Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Apparently need to replace my alternator... recommendations for a repair shop?

tvp2003 · 10-20-2012, 11:33 AM

Had some car issues and was told by Canadian Tire that my alternator is apparently dead. Not completely surprised; was hoping it would be a loose connection or something (due to some weird symptoms; I ended up replacing the battery just to get it to the shop because it died on the way home).

In any event, I was quoted about $500 to fix it ($230 for the part and another $250 for the labour/shop supplies + GST); should I just bite the bullet and get CT to fix it? Worth going somewhere else and getting it re-tested (i.e. a second opinion)? I was also thinking about ordering a new or used part online and seeing if I could bring it into a mechanic, but I don't really think it's worth the hassle. I guess my concern is if Crappy Tire is gouging me on price, and if it's worth shopping around (I had a bad experience at the Ford repair shop last time so I'd prefer not to take it back).

P.S. I also looked into a DIY fix, but apparently it's quite complicated to replace the alternator on my car (a ford focus).

10-20-2012, 11:33 AM	#1
tvp2003 Franchise Player Join Date: Mar 2006 Exp:	Apparently need to replace my alternator... recommendations for a repair shop? Had some car issues and was told by Canadian Tire that my alternator is apparently dead. Not completely surprised; was hoping it would be a loose connection or something (due to some weird symptoms; I ended up replacing the battery just to get it to the shop because it died on the way home). In any event, I was quoted about $500 to fix it ($230 for the part and another $250 for the labour/shop supplies + GST); should I just bite the bullet and get CT to fix it? Worth going somewhere else and getting it re-tested (i.e. a second opinion)? I was also thinking about ordering a new or used part online and seeing if I could bring it into a mechanic, but I don't really think it's worth the hassle. I guess my concern is if Crappy Tire is gouging me on price, and if it's worth shopping around (I had a bad experience at the Ford repair shop last time so I'd prefer not to take it back). P.S. I also looked into a DIY fix, but apparently it's quite complicated to replace the alternator on my car (a ford focus).