Auto Zone and NAPA say their rebuilt domestic alternators and starters are as good as the new ones they sell. Do you agree or not?
Dealer also sells rebuilt starters etc. Would a rebuild from dealer be better than a NAPA rebuilt starter? I avoid buying new from dealer because they are like $225 vs $90 for the rebuilt NAPA. And yes I am on a limited income, so money is a big factor.
Depends on how hard it is to change on your vehicle. If Pep Boys carried a "lifetime warranty" starter for my Studebaker, I'd buy it - not because they're any good (they're not, I'd expect to change it every year) but because I can change it in 5 minutes, even with the engine hot (although Mechanix gloves are helpful if not 100% necessary.)
If it requires real work to change the starter, I'd shop for quality, not price.
nate
What sort of car? Motorcraft/Delco/Mopar will have distributors that sell parts over the counter. They will be competitive with local parts store new parts.
If your choice is autozone or napa, Napa will generally have the better unit. Might need to dig deeper for your particular make and model to know which reman is better.
Dealerships sell parts over the counter and they are NOT competitive. I have not seen a Motorcraft/Delco/or Mopar distributor that was, but they may exist.
I normally go to our local alternator and starter shop for rebuilds (unless I want to do them myself).
There are some applications like the infamous GM CS-130 alternator which isnt worth a damn whether you buy new from a dealership or from Autozone. These applications are programmed for disaster.
None of the above. I'd have my original rebuilt at a local electric rebuilding shop. The "new" parts sold by many auto parts shops are cheap far-east made knock-offs. The "rebuilts" are often a mix/match/hash of parts from models that aren't quite truly identical, and rebuilding practices of the mass rebuilders are notoriously sloppy. NAPA is light years better than Auto Zone or Pep Boys, but its still not as good as what a local shop can do for you.
The one I go to is. Motorcraft stuff there is less than the dealer and at or below what other parts stores charge for it to have it a day or three. The motorcraft water pump I got was ~$60 rather than the autozone at ~$40 but I'd rather spend an extra $20 to get a part I know will last.
I've just done them myself thus far. Last time I had to deal with such things I took the starter apart, found nothing wrong, put it back together and everything was fine. Problem just went away. go figure.
Of course there are ones like that.
It's possible, but the new ones they sell are mostly crap also.
I would not buy from either one. I would go to a local rebuilder.
I don't like changing starters. I _especially_ don't like changing starters a second time because the first one was bad. I _sure_ don't like changing starters a THIRD time because the replacement failed after six months.
Go to a local rebuilder that stands behind his work. You'll pay more, but you won't have to pay a second or third time. And you won't pay as much as for a dealer reman.
--scott
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