How much should it cost to change drive belts and alternator belt idler (pulley)?

[skyeblue818]

My 2002 325Ci has been making a high pitched screeching noise when I turn on the car in the mornings. I took it to a mechanic and they told me I need to replace the drive belts and the alternator belt pulley. I know the drive belts need replacement and can see the cracks.

So how much should I have to pay for the mechanic to replace (1) both drive belts and (2) the alternator belt idler? He quoted me a price of $170. Does that sound about right?

Thanks,
BMW fan

[edhchoe]

I guess that's parts plus about 1 hour of labor. I got tools and I do those things at home so I don't know if that's what people charge.

[delmarco]

yesterday the BMW of Manhattan dealership told me $450 to change the belts on my car.

I refused and ordered the belts myself.

Both OEM belts made by ContiTech cost $30 plus shipping and if I don't have the time to DIY I'm pretty sure my local mechanic will NOT charge me more than $40-$50.

On every car I've ever owned or all my friends owned who told me they had belts changed that is usually the labor costs for changing belts.

Really, on a nice sunny day it is a 30 min DIY or 1 hour tops if it is your first time. On my 1995 318i I changed the belts myself a few times. Even did an Alternator swap with minimal tools.

Plus they are way too too too many shops that can change belts for you to be getting $170 from your guy. Just tell him you are taking your car down the street and you will see what they charge and I'm sure his $170 asking price will quickly drop to $50.

[nathancarter]

$170 sounds reasonable for both belts + pulley + labor. It's a little a bit high, but a mechanic's gotta eat.

If you have a manual transmission and basic tools, I'd highly recommend trying this yourself. If you have an automatic transmission, it's also definitely do-able by a home mechanic, but the automatic transmissions have a slightly more complex fan setup that may require special tool(s).

Look at it this way: Even if you have to buy some additional tools, the total price of parts+tools will be much less than $170, and it gives you a chance to get intimate with your car. Plus, your wife/GF will be impressed and think you are manly.

Let us know if you want to give it a shot yourself, and we can post more specific instructions or point you to a DIY.

[delmarco]

Oh there was pulley replacement involved....$150 would be more "ballpark" reasonable for everything. Plus you can tip $20 if you feel the work was done well.

[damo318]

try the repair yourself i changed the belts on my car a few weeks ago and it was easy i never done the pulley before so i'am not too sure about that

[delmarco]

The pulley should not be any harder since it is "just" bolted on by either an 11mm or 12mm bolt. When I changed my belts on the E36 M42 engine you literally have to either loosen the pulley bolt to release tension or remove the bold and pulley (if you choose). So in a sense to change the belts is also the same as loosening the pulley bolts thus removing the pulley.
The only difficulty is getting your breaker bar ratchet into the tight space to release the pulley, and/or removing the fan first in order to "get in there".

I actually believe that most mechanics when it comes to cars with the belts buried beneath layers of hoses and parts like the 330i engine change the belts from the underside of the car with the car raised to bypass alot of the junk that sits above the belts.

Like I said I've done belts on the E36 but still I can't imagine the E46 engine to be extremely more difficult or expensive to change belts and pulleys.

[nathancarter]

From my experience, the serpentine belt is easier to access from the top, and the A/C belt is easier to access from the bottom. You could probably do everything from the top after removing the intake scoop and the fan. The serpentine belt idler pulley would be very difficult to reach from the bottom.