Serpentine Belt Service in South Lyon, MI

You know that long belt that snakes around the front of your engine? It's called the serpentine belt. The belt's driven by the engine as it turns. It powers your alternator, air conditioning compressor, and power steering pump. On some vehicles it also runs the water pump, radiator fan, and power brakes. Sounds like a lot of important stuff doesn't it?

If your serpentine belt were to break, your battery would die in a few miles. If it runs your fan or water pump, your engine could overheat. And steering and braking could be more difficult. Obviously, the best thing is to replace your serpentine belt before it breaks.

Check your owner's manual for when it's recommended to replace your serpentine belt – or just ask your service advisor. He can inspect the belt as well to see if it's in trouble. You may have been told to look for cracks in your belt to see if it needs to be replaced. Of course, cracks are still a concern, but modern belt material doesn't crack as often as old belts did. What we look for these days is the thickness of the belt. We have a special little tool that measures the depth of the grooves in the belt to see if it needs replacing.

A worn belt can slip or be misaligned, putting undue stress on the accessories it runs.

Now you can imagine it's important for the belt to be tight, so there's a tensioner pulley on your engine that puts pressure on the belt to keep it at the right tension. The spring on the tensioner wears out over time so we recommend replacing the tensioner pulley at the same time as the serpentine belt.

Replacing your serpentine belt on schedule, or when an inspection warrants it, will keep you from an unexpected breakdown.

To get an estimate on a repair contact Cook Automotive Repair at (248) 264-6338.

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I cannot say enough good things about Cook Automotive Repair. They knew my daughter needed her car back by this morning, so the mechanics worked late last night and early this morning to get it done. They made sure it was safety tested and ready for her by 8 am. They are as honest and reliable as an auto repair place can be. I feel like they know our vehicles and are always looking out for us to make sure we’re safe and not to just make a buck. They are kind, helpful, and calming and I have never felt like they are scamming me or making unnecessary repairs.

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28060 Pontiac Trail,South Lyon, MI - (248) 264-6338