My 2013 Honda Civic kept losing battery life and kept needing a jump start. Went to get it tested at autozone and the clerk informed me he couldn’t test the alternator unless I have a fully charged battery so I bought a new battery connected it and the alternator failed the test on his device. Looking online on car fax I’m seeing about a $1000 job for this in my area of Houston Texas. Any tips or tricks on saving money for this job? I’m by no means a mechanically sound person.
you can look up the alternator part cost yourself on any auto parts website (rockauto, autozone etc.) . It should be less than an hour labor to install. It's very easy. Ask about mechanic labour rate. There you go you should have a ballpark figure. $1,000 is absurd.
@mmj - Absurd is putting it mildly. Outrageous is more appropriate.
The clerk at Autozone lied to you. They are not mechanics, they are SALES people. If you can't do it yourself, find a competent, honest local guy to do the work.
what is the difference in price?
I've never heard of a service that rebuilds your alternator.
@mmj - I remember about 50 years ago you could get them rebuilt, like the old rod and core radiator repair shops. They could also rebuild your starter.
@doc that would make sense back when the price of parts exceeded the cost of labour
There are still shops around that will rebuild alternators and starters, but they are few and far between at this point.
how much does it cost?
It's by no means a recent story, but around 20 years ago my mom had her existing alternator in her 1991 Ford Escort station wagon rebuilt by a guy who we had a mutual friend with.
@mmj, Not sure how much it costs these days. Last alternator I had rebuilt at a shop was for for a Rambler about 30 years ago and I've moved since then. The guy must have retired or passed away by now. I'm told there is an auto electrics shop not far from from where I am now that will rebuild alternators and starters. Maybe I'll give them a try next time I need one.
It depends, I've herd a lot of very negative experiences with remanufactured alternators,
It mainly depends on who rebuilt it - Denso? some shop that calls used parts "remanufactured"?
I'm unsure as to what's the exact condition / failure inside of your current alternator,
But generally, it's best to get a new one from a reputable manufacturer.
I wouldn't get one from some sketchy unknown aftermarket brand.
If the price to rebuild your one is significantly cheaper and it is warrantied, then it's also a good option.
I have usually always bought reman units that come with a limited lifetime warranty. And I have them put it on their test machine at the parts store BEFORE I pay for it. My luck has been running about 60/40 in favor of them being good.
You need to research.
Out of curiosity I looked up my own vehicle ....
- Rebuilt $250 (It turns out there's a place nearby that offers this service)
- Remanufactured OEM is $200
- Brand new, tested unit with warranty, from nationwide, reputable manufacturer using Bosch parts and upgraded to exceed OE specs: $280
Guess which option I would pick?
My 2013 Honda Civic is having Alternator problems. Should I rebuild the alternator, get a remanufactured alternator, or get a brand new one? I’d prefer to save money but still get something that will last another 80,000 miles or so.