Changing AUII I-6 serpentine belt

[Ozian]

Hey fellow AU owners, this is my first post here. I have a couple of questions that I'm hoping someone here could help shed some light on for me.

I was wondering how hard it is to change the serpentine belt on a 2001 AUII Fairmont with the standard 4.0L six. It looks to be relatively simple, but it's not obvious how to release the tension pully to slip it off. Is it simple once you know the trick?

The reason I was is that I just had my Fairmont serviced and they charged me $54 in labour to replace the belt, and I when I saw that once I went over the invoice in detail at home just about flipped. : All my experience is with V8's and I've never done any work on this car myself, only in order to ensure that I don't void my extended warrenty. It takes me less than 5 minutes to change the belt on my pervious Mustangs (1979 and newer), so I'm just wondering how much this dealership has gouged me. :

Also, they did a tranny flush (spilling tranny oil all over the place in the process... but that's another gripe altogether) and on my invoice it says they used Castrol TQ Dextron II. Isn't Dextron II the fluid they are supposed to use for manual trannies? Ford service book calls for Castrol TQ-95 or equivalent, and Castrol's own website says that TQ-95 is designed specifically for the BTR-A transmission, and that "Under no circumstances should alternative fluids be recommended as a suitable equivalent. Non-approved fluids will result in loss of shift performance and reduce transmission life." Even if they used TQ Dextron III, Castrol does not recommend this fluid for the Ford BTR-A transmission. Let's not even get going on the fact that they charged me $110 for 4 litres of whatever they put in. :

I'm getting ready to go back to the dealer and talk over these issues with them (I'll be polite and respectful, as I want this resolved and I know that going in with guns blazing is not a good way to get any concessions... at least not initially), but I'd like to see what you folks think on these issues.

Any comments/observations/similar experiences would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Ian

[EvilChief]

piece of cake to change belt, tales 1 minute of u r good

the belts have a self tensioner, which can be released with a 17/19mm socket, the belt then slips off easy enough. easy enough otehr way around

[Baboon_AU]

i think its a 3/8 socket and then when its released, put a small pin or a 5mm drill bit into it to hold it back, then pull the belt off, slip the new one on a then take the pin/drill bit out and then tighten it back up. there is no need to change the belt unless the tensioner shows that it is worn, there a markings showing u this.

[GK]

Originally Posted by Baboon_AU

i think its a 3/8 socket and then when its released, put a small pin or a 5mm drill bit into it to hold it back, then pull the belt off, slip the new one on a then take the pin/drill bit out and then tighten it back up. there is no need to change the belt unless the tensioner shows that it is worn, there a markings showing u this.

I would be changing mine also if there were noticiable cracks in it!

GK

[AWD Chaser]

Try ringing up another mechanic and getting a quote for what you got done, and ask how much for labour, how long it takes, and how much for parts (belt, oils).

Then if it fairly the same of what you were charged.... take it on the chin, if not, go and dispute it with the manager....

[tufLTD]

On an AU 6, you need to remove the fan assembly to get on to the tensioner. It's a 3/8" square drive hole, so you need a 3/8" ratchet or bar. Takes about 10 mins.
The AU auto needs TQ-95, not Dex II. Get them to change it to the correct fluid asap.

[OED666]

Originally Posted by tufLTD

On an AU 6, you need to remove the fan assembly to get on to the tensioner. It's a 3/8" square drive hole, so you need a 3/8" ratchet or bar. Takes about 10 mins.
The AU auto needs TQ-95, not Dex II. Get them to change it to the correct fluid asap.

Definitly on the money tufLTD... exactly what i would say to do...

Definitly say something about the service charges, and the incorrect fluids being used...

A guy i know who works at holden, said someone sent their car in for a headlight to be changed, cost them $90... going by the way holden design pedal boxes, it probably took a good hour to change the light

[antilooped]

all mechanics are pirates, in the business to take advantage of the unknowing customer one hour of labour to them includes a smoko, dunny break, tea break and phone call :p sorry to offend any mechanics here!

Did you take it to a ford dealer ozian?

[tufLTD]

Originally Posted by antilooped

all mechanics are pirates, in the business to take advantage of the unknowing customer one hour of labour to them includes a smoko, dunny break, tea break and phone call :p sorry to offend any mechanics here!

What do you mean "Sorry to offend any mechanics here" when you've just called us "all pirates"? Like any trade or business, there's good & bad operators. There's also tossers who think they know everything about cars & can do it quicker than any qualified mechanic then get ИИИИed off when they have to pay a mechanic to fix their own ИИИИИИ-ups. PS: Sorry to offend any tossers here! :

[Ozian]

Thanks for all the replies. It's definitely given me the information that I needed.

Antilooped, yes, it was a certified Ford dealer that I took the car to. I got a 3 year unlimited mileage warrenty when I bought the car 2 years ago, and for the sake of not giving them any excuse to deny any claims, I've always had the car serviced at Ford dealers.

The two other dealers I've used for service here in Brisbane have been very good. They did the job quickly, didn't overcharge (too much), and offered pick-up and drop-off services at no extra charge. When I got the car back it was clean and there were no drips or spills.

This latest dealership was abismal. Overcharged ($110 for $30 of transmission fluid, $55 for a $35 belt, and more), put in the wrong fluid, made no offer to shuttle me anywhere, the car had dirt tracked into the interior, and there was spilled fluid dripping all over the place (now on my previously spotless garage floor). :

TuffLTD, I know that not all mechanics and shops are like this, and I've had my share of good and bad experiences over the last 20 years, both here and in Canada. The problem is that there are still too many shoddy shops out there doing the wrong thing, and it tarnishes those that have cleaned up their act. Until there is a wholesale shift in attitude in the industry so that bad experiences become rare rather than frequent, dealership service centres will continue to cop a bad rap... deserved or not.

In any event, I'll be going back to them tomorrow to give them the opportunity to make things right. If they blow me off it will get escalated, and I'll be making sure that I tell everyone that will listen of my bad experience with them. There's no excuse for this garbage in the industry anymore, and those that condone shoddy practices deserve to be called out.

Thanks again for your replies everyone.

Cheers,
Ian

[GK]

Originally Posted by Ozian

Until there is a wholesale shift in attitude in the industry so that bad experiences become rare rather than frequent, dealership service centres will continue to cop a bad rap... deserved or not.

Spot on!

GK

[Mechan1k]

need TQ95 or 95LE fluid .... otherwise you will kill the BTR bloody quickly ... the fluid turns to treacle inside the transmission ... I'd be changing it (and getting it flushed as well) immediately.

Dex II or III is detrimental to the transmission .... if Ford find the wrong fluid has been used in the transmission ... and it fails ..... warranty cover is voided.

Sounds like you found a dodgy mechanic there. You get them here and there. I am lucky I had a top mechanic that works on my vehicle ... who doesn't overcharge me and his quality of work is excellent. I even travel an hour just to get my vehicle serviced there ... just for piece of mind.

[FUQNDV8]

Ozian. If the dealer was on the north side of brissie about 10 minutes from the CBD i can bet i know who they are. If its the same mob they do the worst dodgy jobs ive ever seen and some of them shouldnt even be allowed to touch cars. Maybe except holdens. I returned the reminder letter after the first 6 months about the 3 year warrantee with a note letting them know they are not qualified or experienced enough to work on cars. Id hate to know how many poor buggers are driving around dangerous or defective cars because of there work. A RACQ check gave me 8 faults to fix under the 3 month warrantee. every time they fixed something i had to check it was done and return to get it fixed again except for a seat belt. They didnt want to replace that till i suggested id go across the road to the Queensland transport and ask them if it was a defect and should a car be sold with one in that condition. Took 30 minutes for them to change it. They even tried to tell me they replaced the shockies one time. So i jacked the car up and guess they were lying since the shockes wernt replaced. Took it back again and made them replace the shockies. Found the very next day both rear springs were put in wrong. Both were off centre just about touching the shockies. they tried to pass off the rear seal on the gear box leaking as it being from the overflow. That didnt work and they had to replace that. while doing that they broke a bolt on the exhaust and just left it with one in it. Back again for them to fix that. The pricks created more damage than they fixed. I ended up dragging them through Ford Australia for the workmanship and for giving me a unroadworthy and defective car back after the spring incident. In the end every time they seen me getting out of the car the smart ones would hide. It was the worst couple of months of there lives
PS
Read what the 3 year warrantee covers and you will notice its not worth the paper its written on. Cross off what it does not cover and your left with just about only the suspension.