Ok I need a new Alternator, how much should I be looking to drop?

14,948
4,205
Joined
May 26, 2003
Ok Sears put in a new Battery and they said my Alternator is bad, so I should look into buying a new one.

I drive a 97 Chevy lumina

What is a reasonable price I should look for? Does Autozone/ Advance Autoparts install Alternators?
 
somewhere between 100-150 probably

the labor price is when your pockets will get hit probably
 
yea I figured that, I found a few 130s-150s, Sears can install them, but does Autozone or Advance Auto? I think that may be considered labor intensive,but Iknow they install majority of the things they sell., dude at sears was like the instillation price really depends, it can be from 65-100.
 
used to work at sears. go somewhere else they suck and sell beat up products and used products and put them as new
 
Originally Posted by LuckyLuchiano

yea I figured that, I found a few 130s-150s, Sears can install them, but does Autozone or Advance Auto? I think that may be considered labor intensive,but I know they install majority of the things they sell., dude at sears was like the instillation price really depends, it can be from 65-100.

well I work at sears auto...i think for your car it would be 67.50 for labor and mark up is 50 percent so if we get your alternator around a 100 bucks its gonbe like about 275 installed...2 year warranty or 24,000 miles and 6 month or 6k miles on the labor. As far as I know the alternator that they will put inwill be a re-man to save you money (same warranty as a new) but is the alternator on there top-mount?
 
Originally Posted by duckdafraft

Originally Posted by LuckyLuchiano

yea I figured that, I found a few 130s-150s, Sears can install them, but does Autozone or Advance Auto? I think that may be considered labor intensive,but I know they install majority of the things they sell., dude at sears was like the instillation price really depends, it can be from 65-100.

well I work at sears auto...i think for your car it would be 67.50 for labor and mark up is 50 percent so if we get your alternator around a 100 bucks its gon be like about 275 installed...2 year warranty or 24,000 miles and 6 month or 6k miles on the labor. As far as I know the alternator that they will put in will be a re-man to save you money (same warranty as a new) but is the alternator on there top-mount?
Yea if Im not mistaken the Alternator is on the top left side of the Engine. They taxed me for my battery installation because On Luminas theBattery is located under the windshield wiper fluid box.

So you would recommend me getting my Alternator elsewhere and just letting them install it? And should I always buy brand new or does it really matter? BecauseI`m trying to shop between spots where I can get the stuff ASAP moreso then an Online 3rd party spot if I can.
 
Originally Posted by LuckyLuchiano

Originally Posted by duckdafraft

Originally Posted by LuckyLuchiano

yea I figured that, I found a few 130s-150s, Sears can install them, but does Autozone or Advance Auto? I think that may be considered labor intensive,but I know they install majority of the things they sell., dude at sears was like the instillation price really depends, it can be from 65-100.

well I work at sears auto...i think for your car it would be 67.50 for labor and mark up is 50 percent so if we get your alternator around a 100 bucks its gon be like about 275 installed...2 year warranty or 24,000 miles and 6 month or 6k miles on the labor. As far as I know the alternator that they will put in will be a re-man to save you money (same warranty as a new) but is the alternator on there top-mount?
Yea if Im not mistaken the Alternator is on the top left side of the Engine. They taxed me for my battery installation because On Luminas the Battery is located under the windshield wiper fluid box.

So you would recommend me getting my Alternator elsewhere and just letting them install it? And should I always buy brand new or does it really matter? Because I`m trying to shop between spots where I can get the stuff ASAP moreso then an Online 3rd party spot if I can.
dam they got you for the 29.99 installation huh instead of 12.99....hope you didnt go for the gold battery if you dont plan on keeping that carthat long. Sears wont let you bring your own parts because of "warranty" issues but it really because of the mark up they put on it from vendors. Iwould say look for a decent independent mechanic that will let you bring your own part and charge you a more reasonable price to install it. Or talk to one ofthem guys that works in the shop on the side and offer hiim 40 bucks to put it in at his hosue cuz technicians commision at sears is only like 15 percent so ofthe $67.50 theyre only seeing about 10-15 bucks. If you buy a remanufactured alternator from like napa or autozone they still give you a decent warranty so Iwould go with a re man if you wana save money.
 
Installing an alternator on that car is a 30 minute job....about $50 max install, most shops willrip you off tho....I suggest you do it yourself, it's one of the easier repairs you can do. You can find a remanufactured altenator for a decent price ifyou call around.

Autozone.com has DIY guides....
 
Originally Posted by duckdafraft

Originally Posted by LuckyLuchiano

Originally Posted by duckdafraft

Originally Posted by LuckyLuchiano

yea I figured that, I found a few 130s-150s, Sears can install them, but does Autozone or Advance Auto? I think that may be considered labor intensive,but I know they install majority of the things they sell., dude at sears was like the instillation price really depends, it can be from 65-100.

well I work at sears auto...i think for your car it would be 67.50 for labor and mark up is 50 percent so if we get your alternator around a 100 bucks its gon be like about 275 installed...2 year warranty or 24,000 miles and 6 month or 6k miles on the labor. As far as I know the alternator that they will put in will be a re-man to save you money (same warranty as a new) but is the alternator on there top-mount?
Yea if Im not mistaken the Alternator is on the top left side of the Engine. They taxed me for my battery installation because On Luminas the Battery is located under the windshield wiper fluid box.

So you would recommend me getting my Alternator elsewhere and just letting them install it? And should I always buy brand new or does it really matter? Because I`m trying to shop between spots where I can get the stuff ASAP moreso then an Online 3rd party spot if I can.
dam they got you for the 29.99 installation huh instead of 12.99....hope you didnt go for the gold battery if you dont plan on keeping that car that long. Sears wont let you bring your own parts because of "warranty" issues but it really because of the mark up they put on it from vendors. I would say look for a decent independent mechanic that will let you bring your own part and charge you a more reasonable price to install it. Or talk to one of them guys that works in the shop on the side and offer hiim 40 bucks to put it in at his hosue cuz technicians commision at sears is only like 15 percent so of the $67.50 theyre only seeing about 10-15 bucks. If you buy a remanufactured alternator from like napa or autozone they still give you a decent warranty so I would go with a re man if you wana save money.
I mean The whip is just to get me where I need to go, my pops said he might give me his current car at the end of this year if he gets a new Car,I copped the 89 buck Die Hard South Battery. How long do you thing I will last until I get a new Alternator? Because this is really inconvenient being that Igotta drop cheese on books for Summer School. I`m hoping I`ll be good untill July and still be straight so I can get the alternator before I go to school, butI dont wanna be out with a female or some crap and my whip just die. My Volt light only comes on when I the car is on and isnt moving, but I assume myalternator only charges properly when I drive at a consistent speed being that the light goes off then.
 
LuckyLuchiano wrote
I mean The whip is just to get me where I need to go, my pops said he might give me his current car at the end of this year if he gets a new Car, I copped the 89 buck Die Hard South Battery. How long do you thing I will last until I get a new Alternator? Because this is really inconvenient being that I gotta drop cheese on books for Summer School. I`m hoping I`ll be good untill July and still be straight so I can get the alternator before I go to school, but I dont wanna be out with a female or some crap and my whip just die. My Volt light only comes on when I the car is on and isnt moving, but I assume my alternator only charges properly when I drive at a consistent speed being that the light goes off then.



if you absolutely have to drive the car then make sure you use as little amount of accessories as possible....avoid driving at night so that you dont have torun the headlights...honestly if its a top mount alternator its pretty easy to replace yourself with a basic tool set. make sure you carry jumper cables in thewhip just in case. it doesnt seem like your alternator is completely blown but its starting to go out but theres no way to tell when...all I can say is thatif you cant get it replaced soon just drive as little as possible.
 
Back
Top Bottom