seattle951

I am in Falls Church, VA and my car is in the shop.

The shop has determined that the alternator is bad and they want $225 for the alternator and $575 for the labor. My 951 was shipped from the factory without air conditioning.

Is $575 a reasonable price? This seems extremely high to me. Thanks.

931guru

Only if their labor rate is $300 per hour... Should take about an hour and a half.

MooreBoost

shootz. i just did a clutch and a alt on a 86 951 for $200. i fail

V2Rocket

If you have the factory AC delete bracket it shouldn't take much more than an hour to do.

schip43

No your getting or will be getting screwed! First most likely you just need new bushings about 55 to 80 bucks?
That works depending on the shop but that's crazy high a TBelt change on an average FWD car is about that much and an altenator change on a 951 is a lot less work than that!

You need to find another shop if you can?

kev951

how about you check the lovely voltage regulator and replace a 17$ part first if the brushes are bad?? Unless the bearings in the alternator are shot or damaged.......

schip43

Oh $17, better still I figure go high it's a Porsche.

Yes that's the part I'm referring to also. I would bet money it's worn all to hell! The bearings are pretty durable so most likely they are still good . This is not a $800 dollar problem! Again you need to find a new shop! Or see if there is someone around the car that could help you out!

seattle951

I just picked up the car at the shop. They had to jump start it. By the time I got the vehicle back to my apartment, the battery was fully charged. It started on the first turn of the key.

The battery is a 4 year old Odyssey lightweight unit that I know is bad. When the car was in storage, the facility charged the battery with a normal charger instead of a flash charger.

I also talked to the mechanic that did the work and not the sales person. He suggested trying a voltage regulator.

I am glad I did not have this work done. I still paied $600 for what I considered to be minor maintenance.

Thanks for the input.

931guru

Oh, please tell us the name of the shop that quoted you that price...

kev951

one misconception here....Shops are not your buddy's garage.. they have VERY HIGH overhead and need to make a profit. high quotes are one thing, shotty work or dumb techs are another. If you want fair prices on any german car, learn how to work on it. otherwise you are paying for the value of not having the problem again done by the industry.. same thing goes for steak.. you can spend up to 250 $ for a small filet and drinks with your woman. or if you are crafty,, you go to an old timey butcher shop , get the meat and wine you want and cook it at home.. $60 vs, $250 . knowledge.. its real , unless the shops are known for not being honest, dont wast your time. I have been an ASE master tech and smog tech for the past 12 years. Just my 2 bits..



Best regards!

lee101315

Assuming the A/C is in place, $575 to change the alternator is a bit high, but not outrageous. The labor book rates the job at 3.5 hours, and then you'd have to bleed the cooling system and add antifreeze.

Assuming the alternator is where the A/C compressor goes on your car, id say that $225-$275 would be a fair price for labor...

Then again, i'd take it down myself and pull swap in a new voltage regulator first...

spammajamma

for someone who's never pulled much from the engine before it could take you several hours, I counted 13 hose clamps when everything was off
you have to remove the ac compressor bolts and getting the alternator in with the hose shroud is a major pain in the ***

worth it though

my sentra took me half an hour, the porsche more like 4-5, no lift and no power tools

seattle951

If I were in Seattle in my own garage, I would have done this myself. Unfortunately, I am in Falls Church, VA for a year of training. I am living in an apartment provided by my employer. Working on the car myself is not an option.

At this point, I do not convinced the alternator is bad and the problem may be solved by replcacing an inexpensive voltage regulator.

If not, I will find another shop that will provide a more reasonable price for the work. I called the shop in Seattle that built and installed the engine. They claimed that would have charged me under $200 in labor for the repair.