1998 Corolla squeeky noise when turning

[cdc_98rolla]

Hey All,

Virgin post here....

I have a 98 rolla with 55,000 miles or so. If I make a turn where I need to turn the steering wheel all the way to the right or left, I hear a squeeking noise.

I took it into the dealership today in the bay area, and they said that it was the belt and the belt tensioner. They wanted to charge $550 to replace the belt (and I assume the tensioner). They also said that my power steering fluid, brake fluid, and clutch fluid were filthy, and I should get a flush for all of these. (I had turned these flushes down about 2 years in a row, because they always tell me to replace them, and I feel that they are pricy ESPECIALLY when I am getting a tune up already!) The dealer said that the clutch fluid would be $57, and the other two would be $200 together.

I told the dealer to go ahead with the flushes, and that I was not interested in spending that much money to fix the belt issue yet. I then told him that I may fix the belt issue when I get some more information, at which point he told me that this is pretty serious. He said that I should have it fixed, because if I were to lose the belt I would lose powersteering and a couple other "serious" problems that would result.


First question - Does this sound reasonable in terms of price for the fluids and the belt issues, and if so, why is this so damn much?

Second question - How easy is it to flush these fluids yourself, and how much does the fluid cost?

Third question - What are the exact terms for the parts he is talking about, I am sure the car has more than one belt... is this the drive belt?

Last question - How serious is this really? I just started hearing the squeeking a week ago, and its only when I get to the very end of the steering wheel? Do I have some time to fix this. I was thinking on holding out until the 60,000 tune up, which apparently is much more involved, and much pricier.

Thanks to everyone in advance for taking the time to answer my questions.

Cheers,

cdc_98rolla

[REN69]

Let me be the one to take your virginity away.

That sounds like a lot of money to do these things.. but then again dealers are always known to try and take advantage of those who don't know about cars too well. Find yourself a decent mechanic, ask friends and co-workers to recommend a decent mechanic in your area, if you're not mechanically inclined maybe you shouldn't attempt something of this type as anything could go wrong.

The noise could just be the serpentine belt being strained by the power steering pump, I've always been told not to go all the way to the end of the steering wheel unless I had to because it puts a lot of strain on the parts.. not sure if this was true or not, but I always followed that saying.

[karugs]

$550 to replace the belt and tensioner? If you ask an independent mechanic (non-dealer), you can also have other things done to it like change brakes, flush coolant, replenish/replace all fluids...

My mechanic charged me $50 to replace belt AND install alternator (I brought the parts)...