A friend of mine had the alternator on her 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe go out last week. For some unknown reason she had the vehicle towed to the local Chevy dealership to have it fixed. She did however buy the part at Advance instead of using the GM part. She told me today they charged around $210 labor. Having replaced a few alternators that sounds extremely high to me. Even if you give them an hour's labor as a diagnostic fee it should take a trained mechanic less than twenty minutes to replace the part. I can't imagine "book time" could be more than an hour. Can any mechanics give me an idea of how much time the guidebook gives to replace this? Also, I told her if she ever has a problem like this again to call me and I'll fix it for nothing instead of her getting killed like this.
Did my friend get overcharged?
- Thread starter ncguy
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depends where the alternator is located. not every vehicle has the alternator right at the top with 2 bolts holding it down.
on my car you have to remove the drivers side axle shaft to get the alternator out.
on my car you have to remove the drivers side axle shaft to get the alternator out.
A bad alternator can be diagnosed in about 3 min.
Originally Posted By: lui
depends where the alternator is located. not every vehicle has the alternator right at the top with 2 bolts holding it down.
on my car you have to remove the drivers side axle shaft to get the alternator out.
I looked up the repair guide at az.com. It's a two bolt job.
depends where the alternator is located. not every vehicle has the alternator right at the top with 2 bolts holding it down.
on my car you have to remove the drivers side axle shaft to get the alternator out.
I looked up the repair guide at az.com. It's a two bolt job.
Auto Zone's repair guides are worthless. They don't show all the other stuff that must be removed to get to the "2 bolts". Without seeing the vehicle in question, it's hard to tell. Hopefully StevieC chimes in. He has the vehicle in question.
Originally Posted By: cparksjr
The 4 cylinder shows 1.5 hours labor.
The V-6 shows 2.6 hours labor.
This is right out of AllData for book time labor rate.
Thanks. It is the 3.5l V-6. I guess that makes the charge seem more reasonable but she would still have been better off not going to a dealer. Oh well lesson learned.
The 4 cylinder shows 1.5 hours labor.
The V-6 shows 2.6 hours labor.
This is right out of AllData for book time labor rate.
Thanks. It is the 3.5l V-6. I guess that makes the charge seem more reasonable but she would still have been better off not going to a dealer. Oh well lesson learned.
i believe on the santa fe (2.7L) the axle shaft has to come out to replace the alt. if that is the case it would be more time than your standard alternator job.
the alt on the v-6 is located near the passenger side fire wall down low. if she has the 4 cylinder i don't know where it is mounted?
the alt on the v-6 is located near the passenger side fire wall down low. if she has the 4 cylinder i don't know where it is mounted?
Originally Posted By: ncguy
A friend of mine had the alternator on her 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe go out last week. For some unknown reason she had the vehicle towed to the local Chevy dealership to have it fixed. She did however buy the part at Advance instead of using the GM part. She told me today they charged around $210 labor. Having replaced a few alternators that sounds extremely high to me. Even if you give them an hour's labor as a diagnostic fee it should take a trained mechanic less than twenty minutes to replace the part. I can't imagine "book time" could be more than an hour. Can any mechanics give me an idea of how much time the guidebook gives to replace this? Also, I told her if she ever has a problem like this again to call me and I'll fix it for nothing instead of her getting killed like this.
It depends what engine you have.
On my 2.7L it's quite easy, and on the 4 Cylinder it is also easy but on the 3.5 it's can be a pain.
What's even more disturbing is most of the time it's just worn brushes and this can be replaced on the cheap for under $30 and about a hour worth of time.
$210 if it's the 2.7 litre is a rip-off for the labour as the alernator is a piece of cake to take off and no axle or tire needs to be removed. The car does need to be jacked up though as it's at the rear/bottom of the engine.
A friend of mine had the alternator on her 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe go out last week. For some unknown reason she had the vehicle towed to the local Chevy dealership to have it fixed. She did however buy the part at Advance instead of using the GM part. She told me today they charged around $210 labor. Having replaced a few alternators that sounds extremely high to me. Even if you give them an hour's labor as a diagnostic fee it should take a trained mechanic less than twenty minutes to replace the part. I can't imagine "book time" could be more than an hour. Can any mechanics give me an idea of how much time the guidebook gives to replace this? Also, I told her if she ever has a problem like this again to call me and I'll fix it for nothing instead of her getting killed like this.
It depends what engine you have.
On my 2.7L it's quite easy, and on the 4 Cylinder it is also easy but on the 3.5 it's can be a pain.
What's even more disturbing is most of the time it's just worn brushes and this can be replaced on the cheap for under $30 and about a hour worth of time.
$210 if it's the 2.7 litre is a rip-off for the labour as the alernator is a piece of cake to take off and no axle or tire needs to be removed. The car does need to be jacked up though as it's at the rear/bottom of the engine.
Motor book time for the V6 is 2.6 hours and Chilton is 2.2 hours so $210 seems cheap depending on their labor rate.
Reputable shops don't look at something and say "oh it's 2 bolts, charge $xx.xx" They use the Motor or Chilton guide which estimates how long an average tech, working at an average pace with average tools can do it in. They multiply that times the labor rate and get the amount they bill you.
"Did my friend get overcharged?" Yes, compare with independent mechanic/shop. I had my LS400 alternator replaced a year or so ago for $120 total, part(rebuilt alternator) and labor included.
I never had my cars serviced at dealers, unless it was under warranty or recall by manufacture.
I never had my cars serviced at dealers, unless it was under warranty or recall by manufacture.
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
"Did my friend get overcharged?" Yes, compare with independent mechanic/shop. I had my LS400 alternator replaced a year or so ago for $120 total, part(rebuilt alternator) and labor included.
I never had my cars serviced at dealers, unless it was under warranty or recall by manufacture.
HTSS- mind PM'ing me with the contact info for the indie mechanic you reference above?
"Did my friend get overcharged?" Yes, compare with independent mechanic/shop. I had my LS400 alternator replaced a year or so ago for $120 total, part(rebuilt alternator) and labor included.
I never had my cars serviced at dealers, unless it was under warranty or recall by manufacture.
HTSS- mind PM'ing me with the contact info for the indie mechanic you reference above?
Originally Posted By: Scott_Tucker
Motor book time for the V6 is 2.6 hours and Chilton is 2.2 hours so $210 seems cheap depending on their labor rate.
They had to pull these numbers out of their rears because I could show you with a camera how easy it is to remove/replace the alternator.
Motor book time for the V6 is 2.6 hours and Chilton is 2.2 hours so $210 seems cheap depending on their labor rate.
They had to pull these numbers out of their rears because I could show you with a camera how easy it is to remove/replace the alternator.
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Originally Posted By: Scott_Tucker
Motor book time for the V6 is 2.6 hours and Chilton is 2.2 hours so $210 seems cheap depending on their labor rate.
They had to pull these numbers out of their rears because I could show you with a camera how easy it is to remove/replace the alternator.
Even on the 3.5L? Have you done one?
Originally Posted By: Scott_Tucker
Motor book time for the V6 is 2.6 hours and Chilton is 2.2 hours so $210 seems cheap depending on their labor rate.
They had to pull these numbers out of their rears because I could show you with a camera how easy it is to remove/replace the alternator.
Even on the 3.5L? Have you done one?
I haven't done a 3.5 but I have seen the location of it and I have fixed a corroded charging wire on it. It's not much more of a job than the 2.7
depends where its at. My service manual says the passenger side axle needs to come out, which involves unmounting the wheel, strut, tie rod, sway bar.....removing torque struts, loosening motor mounts so the motor can be tilted back. I dont look forward to the day that mine needs replacing.
Anyone want to look up a Neon SRT4 on Alldata?
Anyone want to look up a Neon SRT4 on Alldata?
It's no secret that the book rate is very over generous for many repairs, but it is what it is. I got clipped for $900 to install a 3 bolt distrutor. ($500 part, $400 labor/diagnostic)
That's why I'm on these forums trying to learn to do things myself. I also found an honest independent mechanic to do the labor for stuff over my head. Guy only charged me $80 labor to install two front quick struts on my beater 93 altima. $70 for a CV half shaft. Those kind of numbers are very fair and reasonable. I actually thought $80 was a little low on the quick struts, buy I'm not complaining. ;-)
That's why I'm on these forums trying to learn to do things myself. I also found an honest independent mechanic to do the labor for stuff over my head. Guy only charged me $80 labor to install two front quick struts on my beater 93 altima. $70 for a CV half shaft. Those kind of numbers are very fair and reasonable. I actually thought $80 was a little low on the quick struts, buy I'm not complaining. ;-)
IMO the book usually doesn't allow enough time, just the rate is so high these days.
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