Under the hood, few parts work as quietly, or take as much abuse from summer heat, as your belts and hoses. In a Franklin summer, engine bay temperatures climb well beyond the outside air, and the rubber in these components slowly dries out, hardens, cracks, and weakens. Because they are out of sight, most drivers never think about them, right up until one fails at the worst possible moment.
A snapped serpentine belt can shut down your power steering, charging, and cooling all at once, while a burst hose can drain your coolant in minutes and leave you stranded with an overheated engine and a hefty repair bill. The good news is that catching these problems early is simple and inexpensive. A quick visual inspection reveals a lot.
At Reliable Automotive in Franklin, our technicians check your belts for cracks, fraying, glazing, and proper tension, and inspect your hoses for soft spots, bulges, swelling, and leaks around the clamps and connections. Replacing a worn belt or hose before it breaks is fast and affordable, and it saves you from a stressful roadside breakdown in the Tennessee heat. It is one of those small maintenance steps that quietly prevents a much larger, more expensive problem.
If your vehicle has some miles on it, or if these parts have not been checked in a while, summer is the ideal time to take a look. Stop by our Franklin shop and let us make sure nothing under the hood is ready to give out.
