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Originally Posted by lizBox
thanks for links and quicks answers.
yeah, being stranded on the wrong side of the tracks doesn't sound fun.
you convinced me and I'll replace it now.
when i wrote a belt failure was "not catastrophic", I meant that I didn't think it would cause an expensive shop visit.
if the belt breaks, i think it would affect immediate use of power steering, a/c, charging system and engine cooling.
those of you that carry an extra belt in the trunk, has it ever come in handy? have you replaced a belt on the side of the road in the bad neighbourhood?
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The point of keeping the spare belt in my front trunk is so that in case it fails when I'm on a weekend trip (let's say on a Sunday), when no dealer is open, and I can't order any parts, I'll have the part in my trunk, and even if I don't carry the tools in my car to change the belt, all I have to do is get towed to a gas station and borrow their breaker bar etc., to change out the polyrib belt myself, instead of having to wait until Monday to swing by a dealer to order a new belt or pick one up. The belt is small enough to put behind the spare tire, so it doesn't do any harm I figure.
But you are right- the belt going bad will not harm the car....just that you won't be able to drive the car very far because the water pump is driven off of it. I would get an OEM belt though, as I've read of others using the Gatorback belt and it failing rather quickly.