Can you tell if a car belt is worn from one photo?
Visual inspection from a single photo cannot determine the structural condition or internal wear of an older vehicle's belt. Without knowing the actual service history or being able to feel the depth of the grooves in person, buyers are left guessing whether surface marks are superficial or indicate an immediate risk of failure.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Inspecting service history documentsDid this help you?
- 2Relying on past MOT advisory notesDid this help you?
- 3Consulting online mechanic forums for photo evaluationsDid this help you?
- 4Checking with a fingernail to see if it sits in the grooveDid this help you?
- 5Inspecting for impressions versus actual cracksDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“However being that it's a 16, nearly 17 year old vehicle is like some advice on the state of this belt.”source ↗
“The service history does not mention the belt being replaced”source ↗
“Any thoughts on the condition? Apologies, this is the only photo I've been able to attain from the seller.”source ↗
Where this came up
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