A little pissed off

[DarkWing6]

So I order my Power Steering, A/C, and Alternator belts from BMA obviously so I can replace them. I get them and they are all the right belts (numberwise according to their website). I got to install them about 10 min ago and get all the old belts off and these do not fit. The only one I could even get on was the Alternator belt, and it still barely fits. The tensioner is completely as loose as it can go. Trying to get the A/C belt on I took the A/C all the way off and when I got the belt around it, It was impossible to get the A/C remounted. NONE of the belts fit. I can't call BMA right now, but they will get a call for sure in the morning. The only thing I noticed different about the belts I took off and the ones I was trying to put on were that the old belts were ribbed and the new ones were v belts. V belts being a little wider on inside at the narrowest point. Has anyone else had this problem? Am I (and the 2 mechanics that were there helping me) doing something completely wrong? I'm really frustereated, but life goes on and this will be fixed soon. At least the car still runs. I'm going no A/C for now cause I don't care to put the old belt back on that.

Derek

[bimmer8604]

Hmm, miller just ordered brake pads from them and they sent the wrong ones...

Maybe its them? Good luck with getting everything put back together. It sucks when you order stuff, get started and find out your new parts are the wrong ones.

Kyle

[bimmerphile]

Funny thing is addis has ordered well near 2 stacks worth of parts from them, and the only "mistake" they made was sending him extra parts he didn't order.

Guess it goes to show you should make sure you order the right part ;)

[DarkWing6]

Guess it goes to show you should make sure you order the right part ;)

When they BMA says that they are the correct belts for my exact car, wouldn't that be ordering the right parts?

[Rob]

always check the actual part number, thats what i use to order from BMA, and i've never had a problem

[DarkWing6]

still, why would they offer belts for my car that don't work on my car?

[Jordan]

They are the proper belts, I can assure you. Rotate the belt into place over the pully, or use a flathead if you need that much assistance.

New belts are "undersized" so that as they wear and stretch you have the full spectrum of adjustment to get the most life out of the belt.

Man up.

[DarkWing6]

I used a freakin pry bar to try to get them around. I manned up. The belts don't fit. They are too wide at the narrowest point. I even took the A/C completely off then got the belt around and it was impossible (even using a pry bar) to get it back into place. I had to use the pry bar to get it around the A/C even when it the A/C unit was not connected.

[cahomey]

They are too wide at the narrowest point.

Because they are not streched out.

[Spaz]

They are the proper belts, I can assure you. Rotate the belt into place over the pully, or use a flathead if you need that much assistance.

New belts are "undersized" so that as they wear and stretch you have the full spectrum of adjustment to get the most life out of the belt.

Man up.

exactly, i basicly had to remove the a/c compressor to get it on.

try it again man, rotate the belt on to the pulley.

[DSchultz325e]

great. i get to look forward to this on friday when i install my new compressor. :?

[aaron_silva]

AC belt was a bitch but they will fit. I found that the little tool to take the lids of paint cans work great to shimmy the belt on.

Aaron

[DarkWing6]

Would anyone in the Vancouver, Portland area like to come help me out with it? Cause like I said...I had to VW mechanics helping me, but I will try 1 more time. If you come help you will have use of a lift for the day/night.

[Fred]

A trick that I did to install the belt was to use a pry bar and get the belt to fit as tight as possible until you're just barely on. Have someone hop in the car (with the tranny in neutral/park, obviously) and crank the car for a split second. Pull the pry bar out the moment you see the belt move and it should snap into place.

[FreedS4]

Old thread revival, but I had the same issues getting my A/C belt on. The one I ordered from PelicanParts would not go on. I tried the PS belt just to see if it would fit. The belt itself was the wrong width (10 instead of 13), but the length was about right (825). The A/C belt from Pelican was 13x810. whereas the PS belt was 10x825. I went up to PepBoys to see if I could find a 13x825 belt and sure enough, the belt they recommended was 13x825. It fit perfect. So if anyone else has this issue, hope this helps.

Chris