hiya..not being a "car guy", i get my oil changed at Jiffy Lube. anyhow,
the guy tells me my belt is worn and should be replaced soon, of course
offering to do it himself. i declined, but was wondering about belt
wear. the guy said it was shiny and said it shouldn't look that way. it
didn't look too bad to me, but what do i know? is there a way to test it
perhaps? if it needs changing, i'll do it, but i don't want to spend
money i don't have to.thanks!

mike avera wrote:

If it's not squealing, and the grooved side of the belt isn't
loaded up with a bunch of cracks (which, by the way, are
fairly normal after so many miles, but you want to inspect
the depth of the cracks, that's what is important), then I
wouldn't worry too much about. Jiffy Lube type places
are designed to get you in the door with the oil change
then upsell anything that they can find. That's how they
make money. Actually, that's how the industry generally
makes money. So you need to be knowledgeable so that
you can determine what really needs to be done.

Ian

thanks! now, for an unrelated question. i need to add some Dexcool, as
my level is low and my warning light popped on briefly a few times
today. how much of the bottle am i supposed to use? i know to mix it
with water, but i'm unsure on how much will fill the "surge tank". the
owners manual doesnt specify, just says add the correct mixture. the
whole bottle plus water? half? sorry to sound dumb, but any advice is
appreciated.

mike avera wrote:

The simple way is to pour half of the dexcool into another container,
then top up the original container with water. Now you have "50/50"
dexcool. Then add your pre-mix to the overflow bottle when the
engine is cold, and fill it up to the "cold level" marker. The bottle
is clear enough that you should be able to see where the coolant
level is as you pour it in.

Ian

shiden_Kai wrote:

And write PRE-MIX in big bold black marker on the container
so you don't ever end up mixing it twice.

(Don't ask me why I suggest it, eh?

Ken