Dayco continues to urge garages to ignore a myth that periodically circulates in the aftermarket that when it comes to some auxiliary drive systems a “one size fits all” generic belt will do the same job as a vehicle specific belt.

Power transmission specialist, Dayco, has a tailored engineering ethos and is aware of many issues encountered by garages who have failed to fit the correct drive components. The company says that contrary to some aftermarket information, the OE auxiliary belt is specifically designed to conform to very strict dimensions and so, where replacement belts of a more generic rather than vehicle specific size have been fitted, failures have occurred. Dayco also add that belts also need to meet strict design and manufacturing guidelines to meet OE specs.

The combination of non-application specific sized belts and non-conforming construction has, says Dayco, left many motorists stranded and meant huge and unnecessary repair bills.

Dayco manufactures only vehicle specific products which are designed to the precise OE specification of the application, in terms of both their dimensions and construction. A good example of this is the OE auxiliary belt for the PRINCE BMW PSA engine used in models such as Mini, BMW 1-3 series, Citroen C3-C4, PSA 208-3008. This has specific rear fabric which sits against the friction wheel and is denoted by the code DT. 

In addition, Dayco is the OE supplier of the auxiliary belt for many Volvo applications, meaning only by fitting a Dayco Poly-V belt, can the independent workshop be certain to fit a like-for-like replacement for these and many other makes and models.