All,
My 99 OBW has a dead battery. Even after jump starting it and driving around, the battery doesn't recharge. I suspect the alternator and will be swinging by my dealer to have it checked out and possibly replaced. I realize it could be done by an indie mechanic for less, but there are a couple of other unrelated things to fix as well.
Any comments on what I should expect for a new alternator in terms of part(s) and labor?
Your battery will not recharge if there is a dead cell. Check it out with an auto electrician before buying an alternator. Cells will fail without any prior notice.
FOLLOWUP: It's a long story, but I'll try to be succinct. My car was dead and wouldn't hold a charge even after jump-starting and driving for some time. I found an autozone, which (obviously) determined the battery was dead. The battery was so dead, autozone couldn't test the alternator. I bought a new battery from autozone and installed it on the spot so the alternator could be tested. the autozone employee told me the alternator needed to be replaced, which he could do in his spare time.
I drove it home and made an appointment w/ my dealer because there were a couple of other things needing fixing and it didn't make time or money sense to take it to two places for various issues. The dealer tested the charging system, including the alternator, but the dealer advised that the alternator is fine -- no need to replace it. Could have been a bad battery.
On other fronts, the dealer fixed some rattling heat shields for $60 and replaced the entire speedometer unit, which has been working intermittently, for $309.
Hopefully, I'm good to go for another year or so.
-LK
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