[whyzee125]

I replaced the belt with a gates belt from O'reilly (couldn't wait for the Conti from FCP) and the tensioners and pulleys all felt great.

[lowrydr310]

I bought a Gates belt but wasn't impressed with the quality. I know it doesn't matter much where things are made, however the belt I got was made in Mexico and didn't have a smooth finish. There were uneven ridges on the outer surface of the belt, almost looking like you can see the reinforcement bands.

I ordered a Bando belt to install instead. Made in the USA, and it looks much better.

Does it make a difference? Probably not. Either belt is probably fine.

[mecheng77]

Bando belts are OEM on Honda and are VERY good. I've had them on past cars with many miles and years on the car with the original belt.

[John 070]

Bando is OEM to Lexus as well. The USA made OEM is a fraction of the LExus OE part. I bet all 8 cyl on the OEM, and it's been fine for 17 mos!

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by lowrydr310

I bought a Gates belt but wasn't impressed with the quality. I know it doesn't matter much where things are made, however the belt I got was made in Mexico and didn't have a smooth finish. There were uneven ridges on the outer surface of the belt, almost looking like you can see the reinforcement bands.

I ordered a Bando belt to install instead. Made in the USA, and it looks much better.

Does it make a difference? Probably not. Either belt is probably fine.

Great to see that comparison. I got a Hayes belt for my sisters jeep and it was really bad; frayed from the factory and squeaked immediately. Mine seems good so far. Fingers crossed.

[lowrydr310]

I finally got around to installing my belt, tensioner, and idler pulley last weekend. It took about 30 minutes from start to finish, and that included properly torquing per the specs in the Bentley manual. My torx set didn't have a T60, but Autozone has them for $6.

I feel like I dodged a bullet because even though I knew my tensioner was bent and out of plane, I didn't realize how bad it was. Luckily the belt wasn't hanging off, however it was definitely not aligned the way it should be. In addition, the belt that was on my car (Dayco) was way overdue for a replacement. It's not good when you can see cracks in a EPDM belt, and the 'v' grooves were thin and u-shaped.

[nhhiep]

what's up with replacing the belt/tensioner at 60k miles? I replaced mine at 135k just in case and they still look fine. My car was in AZ heat for 5 yrs and in CO snow for 4 yrs.

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by nhhiep

what's up with replacing the belt/tensioner at 60k miles? I replaced mine at 135k just in case and they still look fine. My car was in AZ heat for 5 yrs and in CO snow for 4 yrs.

My belt and tensioners were all in excellent shape at 16x,000. My OFHG has been leaking for a while too and still no cracks or visible wear at all.

[Jashan90]

I'm going to give you a huge tip. When removing the gasket you'll also have difficulty removing the bolt on the bottom side of the oil filter gasket. Don't pull the coolant hose off of the flange but instead remove the two extra bolts to pull the entire flange out to make your life easier. I pulled mine and the flange broke but I replaced it with a aluminum replacement.

[whyzee125]

Originally Posted by Jashan90

I'm going to give you a huge tip. When removing the gasket you'll also have difficulty removing the bolt on the bottom side of the oil filter gasket. Don't pull the coolant hose off of the flange but instead remove the two extra bolts to pull the entire flange out to make your life easier. I pulled mine and the flange broke but I replaced it with a aluminum replacement.

Haha I did the same thing! I wish I'd known this ahead of time. Thanks for the tip, hopefully it can save someone else the trouble we went through

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by nhhiep

what's up with replacing the belt/tensioner at 60k miles? I replaced mine at 135k just in case and they still look fine. My car was in AZ heat for 5 yrs and in CO snow for 4 yrs.

Yeah, Miller is still living in the 1970's. I replaced my tensioner at 297,950. It was perfectly fine. I've kept it as a spare.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Yeah, Miller is still living in the 1970's. I replaced my tensioner at 297,950. It was perfectly fine. I've kept it as a spare.

I'm thinking some of these parts require replacing due to time not necessarily mileage.

I replaced the tensioner on my 325 at 100kish miles because one of the pulleys was squeaking, and just bought the kit. The tensioner itself wasn't in too bad of shape.

My 328i has 33,000 miles, original everything, and the tensioner had a slight outward bend to it and the belt was right at the edge of the pulley.

[lab_rat]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

I'm thinking some of these parts require replacing due to time not necessarily mileage.

I replaced the tensioner on my 325 at 100kish miles because one of the pulleys was squeaking, and just bought the kit. The tensioner itself wasn't in too bad of shape.

My 328i has 33,000 miles, original everything, and the tensioner had a slight outward bend to it and the belt was right at the edge of the pulley.

I agree with you on that thinking. Some parts are more wear dependent on the number of heat cycles or age rather than mileage.

I think that's a major factor why city driven BMWs tend to have higher maintenance requirements than mostly highway driven/autobahn stormers.

It seems like our BMWs respond better [maintenance wise] to go long distances rather than being placed on a daily city 'stop and go' mode.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

I'm thinking some of these parts require replacing due to time not necessarily mileage.

I replaced the tensioner on my 325 at 100kish miles because one of the pulleys was squeaking, and just bought the kit. The tensioner itself wasn't in too bad of shape.

My 328i has 33,000 miles, original everything, and the tensioner had a slight outward bend to it and the belt was right at the edge of the pulley.

Well, it might be more related to environmental conditions. AC use can effect the loading on the belt. Road salts weaken the aluminum bolt. Etc.

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by nsjames

the contitech kit with everything you need is like $90.

it's cheap insurance.

Originally Posted by labrador

OEM tensioner is about $50 on RM European and a Conti belt is $21. Just change them.

Mine INA tensioner came with a new aluminum bolt.

Where in the world are you guys getting these low prices from!?!

eBay (what you see is what you get) kits are $194 to $200+!

ECS has the OEM kit for $313 and their Contitech kit for $180!

I just caledl BMW OF Westchester NY and Parts told me $167 for the tensioner pulley alone!

Originally Posted by nhhiep

what's up with replacing the belt/tensioner at 60k miles? I replaced mine at 135k just in case and they still look fine. My car was in AZ heat for 5 yrs and in CO snow for 4 yrs.

I think pulleys and belts are one of this things that don't confirm to any rigid replacement rules based on your car's age, mileage or location.

My E46 330i M54 needed new belts at 37,000 miles and new pulleys (and belts again) at 60k

My E36 M42 went 160,000 miles on original belts and pulleys.

My E90 N55 needs new pulleys (tensioner pulley is squeaking like a beeyotch) at 55,000 miles.

[nsjames]

rockauto lists the contitech kit at $88 right meow.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...442504&jsn=394

[nsjames]

FCP has it for $81.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...EaApx_EALw_wcB

[AllBlackBimmer]

The belt/tensioner kit is literally $90 at most, why would you not just replace it?
Like, seriously, $90 vs hundreds or thousands?? Why not just re-lace it, yea you can clean any oil off... but oil degrades rubber. The belt doesn’t have to “walk” off the guides, it can just snap. I replaced my belt around 90k, no “issues” with it at all... except when I removed it you could see micro cracks on the inside of the belt. No completely “unnormal” and my tensioner was in decent shape, spun freely, no squeaks... but I wasnt running the risk of my belt snapping.

Seriously dude, $90 vs a ruined engine??? Just replace it while you’re there doing work, it’s easy and one of the cheapest maintenance items on these cars!

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by nsjames

rockauto lists the contitech kit at $88 right meow.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...442504&jsn=394

SOLD OUT for my car (2011 N55 335i)

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by nsjames

FCP has it for $81.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...EaApx_EALw_wcB

Great prices but my car is not a 2006 325i so it looks sold out for me...

[nsjames]

then I guess you're paying the money then.

or you could you know, try googling a part number to find the best pricing......

[lowrydr310]

Originally Posted by delmarco

Where in the world are you guys getting these low prices from!?!

I bought an INA tensioner for around $50 and a Bando belt for under $20 from Amazon. The idler pulley (INA brand) was also $15-20 if I remember correctly but I couldn’t find that on Amazon and had to purchase it from a local euro parts store.