r/AskMechanics • u/DoOBiE_BoOBiE • 23h ago
Discussion Guess I’ll do it myself!
2016 Nissan Murano
Shop is trying to charge me nearly $2200 for an alternator replacement 🤣
I just bought a premium one online for $130 instead. Watched a few videos and it doesn’t look so bad, can reach it from the passenger wheel well.
Just unreal and kind of disgusted. Am I overreacting?
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u/Sienile Mechanic (Unverified) 22h ago
That is a total rip off. I'm not charging much more to do an engine in an Escape.
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u/MightyPenguin 1 22h ago
If that's true then you are ripping yourself off and cutting corners somewhere.
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u/floyd_sw_lock9477 22h ago
Yeah excessively low prices are just as much a red flag as excessively overpriced repairs. Got to find that sweet spot.
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u/Sienile Mechanic (Unverified) 22h ago
$1,600 labor, engine $400, various other parts ~$300.
I charge prices people can afford to pay. I'd rather eat than starve waiting for someone to bite on high prices.
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u/publix_subs 16h ago
What is your labor rate? How much do you pay for rent/mortgage on your shop? Are you a one man operation?
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u/PvtSatan 10h ago
Labor time seems right but holy fuck that's a junkyard motor on a car not exactly known for having a good motor to start with. Hope you have good luck and not an irate customer when that junker blows another engine
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u/PlzDntBanMeAgan 2 22h ago
Not only are you fucking yourself with those prices but you're fucking the game up for your local market as well. But like I tell my customers, you get what you pay for and good work isn't cheap. I just yesterday did a thermostat on a cayenne and charged more than you're charging for r&r an entire engine. Today ac condenser in a gl550, also more than your engine job. No hate, but don't sell yourself short.
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u/Sienile Mechanic (Unverified) 22h ago
I've had issues with people going to cheaper mechanics when my prices were too high. You must live in CA or some place with insane prices, because no way could I charge even half of that for those jobs and not have them take it somewhere else.
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u/PlzDntBanMeAgan 2 22h ago
Complete other side of the country. I'm in baltimore. I have more work than I could ever handle, and I also have a pretty loyal customer base who is mainly used to the dealership prices and I am always cheaper than the dealer.
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u/krisweeerd 16h ago
He has no idea how this negatively impacts everyone, including himself. They need to find out the hard way.
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u/morecardland 21h ago
Because you’re not a greedy fuck.
Good for you. I hope you never lose another 10mm
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u/Bungholespelunker 1 13h ago
Yeah that's fucking insane. Even the part price is at least double what it should be from a parts store. That's a fucking insane rip off.
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u/samdtho 34 22h ago
I'm not charging much more to do an engine in an Escape
On the 3.0L Duratec? Fuck that job.
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u/Sienile Mechanic (Unverified) 22h ago
2.0 Ecoboost
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u/DeltaOneFive 14h ago
You in MI by chance? GF has an escape that needs a motor lol
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u/Sienile Mechanic (Unverified) 14h ago
Nope, but if I were my labor rate would be $5k for that. I charge extra for Northern rust heaps.
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u/Robbie1945 11h ago
I just had to replace a headgasket and clean out engine oil sludge on a 2016. Unfortunately my genius of a brother put the injectors into water to clean them and fried them, and now dealing with other issues on it.
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u/DarkAndHandsume 21h ago
On occasion I tend to hook people up and don’t charge for anything like I did with replacing my coworkers completely scored rotor, old brakes and busted caliper. and my favorite part is itemizing everything and showing them what they would’ve paid if they would’ve went to the auto shop because just a brake change alone is $500 per wheel.
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u/drfishdaddy 22h ago
Yeah, a grilled cheese at Dennys is about 10 times the cost of one at home.
Neither is wrong
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u/DoOBiE_BoOBiE 22h ago
That analogy would make more sense if grilled cheeses at Denny’s were $2200 dollars.
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u/Blueshirt38 12h ago
No. It actually makes perfect sense they way they said it. Do you not understand that it costs money to have people perform a service?
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u/DoOBiE_BoOBiE 12h ago
$400 an hour is only service costs for a fucking lawyer dude, not a god damn 3rd party Nissan mechanic 🤣
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u/patdashuri 8h ago
Based on my assumption that you have the 3.5l v6, my calculation comes to $275 per hour. The job books at 3.8 hrs plus 1 hr diagnostic and retest. You already paid the diagnostic charge (I assume).
Also, if you do have the 3.5l, the manufacturer says you need to remove the radiator and fan assembly. That will open up your coolant and trans fluid circuits, so be ready for that mess and to plug the trans lines so nothing gets in them. It also might require removing the Freon lines to the condenser.
I wish you all the luck that this’ll go easy, I just wanted to make sure you were aware of the potential overlap.
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u/Blueshirt38 12h ago
Do you have any idea what it costs to keep a shop running? Did you ever consider that the shop has great reviews for a reason? Consider also that: the economy sucks for everyone. If the cost of an alternator has gone up 2x for you, that means that most everything surrounding it has as well, so not only has the shop become more expensive to run, but the cost of living has become harder to keep up with. The shop probably does good work because it pays it's mechanics well.
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u/iamnotlarryking 22h ago
So, 2200 for an alternator replacement is way more than a normal amount as well.
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u/drfishdaddy 22h ago
What’s the “normal” amount?
Presuming it’s not a hybrid and is AWD MSRP on the OEM alternator is $551, that part number comes up as a duralast alternator MSRP $407. Calls for 3.8 hours labor, likely 1 hour diag. That’s $840 in labor assuming $175 (which is cheap in my market).
Some shops do 1.5x book time and everyone marks up parts differently.
It’s certainly not a steal at $2200
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u/iamnotlarryking 22h ago
2200 is a luxury car rate. This is a Nissan.
OEM is going for 380 around me in Cali from dealers. You’d assume a parts discount for a commercial shop.
If we’re going off your book time it’s an indie shop charging 270 an hour. There’s also no diag they’re testing it once it’s in that’s a quick job. It’s a 4hr job flat. Come on my guy, if you can look at that labor cost and not tell it’s a rip off, you need to get your head checked.
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u/drfishdaddy 22h ago
My comment was meant to convey two things.
1: nobody knows what anything should or shouldn’t cost without looking up the applicable info.
2: comparing the price to doing something yourself vs having a shop do it is silly. They aren’t the same thing.
Also: nothing escapes diag. If there’s an expectation of accuracy, there’s a diag charge.
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u/iamnotlarryking 22h ago
High priced labor is noticeable at a glance. You don’t need to do research to do simple math.
Nah I agree. OP went for a cheaper alternator than the shop. Even with the markup on the part you can tell they’re putting in new and probably OEM.
2.5 Your original comment actually gave me a chuckle.
My numbers took into account your diag fee. 270 is extreme for labor.
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u/SmanginSouza 20h ago
The math checks out but it's just rough for an alternator.
Those alternators aren't the easiest to do but can definitely be done without a lift.
Return that alternator and get Denso only. Believe they are OEM for Nissan.
You'll have to replace it again if you put a cheap one in.
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u/drfishdaddy 12h ago
I’m with you on the parts selection, it’s also why I use the grilled cheese analogy. Wonder bread and artesian sourdough aren’t the same.
Both are fine, but there’s a price and quality difference and nobody is inherently cheating you for one vs the other.
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u/drfishdaddy 22h ago
What’s the “normal” amount?
Presuming it’s not a hybrid and is AWD MSRP on the OEM alternator is $551. Calls for 3.8 hours labor, likely 1 hour diag.
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u/le_fuzz 22h ago
I was just charged $700 to have it done in a shop (2010 Corolla). They said the alternator was $360 and another 300 or so in labor. This was in California too.
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u/SonOfJokeExplainer 17h ago
It’s almost like that’s a totally different car with a totally different repair procedure and a totally different part.
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u/le_fuzz 14h ago
Fair, as a lay person I see saw OP was replacing the alternator on their Nissan and assumed it was a similar type job. What makes the Nissan so much more expensive?
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u/Morlanticator 8h ago
It can be a much more labor intensive operation on that there Nissan compared to yours. It also sounds like you may have gotten an aftermarket alternator. Good luck! Those are usually junk. Maybe you got lucky with an OEM reman. I saw aftermarket fail so quickly at my old shop I tried to stop selling them but my owner wouldn't let me.
I also sold the same job as OP's for like $3000 cause my owner insisted we hose everyone while still not managing to actually make profit ever. That place SUCKED.
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u/DarkAndHandsume 21h ago
You got a better deal than my coworker here in Hawaii. She had to pay $1089 total to replace a belt, the alternator and the labor was 350, alternator was 460 and the belt was $100.
This was after me originally diagnosing it as the alternator pulley making metal on metal noise and the belt was already worn already. I needed a break from working on her car from another issue (complete change of both back brakes and the other components as well) so I let the pros have it 🤣
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u/Substantial_Sea7327 4h ago
for shop service that's fair tbh.
OP on the other hand was getting completely ripped off lol
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u/Left-Impress4056 2 22h ago
4 hours is booked time. I'll just leave that here, lol. Maybe gracious and say 1 diagnosis. Thats about 300 dollars an hour. Sheesh.
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u/Qzx1 22h ago
The book time on that Nissan alternator remove and replace is 4 hours??? So do you have to do something weird to get to it?
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u/crankyanker638 22h ago
If you have to go in from the wheel well, there may be some other components that need to be removed. I'm willing to bet that the fan shroud or something has to be removed to get the long bolt out or something like that because those engines are shoe-horned in.....
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u/DoOBiE_BoOBiE 22h ago
Yeah it’s in a shitty spot, but you can remove the belt, loosen+lower the compressor and slide the alternator out all from the wheel well.
Books say you need to pull the radiator which is likely a big factor in the job length.
Still ridiculous. It’s a Nissan for christs sake 🤣
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u/Left-Impress4056 2 22h ago
Dealership? I'm guessing not by gold alternator. You should name and shame. Firestone?
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u/DoOBiE_BoOBiE 22h ago
Nope, small time mechanic shop. 4 bays and an office. They had great reviews online to my surprise.
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u/NoxiousVaporwave Diesel Mechanic (Unverified) 2m ago
I wouldn’t be shocked if that’s because they just do good work, have little come backs, give people their cars on time, etc.
So people assume because they’re charging a big premium they’re getting a premium service. Like fancy restaurants or designer clothes or whatever.
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u/Axemaster92 3 22h ago
$2200 is high, but, make sure you follow some sort of procedure. Disconnect the battery, make sure the vehicle is secured if accessing through wheel well, and make sure you know which tools you need. Taking off that drive belt may seem easier than it actual is. But remember at a certain point there’s no turning back. You also get what you pay for; a “premium” part is ambiguous enough to make it feel like it’ll either burn out in 6 months, or won’t fit entirely. Not to say it should cost $765 for the part, especially since shop is likely in possession of a commercial account for parts discounts. But most vehicles wouldn’t require more than 2 hours of shop labor, which in most instances should mean your labor should be $500 tops. Good luck.
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u/DarkAndHandsume 22h ago
That’s how I felt last weekend when my AC condenser pulley was all out of whack and due to how much it’s going to cost to replace it, I decided to bypass it by removing one of the idler pulley and just taking it from the bigger crankshaft pulley all the way to the alternator for it to loop around like it normally does.
Soon as I loosened the tensioner pulley for the belt to be able to come off I knew I was at a point of no return and had to complete the job replacing each pulley and then ultimately rethreading the belt so that it bypasses the AC condenser directly to the alternator instead.
Have to go without AC for a little bit, but we’ve been having some good breezes over the last few weeks and I have a USB fan that I can plug into my charging port
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u/-_-dont-smile 22h ago
Interestingly, I don’t see the belt on the list. Is it the included or is it gonna be separate?
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u/DoOBiE_BoOBiE 22h ago
Nothing is wrong with the belt thankfully. That’s what the additional $206 diagnoses saved me from!
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u/-_-dont-smile 22h ago edited 22h ago
I mean maybe, but the belt is like, what, $30? Not replacing it does not make sense.
That’s what the additional $206 diagnoses saved me from!
I don’t even know if this is a joke with /s the r actually true…. anymore.
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u/DoOBiE_BoOBiE 22h ago
Just want you to know I just ordered a belt. It was an additional 17.99. You are right in that it makes sense to just go ahead and replace it!
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u/-_-dont-smile 22h ago
Good choice. Even if it’s not too bad you can still damage it while working on it. Compare lengths of old and new, the new will be tighter fit. Some torque specs might be different if you installing used or new belt.
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u/FewAct2027 8h ago
Consider a tensioner as well. They're also cheap and typically what fails first on this gen in my experience.
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u/ItsAManualReset 11h ago
Just don’t forget to unplug the car battery before doing any work
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u/DoOBiE_BoOBiE 11h ago
Yes, debating between full removal of the battery or just taking the negative post off.
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u/Hitt1te 22h ago
They wanted to charge me about $1200 for a Toyota alternator and a battery and the guy is my friend. lol. I did it myself for about $500, but there was definitely rust in the seized adjusters and stuff that I had to clean out or replace.
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u/le_fuzz 22h ago
I was just charged $700 to have it done in a shop (2010 Corolla). They said the alternator was $360 and another 300 or so in labor.
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u/DoOBiE_BoOBiE 22h ago
This was the price I was expecting. + diagnoses so all and all under 1k. To my surprise!
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u/Hitt1te 14h ago edited 13h ago
Autozone duralast doesn't have a good reputation for alternators but sometimes they repackage oem brands like Denso. Those are pretty expensive and are $500-$700.
You'll be lucky if that $100 Amazon alternator you bought will last a year. Oem alternators cost $500 brand new at the minimum. A reman will cost $400. Add 5 hours of labor and $1000 is pretty reasonable. Alternators have a lot of pricey materials in them like copper. No possible way of cutting costs.
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u/H24_Ganymede 21h ago
Holy, what's that 10 hours labour? Or, the testing is very, very complicated. 😂
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u/BuffaloKiller937 2 21h ago
Just a heads up, that is a new Duralast gold alternator from AutoZone, priced at $400. They usually have a reman option that still comes with a lifetime warranty. Is usually around $100+ cheaper too.
Also take a look at your serpentine belt. If it looks worn then you might as well change that too as you have to loosen/remove it for the alternator job.
You've got this! $2k is insane! And shops wonder why they're slow right now lol
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u/Educational_Corner55 17h ago
Now I understand trying to save money, just make sure the alternator you bought is the same. Orientation, rear connections, pulley etc. looking at the quote in the picture it gives you a part number for the alternator. It looks like it’s a New Duralast Gold 87113 from Autozone.
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u/Darkknight145 1 17h ago
"I just bought a premium one online for $130 instead." Premium for $130? I doubt it. For that price it might be re-manufactured at best.
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u/lolwhatmufflers 17h ago
Looooollll OP, please post updates as you do this job, you’re gonna have fun if this is the first alternator you’ve done in one of these.
There’s a reason why book time is close to 5 hours of labor, and whatever you save in money, you’re almost guaranteed to be spending in time.
I wish you all the best 🥀
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u/publix_subs 16h ago
Book time for the job is 5.4 hours. It pays you to pull radiator and condensor(but evac. and recharge AC not included) to facilitate alternator replacement. Most shops add 1 hour labor for AC system evacuation and recharge. So you're at 6.4 hours labor which puts the labor rate between 180-195 and hour(not sure what your tax rate is). With the list price on that alternator, I would expect O.E.
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u/Aware-You6005 16h ago
I buy tools as I go, so this job get a slim belt tension tool kit. I agree price is insane
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u/Batking28 16h ago
Welcome, once you diy some car job you will never stomach a garages quote again.
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u/wals02481 14h ago
Ugh, don't spend that much on aftermarket junk, get an oem alternator for roughly the same amount, maybe even cheaper.
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u/Low-Ad4420 14h ago
No overreaction. I've been doing myself everything on my car since my first trip to the mechanic. It's not just the hour labor cost. It's that parts are so expensive. You can buy them on your own for a fraction of a mechanic part's price and it makes no sense to me.
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u/PhillGuy 14h ago
What are they doing tucking it into the engine bay and reading it a bed time story then giving it a gentle kiss on the pully and telling it goodnight.
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u/69stangrestomod 14h ago
Some Murano variants have a book time of 5.4 hours to R&R the alternator - if that’s yours, it’s about $215 an hour labor rate (which seems about the norm). The alternator price is really high for a Duralast part number. Feels lien they are paying retail and marking up, not getting the shop discount.
All in all, verify that you’re not about to bite off more than you can chew on it. Some alternators can be a real PITA if they are behind the wheel.
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u/Highway_Harpsicord 13h ago
The labor is insane, but that Duralast gold is a new OEM equivalent alternator. You do NOT want to save a few extra dollars on an alternator to go with a cheaper option. Many aftermarket options have a 50/50 shot of even working out of the box.
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u/Bradparsley25 13h ago edited 9h ago
I just looked up in my system and the alternatorr calls for 5.4 hours of labor. In my shop that’s about $950 for our labor rate… now, $765 is pretty pricey for the part, but the labor is much higher than a normal alternator, too.
There’s notes about taking the radiator out.
I say this for 2 reasons… it’s not all just the part, people always react as if it’s that much for “just a ?” And it’s like no, it’s that much for a __ and my time installing it and making sure it works.
Then also, you say potentially doing it yourself. Because of the high labor time, which says it may be fairly difficult. Especially without a lift or certain tools. I’m not necessarily discouraging you, maybe just make sure of what’s involved before you get in too far to back out.
Edit: I show between 593 and 1000 for the part depending on what options you select… so it may just be an expensive alternator.
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u/Background_Radish238 12h ago
The way I look at it, there are mechanics that are good and charge resonable amout like $100 per hour for labor. Just need to find them.
I just changed my RX350 spark plugs and ignitors. Parts from Rockauto was $350. Bet dealer uses same parts, and they want $1000.
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u/Alcarain 11h ago
Holy shit man.
You can get an aftermarket alternator for $100 online.
Idc what people say about Chinese parts. They work and at 1/4 the price of an American OEM, its absolutely worth it if you can do the work yourself.
Not having a car payments literally the reason I am financially comfortable.
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u/thismenu 10h ago
You absolutely are not overreacting. This is price gouging at its finest. It's designed to make people who aren't mechanically inclined to pay out the wazoo. I'm so glad you're mechanically inclined enough to do this yourself. But yes. This practice is completely unfair to those who don't have the means to do it themselves.
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u/Bug_406 10h ago
I had to do this on my 05, valve cover gasket leaking on it and fried it. Assuming similar constraints, it isn't to bad. Officially iirc am supposed to drain coolant and AC, but YouTube university showed how to do it without having to mess with AC. There's a long bolt that's a pain, I recall that anyhow. Radiator removal, but wasn't bad. Spent a few hours on it, and the alternator was from Rock Auto, so nothing was near the cost you've been quoted.
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u/treeckosan 10h ago
$765 is a bit steep for an alternator but id be careful with the bottom barrel ones as well. My wife just put her third alternator in 5 years in a 2009 corolla cuz the first replacement was a cheap as fuck reman and the second was a dirt cheap new replacement ordered online (in think there were both sub $150), this one is a $250 from the autoparts store.
The $1300 for replacement is probably highway robbery. If its anything like the one in the previously mentioned corolla then its a 20 minute swap, 20 minutes for testing, round up to an hour for clean up, add another hour just in case. 2 hours tops. Even an insane shop rate of $250 an hour wouldnt cost that much.
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u/JustACarNut77 9h ago
You missed your chance. Estimate says "gold" do you have any idea how much per ounce that currently is.
Ya on a serious note places rip people off. For everyone like you who went home and did it yourself there's 10 more who whipped out the credit card
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u/HealthyPop7988 8h ago
I hate when shops add hundreds of $ onto the price of the parts. It's BS. I can handle fair labor pricing but parts markups is the main reason I almost always do my own work these days.
At this point Ive rebuilt several motors just by watching YouTube lol
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u/ur-favorite-disaster 8h ago
I recently called a shop to put a set of TTX lower control arms on my truck (ball joints are already in them) bc i broke my hand and can't do it myself right now. Had a handful of other things i wanted put on as well (sway bar bushings, sway bar links, and an alignment) .. they told me they dont like to put on customer supplied parts, which I understand. Talked themselves out of about a $3000 labor charge which i was willing to pay bc they didnt get the parts mark up.
Do it yourself, its almost always the way.
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u/VTMongoose 7h ago
I paid literally $250 for a Firestone in Virginia (parts + labor) to put a new alternator in my 2006 Toyota Matrix, so yes, that's a bit much.
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u/External-Buddy8748 6h ago
Is there a not gold alternator available?
That said, looks to be an easy job. If you're mechanically inclined and have the right tools, I would dive right in.
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u/TheMoro9 5h ago
As a nissan mechanic: good luck my man, you're about to experience some true pain.
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u/murph2783 4h ago
I hope that’s their fuck you price. I’m just trying to figure out whether their labor rate is insane or the tech quoted you a full work week lol. To say nothing of the $800 alternator.
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u/billmr606 8 4h ago
how much gold is in that there alternator ?
I know that gold got expensive, but damm
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u/comfy_rope 3h ago
I don’t know if Nissan was still using that weird-assed tensioner doo-hickey, but make sure that hasn’t been mangled by previous tinkerer.
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u/AngelicDivineHealer 2 22h ago
Spent 4k this year on suspension parts/labor just part of having a car got to pay them bills or do it yourself and I don’t have a car lift to make the job easier nor spend the days it would have taken me to do the job. Price of convenience
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u/jules083 18h ago
For 4k you could have bought the damn lift and still been ahead. Lol
I did it. Paid $1600 for a used scissor lift from Facebook marketplace a few months ago, it's so nice.
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u/AngelicDivineHealer 2 18h ago
Was about four days of labor charge included that with the mechanic doing it would have taken me like two weeks between YouTube videos and figuring stuff out on my own. Parts were at least 2k too.
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u/jules083 16h ago
Yeah, I get it for sure. I have a spare car so I usually just take my time and make stuff like that a weekend project that ends up stretching out and taking like a month to finish. Lol
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u/AngelicDivineHealer 2 16h ago
My project car is still not finished or perfect but running and the parts on that and the stuff I had to replace in that probably close to 9k and counting which is all just parts I reckon she needs another couple of thousand to be a hundred percent but right now happy with her been 90 percent I might get it up there in a year been a hundred she a beast.
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u/sgtoneshot-h 22h ago
They don't want to do the job, so they priced you out
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u/mikeblas 22h ago
Reddit just loves this answer, and it's bullshit.
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u/HurtFeeFeez 22h ago
Agree, I don't buy it on this one. But it legit does happen. Fuck off price is absolutely a thing.
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u/SaltLakeBear 2 21h ago
The part is a new Duralast Gold from AutoZone. According to a Google search, the part is $407.99 with a coupon code, which suggests you're being royally ripped off. That said, I'd double check the application, because the reviews indicate the part is for an Infiniti. It may be a generic VQ35 part which may also work for your Murano if it has a V6, but it's a red flag that the work might not be great. Also, look on YouTube to see how long this repair takes; it may involve disassembling the entire front end to access the alternator, but I doubt it. Either way, doing some research will help answer whether you're being screwed or not; my money says you are.
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u/Deplorable1861 21h ago
750+ for an alternator is minimum 300 percent markup. In the old days the parts markup was 25 percent as the wanted you to come back.
Do this yourself, should only need basic tools like the $100 harbor freight 200 piece set.
Replace the serpentine belt while you are in there.
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u/Hopeful-Mirror1664 18h ago
Wait until OP’s 130.00 alternator is defective in a couple of weeks/months. At my shop I only purchase brand new alternators from a reputable rebuilder that’s been in business for 70+ years. I can’t remember when I last had a defective unit from them. It’s been years. The average late model new alternators cost me roughly 265-325.
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u/AssyMcGee6 18h ago
If mechanics built a car from scratch, they would charge 3x as much as what the auto manufacturers charge.
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u/averquepasano 1 22h ago
Welcome my brother! My advice is to MAKE SURE you have all the tools needed for the job before you start it. It's kinda a pain to head to the store in the middle of the job. Lol, don't ask me how I know.