another F250 question

Ford wants about $800 to replace my alternator on my 2006 F250 6.0 diesel. It only has 1 alternator. Do any of you guys know what it SHOULD cost?
thanks

Which alternator is it? They have several. I had the 6.0L and it had a special ambulance package alternator on it and it listed at $489. If you have that alternator it could easily cost $600 to change.

I did mine on my 05 6.0 myself with one from Autozone. The part alone from them was $250 or $275. I can see the dealer getting $800 for theirs once the additional parts costs and labor are added in.

SEE IF YOU HAVE A ALTERNATOR REPAIR SHOP IN YOUR AREA. those shops will also do the work if you can't . these shops usually specialize in starters and alternators.

thanks Guys
I would do it myself, but would have to miss a weekend on the water....can't do that!

my MBG/Jag mechanic will do it for $75 labor plus cost on parts! woo hoo!

Ha, ha, ha...... plus a MGB/Jag mechanic should be completely familiar with failed electrical components.

ha. good point Evan. he drives a Ford F250 too

hope he doesn't recommend a lucas alternator

you would miss a whole weekend out on the water?is the transfer case destroyed too? you didnt mention it but i changed my last alternator in the autozone parkinglot in 15 mins

ok 882001, you caught me. I'm just lazy and want someone else to do it!

Part is $220 reman and $250 new at Advance. So, premium charge for being too lazy to spend 15-20 minutes on it is about $550. Damn, I wish I made that kind of money. Even $75 labor is pretty high to replace an alternator, assuming no wiring got burnt or needs to be repaired.

How did you come up with that Cory? Charge for being lazy is $75. I am out the $225 for the part anyway.

Sunday would be the only day that I could do it myself. For $75, I get it done today and will be able to use the truck for weekend chores

Man.... $75 is dirt cheap. I know I wouldn't touch it for that little, even if they're simple to replace. The risk of having to warranty the job, then the time it would take me to test the charging system before and after. A good tech should also road test to make sure you're not running into any problems. I say minimum time to change the 20 minute alternator is 1 hour once you've followed protocol. A larger shop or the dealer also has to pay the service writer for the time he/she spends with the customer and the parts guy for him to track down the part.

There's a reason the dealer is more expensive. If I were to take a shot at where their $800 estimate comes from I'd say it's $500+ for the part and $250-ish for labor, then tax (depending on where you are). Dealers are proud of their parts. Usually for good reason. The factory stuff is usually better than an off brand re-build where they change only the faulty parts.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong to have the jag mechanic fix it cheap, I'm just explaining a bit how a bigger shop works. Sometimes you can get a deal from one man gig, but usually they don't make it for long, or the owner/mechanic spends their whole life chasing their own tail trying to keep afloat.

Just be glad it's not a water cooled BMW alternator. The part alone is $800 and it's about 4 hours of labor to replace.

Cliff.... I don't blame you for not doing it yourself. There are times when I wouldn't do it myself. Life comes first. If I've got the time and nothing else going on, then I'm all for jumping on projects myself. Otherwise.......

Evan is completely right, I work at a fairly large dealership and he is spot on. Factory parts cannot be beat. but the cheaper aftermarket one if ya want to do it two or three more times, that's usually what happens with those. You may pay a lil more in the beginning, but by far worth it in the long run.