Serpentine Belt

At 86k miles, my serpentine belt shredded while I was on a major interstate. It took all I had to steer to a Firestone 2 miles away. Well, Firestone replaced belt but now I'm at 250k and want to replace the belt to avoid that earlier experience. Mechanic says belt looks fine. How can that be? Was first belt faulty?

 

You're both right.

It would be cheap insurance against another issue while out on the road.
With that kind of mileage the old belt owes you nothing.

It still looks good and could go a lot longer ~ saving you some money and time.

Change it out and don't look back ~ one less thing to worry about ?

The choice is yours . . .

 

Thanks. So was the original belt defective?

 

It didn't fail for the first 85k miles, so no, I would not say that it was defective. They can range anywhere from 60k-100k miles; it really just depends on conditions. The fact that your current belt has gone from 86k -> 250k means that you are extremely lucky, but I wouldn't use the lifetime of that belt to think that the first belt was defective. Belts themselves are also only $20-$30. It's usually the service that ends up costing you more, as well as changing some other parts while you're in there like a tensioner.

 

Got it. Don't mind being lucky, just don't want to be foolish. Will replace soon. Thanks

 

Keep your current belt under your rear seat once you replace it, just in case. You never need it till you do. Happened to me once with my 7.3. Was really happy I kept my used belt in the truck. I always keep tools in the truck too in case something needs to be repaired. I can't count the times I needed to do a roadside repair on one of my trucks