[CW_]

I have a 2012 1LT auto with the 1.4 Turbo, and I'm the type who usually carries a few common spare parts around for my car. In my old car ('96 Blazer with the never die, but never idle smoothly Vortec 4300) I always carried a spare serpentine belt since I've had them break on me before, and changing the belt was a relatively straightforward job requiring only a 3/8" square bit like a ratchet without a socket on it, and 20 minutes or so of swearing trying to loop it around all the pulleys. I've read things saying that changing the belt on the 1.4T actually requires unbolting one of the motor mounts and lifting the motor up, not likely the kind of thing I could do at the side of the road. Is this true?

 

[hificruzer226]

for 5 years 100000 you have free towing.... But if you have a jack that will easily lift the motor.

 

[CW_]

I thought the belt was considered a "consumable item" and therefore not covered under warranty/no free roadside assistance. I could be wrong though.

 

[blk88verde]

I bought a spare "gatorback belt" but it is not any easy job to change, you will need to support the engine as you need to remove the passenger side upper engine mount to remove and replace the belt.

 

[hificruzer226]

I thought the belt was considered a "consumable item" and therefore not covered under warranty/no free roadside assistance. I could be wrong though.

The belt is not covered but the towing is. Same thing if you run out of gas the will fill you up ...up to 2 gallons

 

[Vetterin]

I would think that by just checking your belt every so often you can avoid any potential problem. Maybe I'm lucky but even though I have replaced belts, I've never broken a belt, serpentine OR fan, in the 45 years I've been driving.

 

[Gus_Mahn]

It's too hard to change the belt on the side of the road, and the only time I've seen a serpentine belt fail is when a component's bearing goes bad. Without all the parts to fix the car, there's really no need for the belt.

 

[PanJet]

I thought the belt was considered a "consumable item" and therefore not covered under warranty/no free roadside assistance. I could be wrong though.

I thought the free roadside assistance (not the warranty) was available for any problem, even a flat tire.

Sure you may have to pay for a new belt (which you would anyway), but not the roadside assistance. That's how I understand it.

And yeah, as far as the Cruze goes; way too hard to change it on the side of the road unless you're always carrying around a jack and the right tools.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb9DzBnc5e0

 

[sciphi]

I'd replace it at 5 years old or the mileage listed in the owner's manual. IIRC that's 100k miles, but don't quote me on that.

 

[spacedout]

When I would replace a belt in the past on cars I would keep the old one and throw it in the trunk. The cruze needing the engine braced and motor mount removed makes that a bit more difficult to do on the side of the road. Besides I never needed my spare belt in 400K+ miles on multiple cars.

Everyone is correct, roadside assistance would tow your car to the dealer for free for the first 5 years/100K miles, you would just have to pay for the repair if your past the 3year/36K B2B warranty. Details about roadside assistance can be found on the page below: Chevy Warranty Information | Owners | Chevrolet

 

[CW_]

Yeah... Not sure how the free tow would balance out with a dealership's higher parts and labor rates, and a rubber belt really isn't the kind of thing that I'd worry about needing a dealership to replace, I'd probably either do it myself or get an independent mechanic to do it. I suppose the best thing to do would be just to keep an eye on the belt and if I start seeing cracks or something go ahead and replace it. Admittedly, the last time I actually had one fail in a vehicle it was because the bearing went in an alternator, but I had a spare alternator on me as well since I had a lot of trouble with the craptastic rebuilt alternators from the parts stores failing.