Hi, Here is an ignorant question I'm hoping there is an easy answer to: who makes the decisions when it comes to which brand of starter motor or alternator? Is it the auto electrician himself? Do they have preferred suppliers and are they incentivised to stick with them? Do consumers have any say in which brand they should choose from? Stu

You can always ask what brand will be installed, but most likely it'll be whatever brand the auto parts store stocks that they call on a regular basis. If the auto parts store doesn't have it in stock they will either order one from their own warehouse, or go to an outside source and get another brand so the installer will have it quicker. Unless the installer is an authorized installer of a particular brand, they usually don't care what brand they get as long as it works. The mechanic usually doesn't have a say in what brand is being installed. It all depends on the auto parts store that is called. Shops usually stick to a few suppliers and usually call one more than the others. (usually the cheapest price wins most of the time) If you want a particular brand installed you might be better off purchasing it yourself and then having a shop install it for you. The bad side of doing this is the shop won't cover the part if anything goes wrong with it, and usually the labor charge is more...

Starter motors and alternators - which to buy?

May 13, 2009 23 Replies

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HLS 17 years ago

Your post is not clear.. If you take your car to a dealership, they will normally select dealer OEm parts, and you will pay through the nose for them.. AND they may not be as good as, nor any better than, what you could have bought at your friendly local auto parts house.

If you go to an independent, he will normally choose a part from a supplier (NAPA, for example) which he has found to be reliable, and which is not likely to cause him an expensive return under warranty.

You have no guarantee, unless you discuss it with the shop before the work starts.

OEM parts are not necessarily the best that exist. And aftermarket can be either good or bad. You have to KNOW what you are getting.

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HLS 17 years ago

Could mean a lot of things.. F***ing lousy ass parts suppliers, but it doesnt.

It means friendly local auto parts suppliers, Chupadinha.

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m6onz5a 17 years ago

A lot of dealers are now putting aftermarket parts on as well to be competitive.

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stucarr81 17 years ago

Thanks for all your responses. Really informative.

Stu

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