Who doesn't love simple vehicle repairs or tricks that make life easier? Especially if it greatly cuts down on replacement time. After all, time is money, and we all have more important things to do in life, like read Jalopnik or peruse Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for our next project car.

Replacing accessory belts is generally easy on most cars, especially if they run on a single serpentine belt that powers all accessories. Like this author's experience with their own 2011 BMW 128i. De-tension the tensioner with the proper hex socket attached to a breaker bar, slide the old belt off, slide on the new one, route it correctly, then pull the wrench off the tensioner so it resumes doing its job. But what if one could simply change a belt with just the belt itself and a screwdriver? Old-school VW owners are familiar with this parlour trick: the five-second belt change on air-cooled four-cylinder VWs is both impressive and terrifying. It involves a well-timed jab with a screw driver and a steady hand, and could either look cool as hell or send a screwdriver flying at your eye or soft tissue.

The belt job that either results in voila or oy vey

Rokhmat127/Shutterstock

The five-second (more or less, depending on one's finesse) belt change is as follows on any air-cooled flat-4 found in Type 3s, Beetles, and other old VWs featuring an air-cooled flat-4 engine: while the engine is running at idle, slip a big flathead screw driver under the single belt to make it run off the pulley attached to the alternator or dynamo. The crankshaft's spinning motion will then throw it off, ready to catch. Then, slow down the alternator by putting tension against it with the handle of the screwdriver. Route the belt around the top of the alternator pulley, then quickly pull it down and feed it onto the spinning crankshaft pulley.

If unsuccessful, it could throw the screwdriver off and either cause damage to something in the engine bay, or shoot it up at your eyes. There's probably not enough force behind the screwdriver to impale you, but hey, weirder things have probably happened. Or, if the screwdriver somehow gets jammed, that might cause damage to the pulleys or any bearings they're tied to. It must be said that brand-new belt can be shredded in the process.

Or, simply replace it with the engine off. Still a simple job, even for someone who's never performed any automotive maintenance in their entire life. Just be sure the tension is correct, with no more than an inch-or-so of play, and no more than 90 degrees of twist. Too loose, it'll pop off easily. Too tight, you risk damaging the alternator or dynamo's bearings and other internals. The five-second belt change is impressive if pulled off smoothly, pretty sure Sade wrote a song about such a feat. If not, it could result in a visit to the emergency room.