Why Should You Have Subaru Belts & Hoses Replaced?
Time and normal driving will wear out the various belts and hoses in your vehicle, so having them replaced before they fail is an important part of automotive maintenance. If you're familiar with working on vehicles, replacing hoses or belts is usually something you can do on a weekend in the garage. However, we recommend leaving it to the professionals at an authorized service center who know Subaru engineering best.
What Should You Know about the Hoses on Your Subaru?
Depending on which model vehicle you drive, hoses carry a variety of fluids including coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, fuel, and possibly others. We find that the coolant hoses are often the most problematic since the fluid they carry gets exceptionally hot. These include the radiator hoses and heater hoses that are typically inexpensive to have replaced as they near the end of their service life.
Other hoses, like the flexible brake lines that go to the calipers on each wheel, tend to last longer. No matter what the hose is for, serious and even dangerous problems arise if they fail. Most of these systems are under pressure, so a failed hose means that you'll quickly be without the fluid your vehicle needs. That could mean the engine overheats, brakes or power steering won't work, or gasoline could leak and cause a fire hazard.
How do You Know if an Engine Belt Needs to Be Replaced?
Virtually every modern vehicle is now equipped with a single serpentine belt that drives things like the alternator, water pump, AC compressor, and other components depending on which model you drive. Parts of this belt are visible when you look under the hood but determining its condition can be a little tricky. Mostly, you're looking for hairline cracks in the belt that suggest age and wear. However, it's far more difficult to inspect the entire belt. This is why the replacement of an engine drive belt is something that's included as part of regularly scheduled maintenance, and you can find this in your owner's manual.
There's a chance that your vehicle may have a timing belt, which can only be inspected upon substantial disassembly. If your Subaru has a timing belt, its replacement is also scheduled as part of regular maintenance, and we discuss it further in our timing belt FAQ page. No matter which engine belt you're concerned about, the best bet is to leave the inspection and potential replacement to factory-trained experts like those in our service center at Mike Shaw Subaru.
Mike Shaw Subaru
1650 W 104th Avenue
Thornton, CO 80234
- Sales: 720-724-9280
- Service: 720-724-9280
- Parts: 720-724-9280
