Check My Driving Record Nc
check my driving record nc
95 Honda Accord – serpentine belt problem?
My son is 2 hours away at college. He got his oil changed at a Meinikee shop. They were nice, but they also told him he had a belt that looked cracked and needed to be repaired. They didn’t push him to get it fixed right away or to get if fixed there, but highly recommended it be fixed soon. He trusted them and told them to go ahead and fix it. It ends up, when I checked the car records, that belt was just replaced last year when he had the timing belt put on also. He hasn’t driven it that much – - – so the belt probably didn’t really need replacing!
1) They charged him $126 for that repair. (This is NC). Is that reasonable, or did they rip him off? Were they just ignorant or do you think they scammed him?
2) They apparently didn’t put the belt on correctly because within a week it is starting to shred and he now cannot drive the car because the belt is about to break. He takes it back tomorrow.
ADVICE?????
TPhi:
Some points to consider:
1. 95 Accord comes with either a 2.2L (4 cylinder) or 2.7L (6 cylinder). You did not state which engine your son’s car has and it makes a difference.
2. The 2.2L has two belts: power steering and alternator (with or without A/C – different belt applications).
3. The 2.7L has three belts: power steering, A/C and alternator.
4. In both cases these belts are not easy to replace (or as mechanics say, nothing is hard, just takes longer). Each of the two or three belts has its own manual tensioner, and there is not a lot of room to work between the pulleys and body of car (the engine is transversely mounted).
5. So depending on which belt required replacing, they may have had to pull off (and adjust) up to two other belts.
6. The shop that worked on the car last year may not have replaced the belt as stated in your records. You really don’t know if they, or Meinikee, are telling the truth. When the timing belt was replaced, there could have been a mix up in the shop and an old belt was reinstalled – it has happened to me.
7. As stated in an earlier post, there could be other reasons for the new belt shredding, but most likely it is an application issue (e.g. belt too long) or tension issue (usually too loose).
So the $126 for parts and labor sounds about right – possibly a little high, but not necessarily.
Tell your son to work with them – be polite, do not demand and ask that they recheck their work. If another issue is seen, ask to have the old parts back for inspection. If a pulley bearing failed it is very obvious.
A ’95 Honda is a great car, but is getting older and could experience failures.
Trust this works out for all!
Marc
LANCIA STRATOS
check my driving record nc
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