AUTO MECHANIC PROBLEMS (AGAIN)

[terracore]

I've installed maybe 10 alternators in my day and it's not as easy as it used to be.  We had one car where one practically had to remove the engine to even access it.  I didn't want to spend an entire day underneath the car trying to do the job myself (with no guarantee of success) so I charged the battery and drove it to Curlees and had them do it.

More recently I installed one in an Impala.  It took a lot longer than I thought it would and I had sticker shock when I called around to price the replacement.  It was at least $300 after trade-in.  It did come with a "lifetime" warranty (10 years) and it was one of those times when one takes care to save receipts and paperwork.

Hi Terracore,

Is Curlee's still in business or back in business?
Thank you.

I don't know.  They stopped answering their phone a few years ago but people here have reported seeing them open.

[Obie]

Curlee's looks closed every time I drive by.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

I haven’t been to Curlee’s for a few years, but even then no one answered their phone, you had to call on Clinton’s cell phone #.

[Durian Fiend]

..One thing she could do to clean up the alternator question would be to get the identification numbers off of the alternator and see for herself if it matches up with her car.  She could do it herself online or call one of the parts stores.

I would definitely make sure before accusing the mechanic of screwing up based on what the scammers at Lex Brodie said.

Yes, or obtain alternator ID off receipt.  Mechanic gave that to her with his bill, right?

Oreilly's will test your alternator for free, btw.  

Quite unlikely this component is responsible for the car running poorly.

[My 2 cents]

I'm going to go a little further out on the alternator limb and say that it's unlikely that the wrong one was installed. For this to happen, all of the bolts, pins, the belt, the swivel shaft, electrical connections, brackets and perhaps other things would have to match up perfectly. In today's world of highly specialized design, as illustrated in previous posts, the chances of a "wrong" unit matching up perfectly are pretty remote, making the physical installation impossible.

I think your first mechanic was telling the truth and that there is another issue with the car. Why he couldn't find it is a whole other discussion.

[oink]

I have a 2005 Hundai Tuscon. The alternator went out. Multiple estimates were in the $800 range. The book calls for pulling the engine to replace it.

I found an new OEM alternator online for about $100, substantially cheaper than even a rebuild from the dealer or local suppliers. I found a couple of videos on Youtube describing how to get to it through the passenger side wheel well. It was a PITA but doable after removing the wheel, plastic wheel well interior and a couple of other things, and contorting my arm in angles it wasn't designed for. But the book called for pulling the engine.

If the alternator is placed like the one I did it would be exceedingly difficult to read anything off of the alternator once installed. She should definately ask to see the receipt the shop got from the supplier. There will of course be a shop mark-up on the part. Also, on alternator rebuilds issues are pretty common. When possible a new oem is a better bet especially when installation is a challenge.

The days of being able to open the hood and just reach in the engine compartment to change out and alternator or other parts are long gone. As are the days of setting timing by ear and rotating the distributor, or setting points with a match book cover

[terracore]

I have a 2005 Hundai Tuscon. The alternator went out. Multiple estimates were in the $800 range. The book calls for pulling the engine to replace it.

I found an new OEM alternator online for about $100, substantially cheaper than even a rebuild from the dealer or local suppliers. I found a couple of videos on Youtube describing how to get to it through the passenger side wheel well. It was a PITA but doable after removing the wheel, plastic wheel well interior and a couple of other things, and contorting my arm in angles it wasn't designed for. But the book called for pulling the engine.

If the alternator is placed like the one I did it would be exceedingly difficult to read anything off of the alternator once installed. She should definately ask to see the receipt the shop got from the supplier. There will of course be a shop mark-up on the part. Also, on alternator rebuilds issues are pretty common. When possible a new oem is a better bet especially when installation is a challenge.

The days of being able to open the hood and just reach in the engine compartment to change out and alternator or other parts are long gone. As are the days of setting timing by ear and rotating the distributor, or setting points with a match book cover

I'm going to start a conspiracy theory that the engineers behind these ridiculous designs are on the WEF's payroll to herd us into buying EVs and eating da bugs.

I bought a 2004 Dodge sedan at auction.  It had a bad battery and when I opened up the hood it was nowhere to be found.  They thought it was a good idea to put it in the driver's side fender.  So checking the battery started out like your alternator story.  I had to jack up the car, remove the wheel, the plastic thing, and then I could access the battery.  

My high school auto shop teacher gave us the opposite advice for buying auto parts.  He said whenever possible, get a rebuilt.  Not just because they were usually less expensive, but because the "guts" that went bad are all replaced, and the parts that are re-used have been field tested and proven not to have any manufacturing defects.  A lot of the parts that had such defects usually went bad within the first 30 days so they were covered by the warranty, but he said it was better to avoid them in the first place by getting a rebuilt.  When he wasn't teaching shop class he ran the service department at a dealer so had some insight on how often those OEM parts fail.  Of course, this was decades ago, so things may have changed.  Though one would think with more manufacturing being shifted to China...

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

ridiculous designs are on the WEF's payroll to herd us into buying EVs

Side note - EVs don’t have alternators.  And to the great sadness of some workers in the Puna automotive theft industrial complex, no catalytic converters, or gas tanks to punch holes into.

[sistersue]

I'm going to go a little further out on the alternator limb and say that it's unlikely that the wrong one was installed.  For this to happen, all of the bolts, pins, the belt, the swivel shaft, electrical connections, brackets and perhaps other things would have to match up perfectly.  In today's world of highly specialized design, as illustrated in previous posts, the chances of a "wrong" unit matching up perfectly are pretty remote, making the physical installation impossible.

I think your first mechanic was telling the truth and that there is another issue with the car.  Why he couldn't find it is a whole other discussion.

Lex Brodie diagnosis says "alternator control wire pigtail missing lock. Alternator not charging at full voltage with a/c on. Recommend new alternator control wire pigtail de pin and re pin .5".  It also says to install either Nippon Denso or OEM dealer alternator.  We told Lex Brodie's that we were not going to have them fix the car.  We just wanted their diagnosis for our mechanic so, hopefully, they weren't scamming us.  What do you think of this evaluation?  It's all Greek to us.  Thanks.

[Punatang]

ridiculous designs are on the WEF's payroll to herd us into buying EVs

Side note - EVs don’t have alternators.  And to the great sadness of some workers in the Puna automotive theft industrial complex, no catalytic converters, or gas tanks to punch holes into.

Horses also, and they make fertilizer.  

Sorry for your car troubles SisterSue. It should be easier.  I tend to do my own these days and I guess I'm more of a "parts replacer".  I can usually replace all of the possibilities for less than half of what a shop would charge to replace one and that often includes the purchase of a cool new tool I need for the job.  I end up with more fresh parts, less ripped off feelings and a genuinely impressed wife.  Priceless.

Amazon is the way to go IMHO.  You save a ton of money.  If you enter your car info, the site makes sure you are ordering a part that will fit your make, model, trim, year, etc. so it's pretty hard to screw up.  You tube + Amazon + Time/Sweat +tools (usually nothing very special) = most things solved yourself.  

Youtube and google will help you diagnose the problem and show you step by step, on your model, how to replace the part.  Just type whats going wrong in your browser and start reading. Watch some videos. Narrow it down. Make an educated guess. Ask here! Order the part.  Watch the video step by step a couple of times and then play it while you replace the part.  Step, pause, step, pause.  It's a hell of a feeling when you solve your own problem.  I hope this helps.