Question for badraptor:
Since your a seasoned tech. you may be able to shed some advice on this. Perhaps you've already seen (heard) this before. The only potential problem with my new (to me) 2000 Focus LX w/SP eng.-15K miles, is a wurring noise coming from the serpantine belt system. I can almost pinpoint it to the AC condensor area underneath. (noise unchanged when AC kicked on and off) I can't see where the tensioner pully is so I can't rule that out either. (Boy that eng, is packed in there tight!) The noise is loudest when everything is good and cold (below 40 deg. F.) almost goes away (but not completely) when warmed up . Should I have this checked out or monitor it's condition for awhile. My mother in law's Saturn has made a similar noise for 2 years now. (but not under a 3 mo. dealer warranty) I've found that having things replaced that haven't actually failed yet can actually turn out worse in the long run. (replacement parts sometimes are lower quality than orig.) My hunch is to follow the "if it works, don't fix it" approach and just keep an eye (ear) on it and purchase more warramy by Feb. What do you think. John