logo

Volkswagen R32 Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement at your home or office.

Our mobile mechanics offer services 7 days a week. Upfront and transparent pricing.

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(4)

Included for free with this service

Online Booking

Mechanic comes to you

12-month / 12k-mile warranty

Free 50 point safety inspection

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to your home or office 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

See availability

Customer Ratings

(4)

Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement Service

How much does a Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement cost?

On average, the cost for a Volkswagen R32 Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement is $184 with $44 for parts and $140 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
2004 Volkswagen R32V6-3.2LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$257.88Shop/Dealer Price$287.20 - $367.06
2008 Volkswagen R32V6-3.2LService typeSerpentine/Drive Belt ReplacementEstimate$263.39Shop/Dealer Price$287.64 - $355.44
Show example Volkswagen R32 Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement prices

What is a serpentine belt and how does it work?

A serpentine belt is a relatively long, flat, multi-ribbed belt that is driven by the engine’s crankshaft pulley. The belt drives many, and often all, of the engine accessories such as the alternator, air conditioning compressor, power steering pump, water pump, and air pump. The serpentine belt is tensioned by a hydraulic or spring-loaded automatic tensioner. Some older cars use a serpentine belt to drive most accessories but will also have a shorter v-style belt to drive, for example, the power steering pump.

Belts

When to consider replacing the serpentine belt:

  • Regularly scheduled maintenance. Typically, belt manufacturers recommend belt replacement at 90,000 miles. However, the belt must be inspected for wear or damage at regular intervals prior to this high mileage.
  • Squealing noise, belt slippage, visible belt damage. Should the belt fail or wear out prematurely, you may hear noise or you may see visible signs of deterioration such as missing chunks of rubber, excessive cracking, or a shredded appearance on the edge of the belt.
  • Battery Light. A loose belt, perhaps caused by a defective tensioner, may not drive the alternator at adequate speed and thus the battery may discharge, causing the warning light to illuminate.
  • Engine overheating. Often, the serpentine belt drives the water pump. In those applications, if the belt breaks the engine will overheat in seconds to minutes. If the belt is inadequately tensioned, you may notice higher-than-normal engine operating temperature.

How do mechanics replace the serpentine belt?

  • Prior to removing the belt, the mechanic must run the engine to determine if the idler pulley and the belt tensioner are noise-free. Those rotating components have grease filled bearings and are subject to wear. In addition, the mechanic will ensure that all pulleys and accessories are turning in the same plane. These steps help make sure your new belt will operate trouble-free for its full-service life.
  • The belt’s routing path through the various components is noted. The belt tensioner is released, usually with a wrench or lever, to release the tension from the belt. With the tension off, the belt slides off the pulleys.
  • All rotating components — that is the alternator, air conditioner compressor, etc. — are checked for smooth operation and no noise.
  • If everything checks out, the new belt is slipped over all of the pulleys while holding the tensioner away from the belt. Once the belt is centered on all pulleys, the tensioner is released and the installation is complete. The engine is run to ensure normal operation.

Is it safe to drive with a serpentine belt problem?

No. Should the belt have visible damage, you risk unexpected and sudden breakage that could potentially leave you stranded. Serpentine belt problems that result in the alternator not charging may cause the battery to discharge, which will result in loss of electrical power to the vehicle. Additionally, if a deteriorated belt breaks and that belt drives the water pump, the engine will overheat in a matter of seconds.

When replacing the serpentine belt keep in mind:

  • On many cars, the expected service life of a serpentine belt is around 90,000 miles. Should the belt fail well prior to that, a very careful inspection should be performed to check for out-of-alignment pulleys, a possibly out-of-position crankshaft harmonic balancer on which the drive pulley is mounted, binding pulleys, or a defective belt tensioner.
  • Attention should always be given to serpentine belt routing, since proper routing is critical to proper belt tension, and function of the driven components.
  • Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish serpentine belt related noise from other engine noises. In these cases, a mechanic will determine the origin of the noise by momentarily running the engine without the serpentine belt attached.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee

Number of Volkswagen R32 services completed
44+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Volkswagen MECHANICS
1000+
experts on our platform
Yourmechanic was featured in

New York Times NBC CBS Forbes INC Tech Crunch

Learn more about us

Meet some of our expert Volkswagen mechanics

Real customer reviews from Volkswagen owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(4)
Rating Summary
4
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0

Collins

13 years of experience
678 reviews
Request Collins
Collins
13 years of experience
Request Collins
by Jose
Volkswagen R32 V6-3.2L - Car does not shift from park to drive - Atlanta, Georgia
Very helpfull, and informitave! Would highly recomend!

Jeremiah

23 years of experience
61 reviews
Request Jeremiah
Jeremiah
23 years of experience
Request Jeremiah
by Rick
Volkswagen R32 V6-3.2L - Oil Change - Irving, Texas
The promotion for the bargain priced oil change got me to try the service, but my mechanic, Jeremiah Laroe, will be the the part that makes me use the service again. Jeremiah is a great asset to your company. Some mechanics might know cars as well as Jeremiah does, but very few mechanics can explain things in easy to understand terms like he does, and virtually no mechanics have his people skills.

Robert

21 years of experience
1307 reviews
Request Robert
Robert
21 years of experience
Request Robert
by Nicholas
Volkswagen R32 V6-3.2L - Windshield Wiper Linkage Replacement (Front) - Denver, Colorado
On time and knowledgable! Great experience using this platform!

Nazareth

28 years of experience
345 reviews
Request Nazareth
Nazareth
28 years of experience
Request Nazareth
by Ross
Volkswagen R32 V6-3.2L - Battery - Los Angeles, California
Nazareth was friendly and efficient. Arrived right on time and immediately got to assessing the work to be done. He had the work done in no time and got me running.

Excellent Rating

(4)
Rating Summary
4
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
Number of Volkswagen R32 services completed
44+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Volkswagen MECHANICS
1000+
experts on our platform
Yourmechanic was featured in

New York Times NBC CBS Forbes INC Tech Crunch

Learn more about us

Recent articles & questions

Is It Possible to Repair a Flat Tire?
Your Your tire pressure monitoring light comes on. Before you have a chance to even process what that means, you hear the dreaded flap-flap-flap and your car feels like it has an anchor attached to the back. You limp it...
Read more
How to Buy a Good Quality Oil Pan Gasket
When When your garage floor looks like an oil slick, there’s a good possibility that you will be shopping for a new oil pan gasket in the near future. While oil leaks can also be caused by a loose oil...
Read more
How to Prepare for the Mississippi Driver’s Written Test
There’s There’s nothing like the feeling of being out on the road and behind the wheel. Of course, if you hope to get your driver’s license, the first thing you need to do is to pass the written exam. The...
Read more

My car is having repeated problems with the batteries going dead quickly

Have you had your alternator (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/alternator-replacement) checked? Make sure the charging system is working correctly. Does the vehicle work after you jump start it? If the charging system checks out, the next thing is to check for a parasitic draw....
Read more

Toyota Camry 2009 stopped suddenly while driving wont start back up

Hi There, It sounds like you may have a faulty electrical connection or potentially a weak or dead battery. The other possibility that may be quite likely could be a failing alternator as indicated by the fact that the car...
Read more

2005 Cadillac CTS 3.6L V6 having transmission issues

The code P0430 is for the catalytic convertor or the sensors for the catalyst is having a problem. This may be from a bad catalyst or a defective sensor. Most likely this code was already there and the last owner...
Read more
  1. Home
  2. Estimates
  3. Volkswagen
  4. R32
  5. Serpentine/Drive Belt Replacement

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (844) 997-3624 · hi@yourmechanic.com

Read FAQ
GET A QUOTE