If a car needs an alternator today and just got a new one in May, is there possibly something else wrong with the car that causes the alternator to stop working? Or do you think it was a bad alternator or they did something wrong installing it?
2005 Honda CR-V bought used in May
Yes, there is surely some problem here. An alternator that fails within 5 years is unusual - many last the life of the car.
An alternator should last years. I have a '99 Toyota with 125K miles and the original alternator.
Did you buy a new alternator, or a rebuilt one? Honda, or aftermarket? They’re not hard to install so it’s probably the alternator itself rather than the installion (but IAMAM). I would go back to where I bought it and raise hell. Surely there is a warranty on it. I think repair warranties are usually something like 90 days, but might be longer. Check your paperwork.
It’s a little weird, like everything else in my life.
Bought a used Honda at X Toyota. THE NEXT DAY the battery was spluttering some kind of vapor. Had it towed back to X Toyota where we were told it was sent to X Honda (several miles away) and a new alternator was put in. We did not have to pay for this at all.
Today, on the way to the airport to drop off my daughter who is going to Italy for four months, the radio turns off, the lights go out, then the car stops. Called a friend to come take the husband and the daughter to the airport while I waited for AAA. Towed to Y Honda (right down the street from X Toyota, but not X Honda which is further away).
He called and said it needed a new alternator. He said we could have a Honda alternator which would take a couple of days or an aftermarket which would be done today and $50 cheaper. I went for the after market alternator. I did tell him about this history of the alternator.
Now I guess I’m going to have to call X Toyota about the event in May. If they really put in a new alternator it should have lasted longer, according to what has been posted here.
Thanks so much for any advice.
Any indications that it may have been defective and failing?
They usually last for years unless subject to abuse. Did you change the battery with the first alternator? Boiling/smoking isn’t good. The battery may have been damaged and put a higher loading on the alternator.
Did the AAA guy do any checks on the electrical system?
I don’t know about a new battery. I’m going to have to call that dealer. The AAA guy didn’t do anything, he just hooked up the car and towed it.
A lot of times a dying alternator will kill a battery. Don’t be too surprised if you need a new battery in about a week or so.
Did someone install a radio in the car at some point? People often install car radios and don’t upgrade the wiring or the alternator. Higher power radios can put more of a strain on the alternator than it was designed for and cause it to die an early death. Similarly, anything else that has a high current draw (fancy lights or whatever) could strain the alternator and make it die prematurely.
An electrical fault could be drawing excessive current, so it might be a good idea to get the entire electrical system checked out.
Alternators normally last several years, as mentioned. Some rebuilt alternators are good quality, some are poor quality. And external factors, such as the battery, can make a difference. As to why your alternator failed, we can’t tell from here, but it would be wise to have the battery and relevant wire/cable connections inspected to see if there’s a detectable problem in that area.
Warranty periods vary among parts manufacturers and among repair shops. However, warranties typically include a commitment to redo the work paid for if needed but not to reimburse for having it done elsewhere. It can’t hurt to inquire at X Toyota to see if they’ll do something for you, but don’t get your hopes up. (And since you have no relation with and didn’t spend any money at X Honda, I wouldn’t even bother talking to them.)
The harder alternators work, the less time they last. Remember, alternators are not designed to fully charge a weak/dead battery, they are designed to maintain a charge.
Frequent alternator failure? More than likely, a weak battery.
I bought a Garmin GPS this week. On Wednesday I was in the Honda and I plugged it into the cigarette lighter and it worked beautifully. On Thursday the radio first failed. On Friday the car broke down.
I did tell this to the guy checking me in. However, I don’t think that using a GPS through the cigarette lighter should cause such a problem.
We’re going to call back and tell them to order the Honda alternatore after all instead of the after market. But still have to figure out why all this happened.
The Honda man said the battery is just fine.
You could have had a bad altimeter or voltage regulator (they might be the same thing – I’m stuck at an airport on my iPhone, so I’m reluctant to do searching on an already slow edge network connection).
It is probably too late now, but in my experience parts carry a one year standard warranty. So if you had brought the car back to X Toyota (Who fitted the first replacement warranty) they would have been able to replace it F.O.C under the parts manufacturers warranty.
Because you went to a different dealer it is unlikely you will be able to reclaim any labour, but you may still be able to get a replacement alternator from X Toyota. This may offset some of the cost at least. You will need to return the faulty alternator though, as well as having some details, including date fitted, date failed, mileage fitted and mileage failed. They will also charge you for the new alternator until they can test the supposedly faulty alternator. If it turns out to be genuinely faulty they should then refund the cost of the alternator.
Thank you.
Re: rebuilt alternators. I don’t trust them. I have had two bad experiences with rebuilt units-and they are not all that much cheaper than new. So, given the labor cost of installing an alternator, I would opt for new.
This is helpful insight for some situations, but not for all.
As I mentioned above, rebuilds are available in good quality and in poor quality. On the one hand, I’ve read of a case where 5 alternators from a low-cost supplier failed, one after the other, each within a month. The customer finally got tired of replacing them (the alternators were all covered under warranty, but still…) and got a better, more expensive brand. Problem solved. On the other hand, I’ve been using a brand with which I’ve had very little trouble - maybe 5 failures out of approximately 200 repairs.
Labor cost varies with the vehicle design; some are quite quick and easy to replace. Others are a bear.
New alternators are not readily available for all cars, and I would venture not at all for some. Over the last few years I have seen increased availability of new ones, but I think it’s still a minority of cars for which it’s an option.
I got my car back today and it cost me $1084.74. Geez.
It included, in addition to getting a new alternator, changing the transmission fluid, brake flush and power steering flush. But still.
I’m definitely going to have to call the Toyota place and see what they say happened in May. I can’t find anything in my papers about the alternator but my filing is a mess. Tonight it’s straighten up the filing to see what I can find. Maybe it was just a new battery last May.
Damn.
1084.74! :eek:
That’s nuts! I’d talk to the manager, and make them justify every goddamn penny. And consider other steps as well. AND I’d never go there again.
That really is an outrageous price. It should be closer to $300/$400 tops, including the part and labor. Are you willing to itemize what the charges for?
I’m getting the feeling they said to each other, “Let’s take this chick to the bank. She don’t know better.”
replace alternator $374.95
alternator assy (assembly?) $326.76
brake fluid exchange $70.70
brake flush $26.00
power steering flush $56.70
steering serv (service?) $33.28
change transmission fluid $52.88
fluid $38.55
washer, drain $1.90
environmental for repair order $25.00
summary
labor $555.23
parts $426.49
misc. charges $25.00
sales tax $78.02
total $1084.74
It doesn’t help that my husband hasn’t got a clue about cars.
Did you authorize ALL those things?
Looks bad to me, but I would wait for better informed than I to comment… Rick or Gary T <---- better informed…