I would say do not wait the two wait the two weeks, that thing is ready to go at any time. That and change the tensioner as well; this isn't something you want to go cheap with.

 

No not a cheap belt definitely. I would get a bando (OEM). You will find it cheaper online is what I was referring to.

 

Thanks guys.
I am calling for an appointment tomorrow.

 

Take a good look (or ask the shop...) for something rubbing on the outside of the belt. There's a lot of stuff very close to the belt and maybe there's something rubbing on the outside of the belt to cause that wear. Maybe the plastic splash shield under the front of the car?

That kind of serpentine belt has some pulleys running against the smooth outside of the belt (other run against the ribbed side of the belt). Any of the pulleys running against the smooth side should be checked for wobbling or somehow not running smoothly. That might be what happened.

 

I just called for an appointment, I am taking my car in on Monday.
My mechanic said that the belt should not be worn at this mileage. (I am only about half way into its life according to the miles on the car which is 69K)
Thanks for the advice, I think you just confirmed what my mechanic said on the phone.

 

I'm thinking that was kind of an irresponsible thing for your mechanic to say given your car is eight to nine years old. Yes, mileage does play a part in the degradation of the belt and the pulleys it glides over, but so too does age, especially if the car has sat for any length of time.

 

High-temperature climate contributes too. But it sure looks like 2 definite stripes where something was rubbing.

 

Something everyone keeps forgetting about, is that rubber formulations have changed over the last 10, 20, 30 years and not for the better.
The accessory drive belt on my Toyota did that very same thing a couple of years ago. When I changed it, part of it was a 3 piece belt, and part of it was still 1 piece. It was just how the rubber and cloth decided to come apart. Most serpentine belts crack across the width, and just break that way. Others break lengthwise. It just depends on how the belt was made.

 

I guess I've been lucky, I typically change all of my belts and hoses every 100,000 miles (which for me is five to six years) whether they need it or not. So far at least, I've never had a serpentine belt even come close to failing. That said, a few years ago I was running short on time and had a shop put a new belt on one of my cars and they used an el-cheapo brand of belt and tensioner; the belt started chirping when the engine was at idle within a couple of months. I yanked that sucker and the tensioner and put a quality belt on; problem solved.

 

I just took my car in. My mechanic said that my belt is in good condition and it should last another 60K miles.
Sometimes pictures can be deceiving. There is a little rust on the pulley and that made the discoloration on the belt. When I get a new belt the rust can be cleaned off the pulley, he said.
I attached two pics. You can see the other side of the belt too.