My Honda dealership recommends that I replace the Alternator Belt on my 2005 Honda CRV with ~133K miles....when I looked it over, there are no cracks to be seen. I do my own maintenance (thanks to you in part) and because I'm cheap (like you 🙂 ).... my question how can I be sure if the belt needs replacing if I don't see any cracks?
I don't thinks it's "glazed" either...were they just trying to "sell me something" in your opinion?
Honestly, a 17 year old aged belt! I would replace it. Nothing lasts forever and its cheap insurance.
If it's the original belt it is way past its use-by date no matter how it looks. If you're handy there's no reason you can't install it yourself.
In general I won't accept anything the dealership says, but in your case after that many years if the belt has never been changed then yeah you should change it. But if you can't do it yourself don't have the dealership do it; take it to a trusted independent mechanic. Stealerships charge a lot for parts and labor and are known for not doing things right.
Sure, the dealer (why are you going to a dealer?) wants to sell you a new belt at twice the price plus the labor. Get a new belt and do it yourself.
Dealers will up sell you every chance they get, whether it is legit or not. In this case, just by age, it seems legit.
