maxshuty

I've got two quick questions:

My car has around 43k miles on it now (I put on 20,000+ miles in my first year of owning it, yikes!) and I'm not sure when, or how to tell, if the serpentine belt needs to be changed. At around 2000 RPMs I can here a squeel that sounds like a belt. It only happens at 2000 RPMs for a quick second then the sound goes away. I'm no mechanic and have no idea if its a belt or not but to me thats what it sounds like... Is there any way to tell if the belts going bad? If so is the replacement an easy DIY job or is it a mechanic-only job?

My second question is, and I know I've asked a million about this, but anyways: I'm probably buying a CAI+Tuner very soon but for those of you that have one is it truley worth the ~$500? Is the difference really that great? Is it a difference like "WOW this car feels SO much faster!!" or "Eh, its a bit quicker"

Derf00

If the belt has pieces missing in the teeth or the sides are flakey it's definitely time to replace it. I gerally repace rubber every 4 years or 48K miles.

As for the CAI + Tune search option is the best option

ODDYSEY

It sounds like the belt needs to be replaced if it is squeeling, or maybe just some tightening.

CAI/Tuner is worth EVERY penny of the $500. Yes it is THAT big of a difference if you go with someone like bama/brenspeed/evo etc.

Nuke

I can't speak on the belt issue but the CAI & tune definately wakes the car up and improves drivability, especially on autos. But if you drive granny style all the time you won't feel the bulk of the RWHP gain. You have to know how the car feels with aggressive pre-CAI & tune driving before you can appreciate the post-CAI & tune feel.

maxshuty

I'll go check my belt out in a bit and see if it has any of those signs.

Its good to hear that the CAI/Tune is definitely worth it. I think I'm going to have to go with Bamatunes just because of the good things I hear from them. Does any one give out substantially more horsepower than the other? And I definitely dont granny my car - I feel bad for the darn thing because I beat on it WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY too much.

157dB

Serpentine belts dont need 'tightening' as they have a spring wound tensioner....

Quality Tunes are worth every penny spent...

ODDYSEY

Yes, but I was refering to the belt in general, it could be stretched, etc. and tensioners can go bad too

Joshspony

As stated check the belt for damage such as pieces missing, flaking, or severely cracked (dried out). If the belt doesn't visually look bad, it could be stretched, requiring replacement. The tensioner going bad is possible but not the first thing I would think would be the cause on an 07. While car is running watch the tensioner to see if it moves. It should kinda bounce a little with the car being reved a little. Even then its hard to say the tensioner is bad, usually when a tensioner goes bad it won't move at all or moves VERY easy (with belt pressure off).

Replace the belt and if that doesn't do it then replace the tensioner. With 43k on it, it wouldn't hurt to replace the belt anyway.

Joshspony

Oh yeah and the 'custom' tune is definatley work the money. I bought a C&L cai/ Xcal 3 from Bama and am very happy with it.