When it comes to auto belts and hoses on your vehicle, the aging process is not kind. Your vehicle’s contact with vibration, heat, and contaminants will wear out your belts and hoses more quickly than any other part. Timing belts and coolant hoses can become brittle and crack, and serpentine belts and radiator hoses can lose their ability to expand and contract causing them to leak. This makes routine inspection critical to the overall health of your vehicle. As a part of routine maintenance, Doug’s service teams will inspect your car’s hoses and belts both visually and through performance tests to find any cracks, leaks or tension issues that may be present. Because we are known for being honest, we will tell you if any issues found are pressing, or if they can wait for replacement. Doug’s has a reputation for honest diagnostics, exceptional service and pricing that won’t break the bank. If you are need of routine maintenance, and no other issues are found, you can plan on driving away with a happy car, a smile on your face, and no hole in your wallet! Below, we’ve listed some of the types of belts and hoses in your vehicle, along with their application.

While many accessories in your vehicle are powered by electricity, others are powered by the engine itself. The power from the engine is used via a system of belts and pulleys that allow the following accessories to function: A/C Compressor, Power Steering Pump, Alternator, Water Pump for Engine Cooling, and the Radiator Cooling Fan. In more recent years, more vehicles are using a single serpentine belt instead of multiple single belts to convert power to these accessories.

Hoses are used to transport a vehicle’s fluids; the hoses are composed of two layers of rubber with a fabric lying in between the two layers. The common hoses found in vehicles are the Fuel Hose (which carries fuel from the tank to the engine), the Power Steering Hose (which connects the steering gear to the power steering pump), and the Radiator and Heater Hoses (which carry coolant to the heater core and engine).