Quoted: We found a place that will do it for 300 with the price of an alternator!
I'm also going to buy a book on this car so maybe I can do some of these repairs from now on. |
I wonder what kind of piece of shit alternator they're putting on there for that price.
Though, I suppose there's a case to be made with regard to the quality of the OEM Ford part. It did die in less than 7 years.
When I replaced the timing belt and water pump on my wife's Neon, I made sure to purchase honest to God Mopar parts. Why? Because neither were bad, but they miraculously made it 160,000 miles (no shit - I bought the car with ~15,000 miles on it). I figured I was on borrowed time, and being that they're a BITCH to replace and they're obviously made extremely well, I'd do well not to tempt fate with cheap Autozone shit.
I replaced a Kragen alternator (under warranty) on a 1985 Toyota van 5 times in less than a year. I got so good at it, I could replace it in 20 minutes. Most (though not all) of the national parts houses buy parts from the lowest bidder. When people call around for parts, all they want to know is the price. They'll buy the cheapest one. They figure "parts is parts", and nothing could be further from the truth. You really do get what you pay for.
I will say that if you're not buying authentic OEM parts, Napa has served me very well. They're always a little more than Autozone et all, but it's not by that much and you're getting good parts. In my area, Napa does almost all of it's business with professionals. Consumers simply call around looking for the best price (even it's only $5 or $10), and Napa is almost never it. You know what though? At my Napa, the people working behind the counter actually know their shit, and it's a pleasure to shop there. It's worth every penny not having to deal with monkeys. I'm just about the only non-professional that shops there, and they've told me so. They generally don't like dealing with the general public, but they make an exception for me.
Maybe they're not all like that, but my local Napa kicks maximum ass.