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DONT BUY A BELT FROM LOTUS!! SAVE $175!!!

9K views 34 replies 25 participants last post by  3carmonte 
#1 ·
IF YOU HAVE NOT REPLACED A BELT YET, YOU WILL!!

Last weekend the belt on my 05 elise started to shred.
At Lotus they price these belts at a stout $195.00 + tax. Once my belt was off I took it to NAPA Auto to compare and found the exact same belt for $30.00. I assume it was a Celica GTS belt, but I was in a hurry and practically acting as my own salesperson so there was nobody to confirm this.

NAPA Part #060560
Micro-V
Manufactured by Gates

Lotus must buy these for less than $20 each and sells for 10 x. thats crazy.

I hope this helps anyone soon to be buying a belt.

Robb
 
#4 ·
Great info, esp as I tend to carry a spare belt. Thanks.

Is it then confirmed this is the correct belt for N/A Elises?
 
#6 ·
how many miles on your elise that it needs a belt?
 
#7 ·
Accesory belt or? I had been told by the Mechanics at LOA that it was a chain-driven cam??? Then again, they have been reliable only in that they are unreliable...
 
#9 ·
If it makes you guys happy, I'll make a stencil to spray "lotus" on them and sell them for only $150. lol. None of you better put them on ebay- I thought of it first.

Of course they are the same part. Just like the $50 fuse in the Lotus bag is the same part as any other $1 fuse.
 
#10 ·
This is the serpentine belt.

I only have 2000 miles, but the car is in vegas and rubber dries quick. Not to mention this car has been a track car its entire life spinning at very high rpms.

As far as warranty goes, the burden of proof would lie on the dealership to prove that the cause of a warranty claim would be from the belt. This would never happen and be nearly impossible to prove. It is unlawful for a manufacturer or dealership to "blanket void" a warranty for any reason. Warranty rejection is only done on a per claim basis. For example, you can track your lotus all day long but if you bring it to Lotus for a defective windshield wiper motor they must cover it. However if you put a 10 lbs wiper blade on the stock arm and the motor burned out trying to push it you are SOL.

BUY THE BELT and KEEP A SPARE! Specifically in this instance, Gates IS the stock belt manufacturer. It is labeled for Lotus so therefore there is absolutely no way they can ever give you trouble about it.


Robb
 
#12 ·
This is the serpentine belt.

As far as warranty goes, the burden of proof would lie on the dealership to prove that the cause of a warranty claim would be from the belt. This would never happen and be nearly impossible to prove.
Maybe they will say it caused the power steering pump to act up :panic: :huh:
 
#13 ·
The way multi-v belt part numbers work, is that they always contain the number of ribs and the length, either in mm or inches. Thus 060560 = 6 rib 56.0" long. You can translate to the K/PK part numbers by converting the length to mm. eg 6PK1420 would probably work too. There is some 'fudge factor' in the sizing - if you actually measure the belt they tend to be about 0.5" longer than stated.
 
#16 ·
At Lotus they price these belts at a stout $195.00 + tax.
Still on the (very) expensive side, but Lotus Garage has the belt for $130.81.

Some dealers charge a lot more than others...
 
#17 ·
I picked up the NAPA belt 060560 (actually 25-060560) and it is too short for my 2006 N/A Elise. I measured the factory belt and it appears to be 10 inches longer which would be NAPA PN 25-060660. I plan to verify ASAP but I wanted to share since I couldn't really find any specific info regarding the proper accessory belt for a 2006 elise. Funny how none of the chain autoparts stores list a friggin serpentine belt for our cars :shrug:
 
#18 ·
are the 05 belts different than the 06? I have to change mine out asap its starting to make noise when I start the car. Trav34 when you get the correct part# please post it
Thanks
 
#21 ·
NAPA PN 25-060660 is confirmed to fit on a 2006, N/A, AC car. It's a Gates belt made for NAPA in the USA. FYI, I had to cut about 1/2" off the end of my 19mm socket to be able to use a breaker bar on the tensioner to allow removal/installation of the belt. I tried wrenches and a 3/8" drive socket but I couldn't muster the leverage with anything less than the 1/2" drive breaker bar. Good luck.
 
#22 ·
thank you for the info. I'll be getting it this weekend.
 
#25 ·
Thanks Travis, I'll check it out the next time I have the under panel off and see what it takes to change the belt Before it breaks or frays. Mucho thanks. Be safe. :clap:
 
#29 ·
I'm skipping most of the replies here, folks, so if I'm repeating a formerly shared sentiment, please forgive me.

That having been said; come on guys. It's just a belt. There's nothing unobtanium about a serpentine belt.

When it comes to your belt, you need to know two things:
  1. How many ribs is the pulley system. (Standard is usually 6)
  2. What is the length of the belt you are replacing. (You can take your bad belt off and measure it with a piece of string, or leave it on and do the same thing.)

If you measure and then ask for a 6 rib serpentine belt in XX inches in length, you now have what you need.

Don't let the fact that the total volume of cars is low or the fact that the price is over 50k trick you into thinking it's magic. ;)

It's just a Toyota engine. If anything on that motor breaks, there are literally 10's of thousands on the market you can get your hands on for practically nothing.

:)
 
#35 ·
I'm under the impression that Goodyear Gator-Back "Continental Elite" is the latest generation Goodyear Gator belt that is noiseless unlike the earlier Kevlar belts that would sing even at idle. Toyota & power steering not withstanding. I really like Gates belts. Always have. But Gates stopped making this particular belt and apparently only Goodyear makes the replacement. It's their part number that is the mystery. If I had that I could probably get it through NAPA.
 
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