My car is due for an accessory drive belt replacement as per the service schedule. As my car has done a fraction of the miles that go along with this service I am wondering if it is worth doing. I know replacing fluids is always a good idea because they degrade over time. Should the same logic be applied to a drive belt?

On a car which is perfect in every way I very am reluctant to have unnecessary jobs done in case they mess something else up in the process of taking things apart. At the same time I do not want to avoid necessary maintenance which may cause more serious issues later.

Therefore should I replace the belt based on time or mileage?

Even if mileage is low and appearance is good,all flexible drive belts degrade over time, not just through use, just as fluids do. In my job I have seen countless examples of people leaving belts because they looked ok, only for failure to occur, sometimes causing considerable damage to machinery etc.
Usually planned maintenance is carried out for good reason, even though it may hurt the bank balance.

As for the possibility of someone messing up, I am sure there will be members on here from Surrey who can recommend a good specialist / garage.

So, I just had this done as part of an annual service. Interestingly on the LR service schedule it just says inspect the belt rather than replace. I am wondering how you would access the belt to inspect or change it. Would it be from underneath the car, from above in the engine bay or from the front (grille off). The reason I ask is that if it is from the engine bay or grille there is no evidence of any bits being taken off which makes me wonder if in fact it has been done. If it’s done from underneath though I would not be able to tell.