I'll try and get a better look at the serpentine belt. I'm sure it's original. Per Mother Volvo's grand plan, it doesn't get replaced until 150K miles.

I only have what the CarFax told me. So may or may not be complete. It shows regular maintenance up to 60K, then a State inspection at 70K. So if the worst is assumed, it went 30K on an oil change and missed out on a new set of spark plugs at 70K and a brake fluid flush at 80K. When pushed about this the salesman gave me a song and dance about how it was serviced at their dealership and just had the 100K maintenance done (which is little more than oil/filter plus engine and cabin filters).

We took the chance on the car with virtually no warranty because it was the right car at the right price. No reason to trust or mistrust the salesman, dealer, or car. It's clean and appeared to be well cared for. That said, right before this started I popped the upper engine cover off and vacuumed the mouse nest out from the top of the engine. Kudos to Hudson Valley Volvo for doing such a thorough inspection of the car before reselling...

KlausC I had half a mind to address my initial post straight to you. Thanks for being so reliable. Your response is more helpful than a google search, which only scared me with talk about faulty bearings in the rear engine accessory drive (READ) gearbox.

Enjoy your day!