New Belt

[ejm3]

How much should I expect to pay to replace the belt?
I have 73k on the car and haven't replaced it yet.

[zx10guy]

Not sure. I replaced the belt myself. It's not that difficult of a job to do and there are Youtube/DIY guides to help walk you through it. I bought the full belt change kit from FCP Euro which includes the tensioner and idler pulleys. While mine weren't making any noises and didn't appear to have failing bearings, it's a good idea to have them replaced at the same time.

[NorthernDancer]

Originally Posted by ejm3

How much should I expect to pay to replace the belt?
I have 73k on the car and haven't replaced it yet.

Join BMWCCA and then contact these folks https://www.ctvalley.org/
Ask them about good BMW indy garages in your area. If you plan on keeping your BMW for a long time, then you should be using a garage that knows BMW well. They will no doubt recommend [as already said] doing the belt, idler pulley, tensioner all at the same time.

[ejm3]

Originally Posted by NorthernDancer

Join BMWCCA and then contact these folks https://www.ctvalley.org/
Ask them about good BMW indy garages in your area. If you plan on keeping your BMW for a long time, then you should be using a garage that knows BMW well. They will no doubt recommend [as already said] doing the belt, idler pulley, tensioner all at the same time.

Yeah I have a decent indy shop nearby that I use.
I am bringing it there on Monday but I was wondering what I should expect it to cost.
I would probably do the pully and tensioner as well.
I didn't think it was a super-complicated job but with these cars everything seems to be expense, at least compared to other cars I've owned.

[Snakevenom]

I just changed them all this weekend on my 2012. The bitch is the fan removal after that it’s super easy. Buy the kit from FCP euro it’s 179 bucks I’m guessing it will be 3 x or more than the kit if you have a shop do it.

[bnace10]

Originally Posted by Snakevenom

I just changed them all this weekend on my 2012. The bitch is the fan removal after that it’s super easy. Buy the kit from FCP euro it’s 179 bucks I’m guessing it will be 3 x or more than the kit if you have a shop do it.

Agreed, removing the fan is an absolute bitch. I actually ended up breaking the one clip for the fan wire which made it getting the fan out much easier.

I just took a file and rounded off the broken plastic clip and now it just looks like a random OEM plastic tab that's there for no reason!

[ejm3]

Just as a follow-up the shop said the belt looked fine and said not to bother changing it yet.

[brake-fade]

I would strongly suggest you replace it regardless of how it looks. It's 11 years old.

[zx10guy]

Agreed. I'd replace it anyways. If the belt fails you run the risk of having the belt sucked into the motor via the front main seal. While it's not super common for this to happen, it has and is a real risk. A few hundred to just get it done via a shop or a few thousand for a new motor.