A while back I was backing my 2005 Acura out of the driveway when a loud thump sounded from under the hood accompanied by a gaggle of illuminated warning indicators and an immediate loss of power steering assist. I took a peak under the hood to reveal a broken belt tensioner. The car has 180,000 miles on the clock so it didn’t owe me anything. Around the corner at the local mass-franchise parts house, I paid X dollars for a replacement belt tensioner. I was told that it was a brand name, and it looked OK, but not exactly the same as the original equipped one. The price seamed a bit high but I paid it because I needed the car that weekend.
A few thousand miles later, the tensioner failed in such a way that the pulley was out of line with the other belt pulleys. It started tossing belts every few days. I had enough and threw the aftermarket tensioner in the trash and bought a new tensioner from Acura. It was less money and it has been on my car now for many thousand miles. Aftermarket parts = Your Enemy
If you have aftermarket parts giving you trouble, give OAS call for an appointment. (503) 667-3900