Need Advice!!!! Timing belt replacement

[tunglnguyen]

I recently purchased a 2004 STI with 62,000 miles on it. The day after I purchased it, the alternator/ power steering belt snapped into pieces on me. I decided to replace both belts.... fairly inexpensive, not a big deal. However, with that in mind I worry about the timing belt. Subaru recommends that I have it done at 105K but I'm still worried looking at the condition of the accessory belts that came on the car. I tried taking the timing belt shroud off to inspect the condition of the T-belt on the car, but the bolts are simply spinning in there. Should I be worried or I'm I being a newbie to the STI world?

I have a mechanic I can trust, but he says he has to do a lot of work to even take off the shroud since the bolts are spinning.... advice?

Tung

[SD_GR]

On my WRX the belt is due at 105K as you say. I will not replace it before then. If you are concerned, as you seem to be, then it's a one-way street: have the belt inspected. Frankly, you should price mere inspection vs. outright replacement and see what makes most financial sense. If the fee your mechanic charges is quite high compared to the fee for changing the belt, well then go for everything.

BTW, not to raise your concerns but if you do not have a full service history for the car, you should keep in mind that the odometer readings on these cars are stored in the instrument cluster, not on the ECU. This means that swapping clusters instantly gives a new odometer reading. Are you sure your car has 62K? Belts should not disintegrate like that, even "external" belts like the alt/steering belt.

[tunglnguyen]

You make a great point.... I bought it used and even though the guy said that he took good care of it, that's him trying to sell the car. I don't have service records of the car... would getting a car fax report do any good? Other suggestions?

You are right, accessory belts at 62K should not rip apart that easily....

[SD_GR]

A Carfax report would not hurt certainly but ultimately, it's now your car regardless. In any case, congrats. These are really nice cars. They're generally sturdy and they're certainly not free, as you know, so it's worth maintaining them correctly.

I'd invest some money and have a mechanic go over the entire car. If you do not have the owner's manual, download or buy one etc. and make sure the car is up to date on its service. If the 60K service was just done the plugs will look fresh, as will the air filter and all fluids. Have someone check it out and do whatever is needed to make sure the car is up to full factory spec for a 60K car. It'll be worth the $ in the long run in my opinion.

Congrats again! I think you'll like the site too, by the way, there's lots of info.