Auxiliary Belt

[NeilAvensisT]

Morning all. Quick question please about the above. My car is a 2011 1.8TR Valvematic estate, petrol, 52k miles. It looks to be the original aux belt on the car, but, until I purchased it last November, it was fully serviced at the local Toyota main dealer. It looks in relatively good condition (for its age). Has anyone else changed their Aux belt, do they tend to go, is it a good 'precautionary' thing on this car to change? Thanks.

[Konrad C]

I changed my belt 2 years ago when I replaced the water pump. 

The old belt was original and in fairly good condition. This is because the belt has a simple run, so will last longer. Get an inspection mirror (cheap ones available in pound stores) and good torch to check the condition of the belt, both sides for cracks and delamination. I bought the spare belt and after the replacement kept the old for emergency purpose. If the belt did snap and you have a spare, so long as you have a socket kit, you can replace the belt roadside and be on your way. Couple of other checks you can do apart from the tension, is the alternator freewheel pulley and water pump for play, leaks or about to seize. The freewheel pulley can be faulty by not freewheeling on over run (locked), or not locking causing the alternator to not charge the Battery. Both are rare. When I replaced the water pump, it was noisy and I suspect had a leak. After I replaced the water pump, the old pump actually seized solid that I couldn't turn it by hand! 

Hopefully all this extra info will help you.

[NeilAvensisT]

22 hours ago, Konrad C said:

I changed my belt 2 years ago when I replaced the water pump. 

The old belt was original and in fairly good condition. This is because the belt has a simple run, so will last longer. Get an inspection mirror (cheap ones available in pound stores) and good torch to check the condition of the belt, both sides for cracks and delamination. I bought the spare belt and after the replacement kept the old for emergency purpose. If the belt did snap and you have a spare, so long as you have a socket kit, you can replace the belt roadside and be on your way. Couple of other checks you can do apart from the tension, is the alternator freewheel pulley and water pump for play, leaks or about to seize. The freewheel pulley can be faulty by not freewheeling on over run (locked), or not locking causing the alternator to not charge the battery. Both are rare. When I replaced the water pump, it was noisy and I suspect had a leak. After I replaced the water pump, the old pump actually seized solid that I couldn't turn it by hand! 

Hopefully all this extra info will help you.

Thank you for the comprehensive response. I will inspect the rear of the belt as you suggest and take it from there. Whilst Toyota parts have an almost legendary reputation for longevity and reliability, this, at the end of the day is just a rubber/fabric based belt, so ultimately it will fail I guess at some stage. Thanks again.