Scott17

HaHa,...so true!Just soos ya know, there are no idlers on this car and a pulley being mis-aligned is not too probable either. Belts break, we replace them and move on with our lives. With the attitudes of some of the younger set on this forum is there any wonder that they get the respect they get at the dealership? Act right and life goes better!

engifineer

Ok, first of all, most of what you type makes no sense whatsoever.

Who said anything about using the old crap?? I am very well schooled on computer diagnosis as well as computer engineering . So if you are trying to compare brain pans, don't bother. How much do you know about ODBII? How many cars have you hooked to a scan tool and diagnosed? Me? More than I can count. And so you know, just swapping out what the scan tool says is a sign of a very poor tech. The scan tool tells you what the computer "THINKS" is wrong. In other words what things look out of range. It tells you nothing about what to replace. Unless you just swap parts (which many dealerships are notorius for) then it still takes experience and troubleshooting skills to properly repair the vehicle. And as far as my father (the one with 35 years experience) is concerned, he is in no way stuck in the old ways or however you phrased it. He gets a majority of his business from the 4 dealerships near him who can not properly use the new equipment to diagnose (not part swap) the problem. I don't know who you think you are "welcoming to 2005" cause you sound like you have never had your hands beneath the hood or dash of a vehicle in your life. Your words show that very clearly.

But back to the original topic, which your argument apparently has nothing to do with, we were not talking about computer problems. And oh, to the other comment... new cars absolutely do have an idler or tensioner. I have not taken the belt off of the tC yet, but 99% of all cars have some sort of spring loaded idler pulley which keeps the belt tensioned. Its a simple little concept called constant tension which anyone knowledgeable of vehicles should know. And idler is a "pulley" which does nothing but give the belt something to ride upon, and usually is the one under spring pressure that tensions the belt. Without this, we are back to the old days of having to tighten the belt using one of the devices such as the alternator. On newer cars which use a spring loaded idler, you simply use a tool to pull back on this piece, and whalla, the belt comes off... when you replace, the tensioner keeps the belt tight. And the leading cause of fast wearing belts is that something is out of allignment. It doesn't take much to figure this out. You guys have made it obvious in your arguments that you know little or nothing about any of this, so why argue??

Your arguments are directed in all the wrong places, which is a sign of someone spouting off just to try to ____ off people. If you have a legitimate argument, then make it, if not then keep your uneducated opinions to yourself. The original reply I made was to try to help, it had nothing to do with either of you.

engifineer

And as for your misguided quotes, I never said to act disrespectful to the dealer. But it never hurts to question if you feel that they did not even look at the problem, which she thought was the case. If she was wrong, and they told her that they had checked everything, then a simple "OK, just checking" could be in order. When someone simply says "I don't know why it happened" and does not explain any further, then it makes it sound like they just swapped parts and sent you on your way, setting you up for another failure if the actual cause was not found. You have to pay attention to what people tell you, there are bad performers in any field, including techs. But so many people just completely take the word of people solely because they are "certified". And something being out of allignment is unlikely?? One warped bracket can cause this, and it only has to be off a few degrees to make the belt ride to one side. It is a very simple thing to look at, and I have no idea how you guys can make it sound like an impossibility. Ford had a huge problem with the idler/tensioner warping and causing the belts to ride to one side and wear out. And just so you know I am not even close to being one of the "younger" ones in this forum. The only ones acting "young" are you guys attacking others with arguments that make no sense.

Scott17

OK, let me explain. I thought we were talking about an Xb for some reason(which has NO idlers or tensioner)so I was mistaken. Now, as far as the TC motor goes, yes it has a hydraulic tensioner on a ribbed belt. As far as anything being out of alignment, not likely at all. This ain't pappys old ford(or NEW Ford) and there is really no brackets that could possibly bend or move. The few cases of misalignment I have ever encountered were invariably from the balancer butted against the crank key instead of on the key and the balancer was too far out. Never broke a belt though. The Tc engine has a reluctor wheel for the crank senser sandwiched between the oil pump sprocket and the balancer and if the balancer was not seated the reluctor wheel would move forward and cause misfire and a check engine light. My question to you is: If the tech looked and the pulleys were all in perfect alignment, what caused the belt to break? In reality, any answer you come up with would be pulled out of your ___ so why offer up such speculation? "I don't know" IS an answer and sometimes it is the ONLY answer that is correct. Screwing the service writer over (those surveys are how his job performance is rated) because nobody tried to be Miss Cleo is BS. Hell, aliens might have been beaming microwaves that focused and concentrated on her belt to cause an early demise. How would that kind of BS help anyone out? As an experienced, rational, educated person, surely you know the importance of attitude in most situations.

engifineer

Again, you don't read thoroughly. I never said to have a bad attitude.

And yes, I don't know is a valid answer, but I usually follow it up by explaining what I checked to give the customer peice of mind that I did not just simply replace parts without checking into everything. And if he did check it all out, and explained that, then great. If not, then he could have been a little more professional and given a little more info than "I don't know".

Again, you resort to childish little comments in some sort of ignorant attack at me. Grow up. You will need to to ever make it in your career or life. There is no need to attack someone simply because they were trying to help someone else. She asked a question and I tried to be friendly and help. For some reason you took to the defensive and decided to get in an uproar. I partially blame myself for defending back against your childish attack and prolonging it. But it is hard not to when someone begins insulting your intelligence without having a clue what you know or even what you are talking about. And as far as attacking my intelligence or education, you have a long way to go, so don't even start.

Scott17

Hey, I wasn't attacking you childishly or any other way for that matter. If you are truly that thin-skinned there is a new forum for ___ guys and sensitive fellows that might be more to your liking. But really, no attack from me. I know you didn't say to have a bad attitude, I was merely stressing the importance for the original poster to have a GOOD attitude. Now for the attack: Why do I have such a long way to go?Do you know me or know my education level? I dont want to hold up the mirror to show you a hipocrite, but you're making it so easy! If you are truly interested, PM me and I will provide you a copy of my transcripts and resume. As for "ever making it in my career or life" , I feel that I already have. Sure I'm a wise-___, but I really wasn't gunning for you. I never thought you were stupid either. You share good info quite often and everyone appreciates this. Act like ya got a pair and you'll be fine! (I still love you)

engifineer

I rest my case

firesquare

basically to sum it all up. it happends, replace the belt under warranty and drive on after that.

ScionTcGirl562

gee i didnt think my post was gonna bring in some posters that felt they needed a topic to come and vent all their built up childhood frustration... i appreciate the people that were tryin to help me out in understanding how this might've happened to my car.. i wasnt expecting anyone to be "psychic" but i was expecting a "scion certified" knowledgable suggestion on how it might've happened, not "oh i dont know but hey fill out this survey and give me and excellent score!!". That is what i was bothered by... so please forgive me for coming on here and asking for some input on this and making it seem like i was "_____ing" that my alternator belt broke on my brand new tC. But i would like to thank engifineer
for KINDLY answering my questions and trying to help me out with my dilemma... also thanks to the other posters that werent on attack mode... for the others, please take out your frustration on the people that made u this way instead of hiding behind a screen name and talking your crap to people that u would never have the ***** to ever confront in real life. GROW UP AND GET A DAMN LIFE!

engifineer

No problem! I actually should not have even replied to the other posting, cause it just fueled the flames I guess. But I am glad you got the problem fixed! Take care :-)

ScionTcGirl562

thanks

engifineer

nice tC by the way!!

Scott17

YOU are the one that made me this way. You said the service writer was nice, quick, complementary and solved your problem and your response was: In my book, your attitude sucks ___. Service writers and mechanics don't tend to speculate on the cause of failures when the real cause is unknown. The fact is, you wanted something you could not have (an exact reason the belt broke) and your response was typical spoiled brat bad attitude. As for hiding behind a screen name, my name is Scott Hartford. I don't usually have too much trouble voiceing my opinion to anyone face to face or otherwise. Hopefully you are not a ninja like the last guy! You see, I am a Scion-certified master technician and I couldn't hazard a guess myself as to why your belt broke and I am not psychic either. I would tell you "I really don't know", which is the absolute truth and you would be a jackass.So heed your own advice and GROW UP AND GET A DAMN LIFE!!! Good day.