset-maintenance-reminder-system) is not strictly mileage based. If 12 months elapse, without an intervening re-set, the light will come on simply because the engine oil should be changed at 12 months even if the 7,500 mileage interval...

I have a scion tc 2015 I drive 15 minutes I turned on the light a / t oil temp the transmission oil came out

It sounds like your vehicle has sprung a major transmission fluid leak and has overheated in the process. I would strongly recommend having your vehicle's transmission inspected by a transmission specialist in your area. The source of the leak would...

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