HAH.
So I get the new belt (thanks AA) on Tuesday but no time to put it on. The belt's been failing for awhile, thinks I, so I should be fine for a few more days. No need to swap it out yet. I have this corporate retreat thing to go to starting Wednesday (yesterday), so bright and early I hit the road...
And make it to the freeway entrance, in rush hour, before hearing a quiet *clunk* from under the hood. Goodbye, lovely accessory belt, I hardly knew you. No more power steering for me!
Rush home, driving the damn thing like a boat, beg my buddy to let me use his car, and I'm only 15 minutes late. That's what I get for trying to drive a car I knew was having problems!
Anyway, I can say without question the belt was failing, since it has now failed.
I have the new one in hand but I'm in the mountains until Friday, so it'll go on on Saturday. I'll post pics of the old belt as soon as I dig it out.
Edit: The 'thanks AA' was not sarcastic, by the way! They got back to me immediately, and overnighted me a new belt on Monday. That I didn't put it on was my fault (just like last time, hah - read the original thread for an eerily similar sequence of events) but to be crystal clear they had me a new belt before this one ended. Kudos to them!