Car Savior

Oct 16, 2007 - Dealer greed or the advantage of having an older car

So I was summoned to help my trusty 1994 Impreza last Friday. It was sitting in the middle of the road stranded by a completely discharged battery.

I stopped by an Autozone store and purchased a new battery. The old one was about 10 years old, so it was time. When I installed the new battery, Impreza started right up and was driven to a safe parking location.

By chance I had my trusty multimeter with me. I checked the voltage and it was at steady 12.4V with engine running. Obviously the battery was not getting any juice. Thinking it was probably the alternator, I stopped by the closest Subaru dealer only a few hundred yards away.

Service manager was not sure they would be able to get to my car before Tuesday and the alternator was not in stock anyway and would have to be special ordered. The cost quoted to me was $450 plus sales tax for a rebuilt alternator and labor.

Next I stopped by Autozone and ordered a rebuilt alternator from them quoted at "only" $170 plus tax. This was not only much less expensive than the dealer, it would arrive to the store the same day and Autozone would test my old alternator free of charge.

I left the store thinking that I would come back after work and swap the alternator out. On my way to work, however, I was driving by my favorite u-pull-it junk yard. Despite my office clothes, I decided to stop by and see if they have an Impreza on the lot. I walked around the lot and within a few minutes located an Impreza. It had severe front end damage but the alternator seemed unharmed. I returned to my car and took all the tools from the standard BMW toolkit. To my amazement, I was able to remove the alternator from the wrecked Impreza using just the few wrenches and pliers that were at my disposal! It took all of 15 minutes and I was out the door for $15.90 including sales tax!

After work, I stopped by Autozone and had the salvaged alternator tested. It tested fine and wih lifted spirits I drove on to my broken down Impreza. Thanks to excellent lighting from a street lamp, I was able to swap out the alternator in about 20 minutes. Started the car, checked voltage -- solid 14.5V !!! Mission accomplished.

So, what's the point? Had I gone to the dealer, I would be without my car for at least four days and would have had to shell out at least $480 (including tax). Instead, with some luck, I was able to easily fix the car myself for under $16 the same day. It pays to be a car nut! Also, if you have an older car, never pay the first asking price for any repair. Ask around, inquire about used parts, call junk yards, go to a u-pull-it junk yard. Actually, I greatly enjoy visiting u-pull-it yards -- they often have interesting models there and one can practice their repair skills without much risk.

11:51 am | Categories: subaru, impreza, alternator, battery, dealer, money Permalink | Alert Administrator

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