Mechanic says i need new alternator(just got new belt and belt tensioner last month??) (buy, engine)

[daboywonder2002]

am i being ripped off here? ok sat may 22. i was driving late night. a dog jumps out in front of me and i hit it. no damage to my car. got out to see if dog was ok. didnt see anything due to it being raining and dark. on my way back home 2 hours later. my battery light comes on. i make it home just fine. try to drive later on. but it cuts off. make it to shop on monday. mechanic(who came recommended by a few co workers) says i need alternator belt and belt tensioner. cost me 208 bucks. car runs fine. last night i go to drive. i noticed a funny sound. i knew something wasnt right. 10 min later battery light comes on. i can drive the car but the light just eventually keeps coming on. he tested the battery. not getting a charge. i need a new alternator. will cost me $300. is there a chance that maybe he did a wrong diagnostic the first time and i should have gotten the alternator all along. not the belt and belt tensioner. should i ask him to knock down the price because of this??

[NJGOAT]

If it was the alternator going the first time around, you most likely wouldn't have driven the car without issue for a month. Alternator's can fail for any reason at any time. If anything the alternator was probably stressed by the new tensioner and belt. I don't think he is trying to rip you off. If the $300 is installed, it's not too bad of a price.

[texdav]

Yep;it sounds from your decscritpion the tension and belt colved your rpobrlm a month ago. Now you have a new one with alterntor. Two different problem a month part sounds like to me.That is where the trouble comes in pairs comes from likely.

[M3 Mitch]

$208 for an alternator belt and tensioner? What kind of car is this, where do you live?

If your answers are "Ferarri" and "Hollywood", OK then. Otherwise this strikes me as steep.

$300 for an alternator installed sounds high to me too - if it's a gnarly install and you are getting a NEW factory alternator, OK then, but if not, seems high to me.

I guess the days of my youth when a Chevy alternator was like $35 rebuilt, less for a good used one at a yard, and maybe an hour to install, MAX, using like 3 wrenches, do-able from under the hood rather than under the car (although under the car can be OK too, just sayin') are long gone...

[brien51]

It's always a good idea to change the belts when you replace an alternator anyway so no big deal.. ALternators aren't hard to change depending where they are located on the engine.

You might ask another mechanic to see if he tightened the belts correctly so as to charge the alternator correctly. Also ask the other mechanic to show you on a voltimeter the output of the current alternator as opposed to the recommended output charge.

If you need a new alternator, and you, or your S/O, are handy and have the tools, usually you merely ease the tension off the belts first. Unhook the wires by eith a small wrench or some have just plug ins. There are a few bolts that usually attach the alternator to the engne block. Remove them, and the alternator should be able to come right out. You will have to have that one to trade in for a new one. You can get a remanufactured one as opposed to a "new" one, and also save some money.

If you have this guy who will do the job for 3 bills, it's a fair deal but ask him if it is a remanufactured alternator or a new one. I'll bet it is a remanufactured one. Ask him how much more for a new one...

Tools for DIY:

Wrenches to remove the bolts and wire connections
Somethng to pry the alternator back and forth bit to ease and tighten the tension on and off the belts, like a small crow bar or cat's paw.
Liquid wrench
Hand held voltimeter (optional)

Time: about an hour from start to finish.

[daboywonder2002]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

$208 for an alternator belt and tensioner? What kind of car is this, where do you live?

If your answers are "Ferarri" and "Hollywood", OK then. Otherwise this strikes me as steep.

$300 for an alternator installed sounds high to me too - if it's a gnarly install and you are getting a NEW factory alternator, OK then, but if not, seems high to me.

I guess the days of my youth when a Chevy alternator was like $35 rebuilt, less for a good used one at a yard, and maybe an hour to install, MAX, using like 3 wrenches, do-able from under the hood rather than under the car
(although under the car can be OK too, just sayin') are long gone...

its a 2006 dodge stratus. should i get a brand new alternator or a rebuilt one? that $300 price is for a brand new alternator. parts and labor.

[brien51]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

$208 for an alternator belt and tensioner? What kind of car is this, where do you live?

If your answers are "Ferarri" and "Hollywood", OK then. Otherwise this strikes me as steep.

$300 for an alternator installed sounds high to me too - if it's a gnarly install and you are getting a NEW factory alternator, OK then, but if not, seems high to me.

I guess the days of my youth when a Chevy alternator was like $35 rebuilt, less for a good used one at a yard, and maybe an hour to install, MAX, using like 3 wrenches, do-able from under the hood rather than under the car (although under the car can be OK too, just sayin') are long gone...

I am in my late 50's and I remember changing an alternator in a half hour on a 318 Dodge or a 327 Chevy during the 60's. Those days are gone but I still have a 1951 Ford F-3 with flatnead V-8 to have my fun with now.


I agree here...Although since most mechanics charge about $65 -$85 per hour, the $300 for the alternator change would seem reasonable to me. It's likely a rebuilt one.

I would do it myself as I have described above so long as I didn't have to be Houdini to get at the alternator location.

[brien51]

Originally Posted by daboywonder2002

its a 2006 dodge stratus. should i get a brand new alternator or a rebuilt one? that $300 price is for a brand new alternator. parts and labor.

A dodge That explains everything in alternators to me.


How long do you plan to keep the car? A "remaned" one will have a 30 day guarantee and a new one will likely come with a year guarantee. If you plan to keep it for another few years, go new,. If not go "remaned".

[daboywonder2002]

Originally Posted by brien51

A dodge That explains everything in alternators to me.


How long do you plan to keep the car? A "remaned" one will have a 30 day guarantee and a new one will likely come with a year guarantee. If you plan to keep it for another few years, go new,. If not go "remaned".

just called autozone. a remanufactured one. is 131.99. and the mechanic would charge 85 for the labor. it comes with a lifetime warranty. but the mechanic said there are no guarantees on the labor if i buy it from autozone.

[brien51]

Originally Posted by daboywonder2002

just called autozone. a remanufactured one. is 131.99. and the mechanic would charge 85 for the labor. it comes with a lifetime warranty. but the mechanic said there are no guarantees on the labor if i buy it from autozone.

No guarantees on "labor"? What does that mean? If he installs it incorrectly?

I woul find another mechianic because he was planning to mark up your part and then add in his labor. Many mechanics don't like when you hand them the new parts to install since they can't mark them up. I have seen signs that say you don't take your bacon and eggs into a restaurant and hand it to the cook and ask him to cook them in garages.

I would find another mechanic or do it yourself. It is a fairly easy switch out. Is the alternator readily acccessible to you?