I paid $300 to replace an alternator in my 94' Nissan Altima...did I get ripped off?

Question

My mechanic told me the reason my car wouldn't start was the alternator. He fixed it and charged me $300 (+tax+ $60 for towing)

Did I get a fair price?

Answer 1

#1: How much does he charge per hour? Flate rate time is 1.2 hours.
#2: How much was the alternator? This always gets me, if you walk into a parts store and buy an alternator for 100 bux. Your mechanic IS NOT going to charge you 100 bux for the same alternator! Usually the mark up is 50% (not always but usually) or he is going to charge you LIST price. The reason is simple.
The labor rate you are paying is his paycheck. The list price you are paying for the part is paying his utility bills, his insurance and everything else that is keeping him in business to work on your vehicle. So, you paid 240 smackaroos to get your car back on the road. It don't sound too bad to me.

P.S. The Nissan (factory) alternator goes for around $340, reman should be around $175ish.

Answer 2

Ok well the alternator could have gone out. the battery light comes on when the alternator is not charging properly. it charges between 13.3 and 14.6 volts. The wire for the alternator is not a part what comes with a new alternator. it is actually part of the wire harness on most new cars and since the beginning of cars has never come with an alternator. now that that is cleared up you could have received a faulty alternator. it happens more times than you would imagine. the symptoms point to the alternator. Now the battery depending on how old it was might also have been bad. Changing the parts that they want to change is just a stupid expensive guess. I have been doing this for many years and they are trying to cover their butt and make money off something that is not the problem. It sounds like you need to find a new garage to take it to. ask around and see where is recommended in your community for repair work. let them diagnose it and give you an estimate. if they say bad alternator again then take it back to the original garage and have them replace it again as that way your not out any money. if you don't they legally don't have to refund you the money and you more than likely will not win the battle in court. bare in mind that there is a voltage regulator which could be shorting out and depending on the vehicle it could be part of the alternator or in the computer of the car as in Chrysler products. this will also give you the same symptoms. Hope this helps

Answer 3

I don't think it sounds too unreasonable, but a few things do come into play when determining this. First off is the labor rate, some mechanics charger $48 an hour (yes, they exist) and some charge $90 an hour, this will greatly affect the final price. Then there is the part used, alot of mechanics will only use parts they know to be good, this will narrow it down to a select few brands and choices. My bet is he used original factory equipment, that way its a sure thing that the part will be right and work, but there are times that OEM is not best, then brands like ACDelco will be used, I say ACDelco because they are one of my personal favorite brands and have quality products.

So, I'm guessing you got a quality brand or OEM part, and that you probably paid $60 or $70 for labor. All in all, I say, that with this car, and this part, and if you got a quality part, you did not get ripped off, you got a good mechanic that only used good parts that have been proven to be quality and last a long time.

Answer 4

You paid a very reasonable price for the total repair. For the heck of it price a new alternator at your local Nissan dealer. I'll give you a hint, the price will kill a $500.00 bill. Your mechanic most likely installed a re-built alternator on your car. Hopefully it has a lifetime guaranty.

Answer 5

Nope u got ripped. Just check @ autozone or advance auto for the price of the alternator which if u have a small amount of tools u can replace yourself.

Answer 6

To be fair to the mechanic, he didn't replace your alternator with one from Autozone. Yes, that is a fair price for a shop. You could have saved money by doing it yourself.

Answer 7

If you are going to second guess your mechanic you should have taken it to Autozone or Advance first and had them perform a free diagnostic on your alternator and battery.

Answer 8

I paid $239 (parts,labor) for alternator but my car was not towed there, I was able to drive it there.

Answer 9

by mechanics no you didnt get ripped off if you know what mechanis go throu to please the customer no lunch break to get your car going or spending 30,000 dollars on tools that will get your car going