How much should I have paid to replace alternator ?
#1
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Model: Cherokee
How much should I have paid to replace alternator ?
My alternator bearings on my 1990 4.0 Cherokee started to squeal intermittently at idle so I panicked and had a shop do it I have used before,
They charged me 2 hours labor @ $70/hr And $128 for a Duralast alternator that I think was the $93 SILVER retail version , not the GOLD version which is $130 retail and NEW. I saw the Duralast box arrive. It took him like 20 min to put it on !
Bottom line: since the alternator cost them less than retail I feel I paid $128 for an alternator that cost them probably $75
And I paid too much for the labor ?
My receipt says nothing of a warranty and just which Duralast they put on.
Silver and Gold Duralast alt. have a lifetime warranty per their website on Autozone.
Should I call them on it and at least demand to know which model alt. they put on my Jeep ? And provide a warranty ? If I did it myself I would get a warranty from Autozone for instance.
They charged me 2 hours labor @ $70/hr And $128 for a Duralast alternator that I think was the $93 SILVER retail version , not the GOLD version which is $130 retail and NEW. I saw the Duralast box arrive. It took him like 20 min to put it on !
Bottom line: since the alternator cost them less than retail I feel I paid $128 for an alternator that cost them probably $75
And I paid too much for the labor ?
My receipt says nothing of a warranty and just which Duralast they put on.
Silver and Gold Duralast alt. have a lifetime warranty per their website on Autozone.
Should I call them on it and at least demand to know which model alt. they put on my Jeep ? And provide a warranty ? If I did it myself I would get a warranty from Autozone for instance.
#2
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Year: 1989
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 renix
The warranty probably is covered by the manufacturer (or AZ themselves since I think they're the company that owns them?) Still doesn't hurt to ask them about it.
The price you paid for the alternator isn't terrible, and isn't even all that marked up, especially for a shop, but of course it's marked up.
The price you paid in labor is completely normal.
The fact that you got screwed for "2 hours" is also completely normal. (if they for sure didn't have it at the shop for more than an hour, working on it or not, would be a cause for concern and you should be saying something about that)
This is how shops work. And there's no way it was a 20 minute job, even for a Jeep guy. 15 minutes to get the air box out of the way and remove the belt, 15 minutes to get the alt in, another 20 to get everything bolted up. Call it an hour.
The price you paid for the alternator isn't terrible, and isn't even all that marked up, especially for a shop, but of course it's marked up.
The price you paid in labor is completely normal.
The fact that you got screwed for "2 hours" is also completely normal. (if they for sure didn't have it at the shop for more than an hour, working on it or not, would be a cause for concern and you should be saying something about that)
This is how shops work. And there's no way it was a 20 minute job, even for a Jeep guy. 15 minutes to get the air box out of the way and remove the belt, 15 minutes to get the alt in, another 20 to get everything bolted up. Call it an hour.
Last edited by Stabsthedrama; 12-18-2014 at 03:32 PM.
#3
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Yes but...
The warranty probably is covered by the manufacturer (or AZ themselves since I think they're the company that owns them?) Still doesn't hurt to ask them about it.
The price you paid for the alternator isn't terrible, and isn't even all that marked up, especially for a shop, but of course it's marked up.
The price you paid in labor is completely normal.
The fact that you got screwed for "2 hours" is also completely normal.
This is how shops work. And there's no way it was a 20 minute job, even for a Jeep guy. 15 minutes to get the air box out of the way and remove the belt, 15 minutes to get the alt in, another 20 to get everything bolted up. Call it an hour.
The price you paid for the alternator isn't terrible, and isn't even all that marked up, especially for a shop, but of course it's marked up.
The price you paid in labor is completely normal.
The fact that you got screwed for "2 hours" is also completely normal.
This is how shops work. And there's no way it was a 20 minute job, even for a Jeep guy. 15 minutes to get the air box out of the way and remove the belt, 15 minutes to get the alt in, another 20 to get everything bolted up. Call it an hour.
Next time I'll do it myself and save $100 or more.
My mechanic friend says $70/hr labor rate is pretty cheap...I'll let that slide , but receipt just says "alternator" I need to know which "alternator" they put on there. It isn't the Gold one...that one has a gold colored pulley. It could be the one year warranty cheapie one for all I know.
Last edited by bufbarnaby; 12-18-2014 at 04:16 PM.
#4
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Year: 1989
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 renix
So is mine, you need to remove the airbox to get at the belt tensioner to remove the serpentine belt. (we have the same engine)
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