Help Please - I'm confused!!
 

I recently had a broken motor mount replaced. The mechanic says I now need the 'belts' replaced & that they are expensive. Others have told me I only have 1 belt & that it isn't expensive. It is a 2004 Mazda 3 S. Really tired of everyone saying something different & paying for incorrect diagnostic. Mechanic also says struts are shot & that I shouldn't buy cheap struts or will have to replace soon again. Car has 65,000 miles

You have two belts. your serpentine belt and your ac belt. In order to replace the serpentine belt, you have to cut the ac belt and replace that one as well unless you are able to get the belt off. as for the struts, just go with aftermarket oem replacements such as koni strts which come with a warranty.

What he said about the belts. Even if you can get both off intact, if you have to remove one to get to the other and the car is 8-9 years old just go ahead and replace it while you're in there. Belts do get worn over time anyway and need replacement, so no real surprise there.

For the struts are they just worn/old, or are they actually blown? If they're blown then you'll see evidence of oil/grease around the strut if you were to remove the wheel. As a "general rule" struts/shocks should be replaced every 50-75k miles so you're still within their mileage life. Btw, how did you manage to have only 65k miles on a '04? I have 12x,000 on my '05. Is the car riding rough? bouncing excessively when you hit bumps? If so they could need replacement.

I just had my struts replaced a month or so ago after a blew one out. I bought KYB struts on rockauto and had a local shop install them inexpensively. Parts were about $200 (struts/mounts/boots) and installation was another $200. Other shops were quoting me $800 so I feel like I came out ahead. The shocks in the back are pretty easy to replace. Remove the wheel, remove bolt at the bottom, remove two bolts/nuts at the top and swap out.