Power Steering Belt By janetlynn on Jan 23, 2010 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

My 2000 Kia Sportage needed a new power steering belt because my old one just deteriorated over the past ten years. So I guess I can't complain. However, there was no way I could drive the car since the steering wheel was too hard to turn and therefore, getting it to a auto shop was not possible during the week. And the weekends pretty much flew right on by. Fortunately, a friend offered to put the belt on for us.

I guess there isn't really much to say about a rubber belt that helps you steer your car easier, but my friend would say otherwise. He had the hardest time getting to the area under the hood so he could put this new one on. He had to remove the compressor belt and the alternator belt in order to reach to put this belt on. In my opinion, he was fast and all I needed to do was feed him lunch.

This belt has made a world of difference in my car. I can't believe how incredibly smooth it steers and figure that my old belt was probably worn out for longer than I had been aware of. Of course, since my car had sat for pretty much five months, the battery needed to be recharged. So now, other than a tune-up, my car is doing great.

The only down side to this is that when you get so use to taking your car to an auto shop and knowing the insane rates they charge, you never really think you'd have a friend willing to do the job for very little. What a friend we really have that he would do this for us.

One other mention is the customer service at our local Advance Auto Parts. They are always very hepful and make you feel that you too could do it all yourself. But it's nice to have an experienced friend nearby that can help you out.