Hey guys,
My drive belts are squealing like crazy! I took the car in and they said there are no visable cracks or wear and that if I want the noise to stop I have to replace them. My 2000 Max only has 34000 miles on it. The squealing sound seems to only happen after or during rain or humid conditions. What is the cause for this? Do I need new drive belts with such low mileage? I think the dealer wanted $150 for the job and the belts are only like $25. What should I expect to pay? Thanks for the advice, I can't stand the squealing sound.

 

Did they bother to check if the belt tension is correct?

 

I'd say they need to be tightened a bit.. Pretty easy to change the belts on our cars.. the only one that may be hard is the powersteering pump belt which you have to come in from the back side of the mount to loosen 1 bolt so the adjuster will move. took me about 30 mins to put my UDP and new belts on. Most of that time was spent on that one bolt i mentioned.

 

it can be coming from your alternator. There are two belts, loose the drive belt (6-rib one) and start the car and see if it is coming from the alternator or A/C. If the noise is still there after the main diver belt is removed...then the noise is coming from your powersteering pump.

here is my write-up on replacing the power steering pump belt...in case you need it.

https://maxima.org/forums/showthread...+powersteering

 

Insist on warranty or try other dealer in the area. I replaced my belts under warranty.

 

Problem is that my warranty is past the three year and they claim normal wear and tear. They also adjusted the belts, but it made no difference. They say it is normal for belts to be changed at 30k which I don't believe.

 

A good set of goodyear gatorbacks will cost you about 25-35 bucks. Just get the belts and install them yourself

 

Does anyone know how long the "normal" life expectancy for belts are?

Also, are they covered by the 3yr/36,000mile warr?

 

depends on the brand....usually it will last for a long time if you dont mess around with it.

it is not under 3yr/36k and I am pretty sure it falls under another category that requires preventive maintenance. like your brake and rotor. But would you wait in the dealer for 2 hours and fight with them over a driver belt, or spend 25 dollars and replace it in 20 minutes.

IMO, I dont recommand any belt that have cuts or bands (i.e. goodyear gatorback). After shredding 4 belts with my supercharger, I noticed that the alignment tend to go off easier on the gatorback than the gates.

I prefer Gates belt.

 

bump

 

I was gonna say the same.