Why does replacing the serpentine belt cost $140?
 

The dealer and the local NTB want $140 to change the serpentine belt on our '05 LX. Is it really that difficult to change?

I have never done one on a "newer" accord, since mine is a 95. The price of the belt is probably ~$40, so if the shop charges 1 hour of labor @$100, then the price is accurate.

Changing the belt shouldn't be too difficult for a DIY project. I just don't know how to relieve the tension on the newer accord. I think that they have an auto tensioner.

why $ 140 you ask?? they want to rip you off.........labor should be no more than 50-60 dollars , belt around $ 30-40,,

agreed the belt is 30 -40 depending on the store which it was bought no more than 60 dollars labor and it doesnt take 30 min. if you know what your doing.

Ripoff. The OEM belt is just under $40, and I bet it didn't take more than 15 minutes to change it (auto tensioner). How many miles were on this belt? Find someone to help you, and save the $100.

i know this is an old topic but someone else might need this information and it was already brought to the top by another person. the Honda dealership i worked at actually charged $90 an hour for labor and here is a diagram of the 05 belt. and in the second image is how to remove the tension which it looks like a special tool. not sure if that special tool can be bought for personal use.

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/at...1&d=1294617978

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/at...1&d=1222354003

I'll add to this thread:

Some instructions for the 7th generation Accord I4 engine:
driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=43949

Some instructions for the 7th generation Accord V6 engine:
driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=31559

The respective 8th generation Accord engines are very similar.

On some of the engines, the clearance is tight, so a breaker bar and socket combination do not fit always easily. The Honda service manual list the Snap-On tensioner tool, which you can buy (the Snap-On part number in the Honda service manual for the tool is discontinued; Snap-on has a newer tool with a different part number). But, there are other serpentine belt tools at Sears and other auto parts stores which are less expensive.

Using two box end wrenches works too (one interconnect to the other). For the I4 engines, to re-install the belt, it is easier to start from the top, go underneath the car to loop the belt on one of the lower pulleys and then finish from the top.

One of those pulleys is the waterpump, I think the one marked "IDL".

For the tensioner, you'll want a really LONG wrench. So put a pipe over it, or hook 2 wrenches together. You're trying to pivot the tensioner around it's own hinge point, which is the round thing just above the actual tensioner pulley.