Gaaah! Wife just got stranded 120miles from home (Battery light)

[SouthernExploder]

My wife called me at about 9am. She is 120miles from home and our 2016 just threw a battery light and the car shut down. The car broke down in front of a gas station that just happened to house the local towing company (She's in a small town in South Central GA) She just called and the dealer told her the belt broke. Stupid car only has 29k miles on it.

Anyone know if a belt is covered by the original manufacturers warranty?

If not, anyone know what the "book" says the labor hours is on a belt replacement?

And to add insult to injury, they are trying to authorize an overnight courtesy vehicle so I guess they can't get it done today so now I'm going to have to drive down tomorrow to get it and waste half a day. Gaaah!!!

Oh, did I mention that our "repaired" transmission is acting up again? *sigh*. This thread: Transmission Slipping

 

[peterk9]

I can't say for sure if it is covered but I suggest that you get receipts for all work done, just in case.

Peter

 

[Keith N]

I would think the belt is covered under 3/36. Even if not, its a $30 belt (maybe $50 at stealership) and at least for my 3.5L N.A.,it was a simple install measured in minutes. Can't see it being over $100. More concerning is why would belt fail at this low mileage. Maybe a defective belt, but maybe something underlying issue causing failure. Mine looked like new after 100k and 8 yrs.

 

[KayGee]

I would think the belt is covered under 3/36. Even if not, its a $30 belt (maybe $50 at stealership) and at least for my 3.5L N.A.,it was a simple install measured in minutes. Can't see it being over $100. More concerning is why would belt fail at this low mileage. Maybe a defective belt, but maybe something underlying issue causing failure. Mine looked like new after 100k and 8 yrs.

Lots of reasons belts fail - only way to know for sure is to have a mechanic inspect it properly and not just throw another belt on. If it wasn't a belt defect, bad luck. If it's a bad accessory, bad pulley/tensioner, misaligned pulleys, or other mechanical issues, hopefully it is addressed so the replacement doesn't fail again in >30K miles

For those playing along at home, be careful judging newer EPDM accessory drive belts on looks alone as they tend to appear new for longer than older non-EDPM belts. They should still be inspected regularly and replaced if there is any signs of excess stretch/wear/damage. For a DIYer, accessory drive belts are pretty easy to replace and can be had quite cheap. I buy a lot of parts from rockauto and have been paying between $5-15 for most accessory drive belts (known brands, not chinese no brand). At that cost, I personally try to shoot for replacement every 5-6 yrs.

No disrespect meant to anyone, but when I travel any distance from home, I make sure I have some tools in my car and some essentials (some fluids and small parts to make quick repairs, spare wipers, spare belt, tire plug kit as a last resort, jump pack, small compressor, and so on). If another family member is driving that doesn't know what to do with that stuff, my hope is that a tow truck driver or someone that might be assisting them will be able to put it to use.

 

[VCFP153]

No disrespect meant to anyone, but when I travel any distance from home, I make sure I have some tools in my car and some essentials (some fluids and small parts to make quick repairs, spare wipers, spare belt, tire plug kit as a last resort, jump pack, small compressor, and so on). If another family member is driving that doesn't know what to do with that stuff, my hope is that a tow truck driver or someone that might be assisting them will be able to put it to use.

Not sure why anyone would take that as disrespectful.

 

[613GT500]

Lots of reasons belts fail - only way to know for sure is to have a mechanic inspect it properly and not just throw another belt on. If it wasn't a belt defect, bad luck. If it's a bad accessory, bad pulley/tensioner, misaligned pulleys, or other mechanical issues, hopefully it is addressed so the replacement doesn't fail again in >30K miles

For those playing along at home, be careful judging newer EPDM accessory drive belts on looks alone as they tend to appear new for longer than older non-EDPM belts. They should still be inspected regularly and replaced if there is any signs of excess stretch/wear/damage. For a DIYer, accessory drive belts are pretty easy to replace and can be had quite cheap. I buy a lot of parts from rockauto and have been paying between $5-15 for most accessory drive belts (known brands, not chinese no brand). At that cost, I personally try to shoot for replacement every 5-6 yrs.

No disrespect meant to anyone, but when I travel any distance from home, I make sure I have some tools in my car and some essentials (some fluids and small parts to make quick repairs, spare wipers, spare belt, tire plug kit as a last resort, jump pack, small compressor, and so on). If another family member is driving that doesn't know what to do with that stuff, my hope is that a tow truck driver or someone that might be assisting them will be able to put it to use.

You trust a tow truck driver to be competent enough fix your vehicle on the side of the road?

 

[KayGee]

You trust a tow truck driver to be competent enough fix your vehicle on the side of the road?

I've come across more than a few tow truck drivers and roadside assistance types that are actually current or former mechanics, so as with everything, it would depend. But I assume you are referencing the last part of my post were I mention small parts and essentials, like wiper blades, spare belt, fluids, etc..., so we are talking about rather simple repairs rather than something like an engine or trans replacement.

If my wife or son/daughter were stuck on the side of the road several hours away due to something simple like a broken belt or wiper, low fluid, or a flat tire, I would prefer that they had the part so they could replace it themselves if they could or have someone could install it for them. Whether that someone be a tow truck driver, a shop that could do the work but didn't have the part available, or even a good samaritan that offered assistance. There are a lot of variables and moving parts to everything, so it depends on where/when something happened as to how I would advise the person driving the vehicle to handle things - i.e. do what you can where you are at or have it towed somewhere and fixed there. YMMV.

Accessory drive belts for the explorer are available from rockauto for ~$10. It's not cost prohibitive to buy one and throw it in with the spare tire just in case. YMMV.

 

[SouthernExploder]

Update: The broken belt took an A/C line with it so that's why they had to order parts. Picked up the suv the next day. It was all warranty work.

 

[peterk9]

Thank you for following up.

Peter