2001 Protege Alternator belt service question.

[bowiefan]

I broke an alternator belt on my 2001 Protege 1.6L and had the car towed to a local mechanic. The mechanic charged me $150.00 to check the charging system and replace the alternator belt. That sounded a bit pricey to me. Do you think that I was overcharged or was that a fair price to charge. The mechanic said it was 1.3 hours labor just to replace the belt. Any replies appreciated. Thanks.

 

[french02chris]

hi..it's funny but i found your post by looking for something else.

Anyways, i had my alternator and belt replaced last year, and paid : $78.12
( i bought the alternator and belt online prior to going to my mechanic)

hope that helps

 

[french02chris]

By the way,
the alternator that i bought was at Autozone (http://www.autozone.com/autozone/pa...?filterByKeyWord=alternator&fromString=search )

Right now, i am in the process of having my Timing belt changed, and Fuel injectors cleaned!

My 1999 protege 1.6L has now 245,000 miles on it, and still running good ( except for the dirty fuel injectors!!!!)

 

[MaxPower]

1.3 hours? It should take no more than 20 minutes for a skilled mechanic, figure a 30 minute labor charge. Either he's incompetent or he intentionally ripped you off. Either way, don't go back and write a nasty truthful review on Yelp.

In cases like this, before towing the car somewhere, call ahead and ask for a quote over the phone. That will force them to be competitive rather than charge you whatever they think they can get away with after the work is done.