Today, I removed the splash guard underneath of the engine to replace the a/c belt. I found that the a/c belt was installed behind the engine belt on one pulley, that means engine belt must be removed before removing a/c belt, that requires lots of job to do to remove engine belt. So I gave up and left it to the stealer.

AC Belt instructions for 2003 3.0i
 

I recently replaced the AC Belt on my 2003 3.0i after price quoting the job first from a BMW dealer in Houston ($250) and a former BMW mechanic ($90) once employed by the BMW Dealer that quoted me the price. I purchased the belt from the BMW Dealer for $15 dollars wholesale and replaced it within 15 minutes. I created a document in PDF on how to perform the belt replacement.

Enjoy :thumbup:

Very useful information! Thanks a lot! However, the v8 engine is different with the L6 engine.

I suggested that you need to make a tool to remove the A/C fan. If you can remove the A/C, then the rest will be easy. I removed and replaced both belts from my 4.4i last year. I even removed the drain plug on the side of the engine to release all old radiator fluid and replace with new one.

That PDF for the belt replacement on the 3.0 is really good!!

Is there anyone who has done theirs on the 4.4 / 4.6is? (I am guessing that they are the same. Correct??)

I was quoted $100 for labor and thought it would be fun to do it myself! Just need a bit of advice from experience before I do it!!

I did a search but did not find much info.....

resurrecting an old thread here....My AC stopped working and when I looked in the engine bay I found my ac belt shredded into pieces. I'm wondering whether I should just get the belt replaced or has the belt busted due to other issues? faulty compressor etc.?

cheers