That's what I would think, if I bought a car that cost me $20,000 or less brand new, I would expect it to be a turd, but I guess that's just the way people work you buy a new car and do no maintenance on it and expect everything to be free when the timing belt breaks.

Overall I don't mind doing most of the stuff since I still get paid if they can get warranty to pay for it, I just don't get how a dirty air filter should be covered under warranty (Today's example of getting everything for free)

 

I know my johnson would have trouble after suckin that bad.
Oh sorry not talking outboards..

Im running a shucks alternator on my 89. Been in there for 5 years, even been submerged.
And shucks makes terrible parts. Whats goin on?

 

 

Rebuilding OEM stuff works great if it is for your self but who working for someone else has that kind of time.

Long ago in my youth I asked why we did not rebuild starters and alternators I was told it was just not cost effective . More $$$ for less work putting in a reman from whatever vendor we bought from at the time.

Even now while there is no pressure I seem to not have the time to mess with rebuilding starters and alternators besides my big clumsy fingers always seem to drop something small and never find it again .

 

The shop by my place charges about $100 to rebuild a starter or alternator... they do great workk... cheaper than $200 for a "new" POS parts store unit which will fail after a year! 3 years later, still starts like a champ.

 

x3

there's still plenty of old-skool alternator/starter shops that will rebuild for $100 or less with one-day or same-day turnaround.

use 'em while you can before they all retire and we're stuck with nothing but chinese disposables.

 

Well usually you can easily rebuild the stuff yourself since it is usually just the brushes on alternators that go bad and contacts on starters that wear out, I replaced the brushes on my wife's alternator from her 4runner and it worked awesome, I would do it at work if they would pay me to and get me the parts, but since I just get paid to R&R I don't, although it would beat replacing stuff over and over for no pay I guess.

 

i agree. unless you're used to working at a bench all day rebuilding electronics, that's tedious detail work that can really slow shop turnover. pull the part, push the car back outta the shop and get another one or two in there while you get that unit rebuilt by a specialist who already has the brushes and bits in stock on their shelf. with a good preferred vendor contract, a shop should be able to negotiate same-day turn-around.

putting in a quality local rebuilt will definitely reduce "come-backs", which can ruin shop performance numbers, and directly affect money in your pocket.

 

My experience with Toyota electrical woes have almost always been remedied only when I sourced Denso components. My very first Toyota experience was putting a 22re from a Celica in to an 87 pickup that had previously been powered by a 22R. It was a challenge that lead me in many directions. I have tried damn near every parts supplier out there along the way. These vehicles are amazingly resilient and very easy to maintain, provided you source only the highest quality components.

 

I don't have a choice on where the parts come from, that is to be determined between the Dealership and the customer, if the customer wants to spend the extra coin, they will get OEM, if they don't, I get to install Napa stuff. The issue is usually with vehicles other than Toyota.

I was pretty much using this thread as a way to vent my frustration with repairing Napa electrical components over and over.

 

It's almost a little off subject at this point, but in my experience Napa has the highest quality parts compared to autozone and oreilys, so they can charge more...I don't ever buy anything from anywhere but Napa or the dealership, unless I know specifically the brand I want, and know the other shops have that brand. But even then, I'd rather give my money to someone who isn't the McDonalds of auto parts.

But, I'm not the most experienced person on the earth. I just know my own limited experience. Clearly they've got some issues with the alternators.