Electrical/alternator Trouble
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 984
Likes: 1
From: SAN FRANCISCO CA
Electrical/alternator Trouble
so - i had posted about a week ago that i was having some possibe "battery" issues. turns out it was the alternator AND the batter, so both are getting replaced. they're putting in an ac delco rebuilt alternator....
so i'm thinking i should be cool now. about how often does this stuff happen? what's the usual "life span" of alternators and batteries on these cars?
my wife is already rolling her eyes at me becuase i just got this car 2 weeks ago and already it's in the shop!
i must say though, that $378 out the door isn't so bad. i can only IMAGINE what the parts and labor would be for a comparable problem on my *old* car, a 2001 BMW!!! not to mention that the bimmer was never in the shope for LESS THAN 2 weeks at a time. with the shark, it was in and out.... same day. no problem!
just wondering if anyone had their 2 cents on all this stuff.....
so i'm thinking i should be cool now. about how often does this stuff happen? what's the usual "life span" of alternators and batteries on these cars?
my wife is already rolling her eyes at me becuase i just got this car 2 weeks ago and already it's in the shop!
i must say though, that $378 out the door isn't so bad. i can only IMAGINE what the parts and labor would be for a comparable problem on my *old* car, a 2001 BMW!!! not to mention that the bimmer was never in the shope for LESS THAN 2 weeks at a time. with the shark, it was in and out.... same day. no problem!
just wondering if anyone had their 2 cents on all this stuff.....
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Congrats on the car and welcome to the forum.
Sometimes them things last forever, sometimes maybe around the block.
The new battery should get you by 3 or 4 yrs depending on how much you drive it, weather, how much it sits etc..
The alternator should last for years, usually if it lasts for a month its good for years.
Sometimes them things last forever, sometimes maybe around the block.
The new battery should get you by 3 or 4 yrs depending on how much you drive it, weather, how much it sits etc..
The alternator should last for years, usually if it lasts for a month its good for years.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,387
Likes: 2
From: Meriden CT
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 984
Likes: 1
From: SAN FRANCISCO CA
then there's the time thing. my wife and i started a business a year ago (we're both dentists) and our hearts and souls get poured into that practice right now... it's a bitch.
sure, i suppose if i had the space, i could potentially work on the car on a friday or saturday night BUT.... 1)that'd surely be the end of my marriage and 2) i'd really rather go out a see friends, y'know, enjoy being out and about in the car. that's jsut my personality. maybe later in life when i have the time, the space, etc it'll be something i could do with my kid (don't have one yet). that'd be cool. but for now it's only the REALLY easy stuff i fix (lightbulbs, loose screws
. the rest goes to the mechanic a block away..... so i can go to work and make some money to pay for the darn thing in the first place! 
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 984
Likes: 1
From: SAN FRANCISCO CA
well hey - i maybe coulda woulda done it. but diagnosing the problem is the daunting part. and then again there's the tool problem. i wish i could be more like you guys though, honestly. baby steps.... baby steps. hey, i replaced a fuse last week!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 2,655
Likes: 19
A dentist? Well nevermind, you need your hands. If your knuckles looked like mine on monday mornings (after whacking them a few times wrenching on the car), you would scare away your patients.
i live in an apartment, in the city. my "garage" is simply a space in the building lot (locked and covered, of course). so that's problem # 1 - no space to work, no space for toold.
then there's the time thing. my wife and i started a business a year ago (we're both dentists) and our hearts and souls get poured into that practice right now... it's a bitch.
sure, i suppose if i had the space, i could potentially work on the car on a friday or saturday night BUT.... 1)that'd surely be the end of my marriage and 2) i'd really rather go out a see friends, y'know, enjoy being out and about in the car. that's jsut my personality. maybe later in life when i have the time, the space, etc it'll be something i could do with my kid (don't have one yet). that'd be cool. but for now it's only the REALLY easy stuff i fix (lightbulbs, loose screws . the rest goes to the mechanic a block away..... so i can go to work and make some money to pay for the darn thing in the first place!
then there's the time thing. my wife and i started a business a year ago (we're both dentists) and our hearts and souls get poured into that practice right now... it's a bitch.
sure, i suppose if i had the space, i could potentially work on the car on a friday or saturday night BUT.... 1)that'd surely be the end of my marriage and 2) i'd really rather go out a see friends, y'know, enjoy being out and about in the car. that's jsut my personality. maybe later in life when i have the time, the space, etc it'll be something i could do with my kid (don't have one yet). that'd be cool. but for now it's only the REALLY easy stuff i fix (lightbulbs, loose screws
. the rest goes to the mechanic a block away..... so i can go to work and make some money to pay for the darn thing in the first place! Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,316
Likes: 284
From: Ocala FL
i live in an apartment, in the city. my "garage" is simply a space in the building lot (locked and covered, of course). so that's problem # 1 - no space to work, no space for toold.
the rest goes to the mechanic a block away..... so i can go to work and make some money to pay for the darn thing in the first place!
the rest goes to the mechanic a block away..... so i can go to work and make some money to pay for the darn thing in the first place!
Another option is to get one of the public storage places. $100-$150 a month most places gives you a "garage" of sorts. Place to store the tools, some room to work as needed, and usually minimum light/electricity.
On an old hobby car, this is often the better way, because paying someone to maintain your hobby can get expensive. Now on a fully restored car, odds are you will have these repairs infrequently, and the infrequent trip to the mechanic will never be more than the storage fees.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 984
Likes: 1
From: SAN FRANCISCO CA
"Now on a fully restored car, odds are you will have these repairs infrequently, and the infrequent trip to the mechanic will never be more than the storage fees."
that's pretty much what i bought. and why i bought it....
that's pretty much what i bought. and why i bought it....
Racer
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 370
Likes: 0
New England Events Coordinator
Been there done that
A week ago, a thread started and I chimed in, Replace the Sears Gold battery (6 years old,and got two years credit on the new one, cost $78), the battery needle still ticking, went to Autozone, test the alt, it was bad, replaced with lifetime warranty unit (cost $47 with core trade). These toys are money pits, only tell the wife what you have to, keep the rest under wraps.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 984
Likes: 1
From: SAN FRANCISCO CA
only tell the wife what you have to, keep the rest under wraps. [/QUOTE]
too bad she manages the finances
she's got the business brains of the bunch. i inherited terrible financial skills from my father (thanks dad).
but she lets me get my toys. thank god - she didn't freak when i told her about the most recent bill. hopefully nothing else will break for a while
[/QUOTE]too bad she manages the finances
she's got the business brains of the bunch. i inherited terrible financial skills from my father (thanks dad).
but she lets me get my toys. thank god - she didn't freak when i told her about the most recent bill. hopefully nothing else will break for a while
