Refurbished Alternators

As I've just had a nasty out of forum argument with JollyGreen about this, I thought I might as well say something...

I was one of the mates helping him install the new alternator - anyone who says he should have paid the 500 is absolutely nuts (for the sake of saving so much anyway.) I recall someone saying if you have an elise you should be able to afford £500 off the cuff, N.Q.A.

There are a few things wrong with this, for starters - if you are happy to spend £500 on such a simple piece of equipment which can be installed yourself in a number of hours (as we did) then you have more money than sense.
The fact is, that alternator went in fine, faulty parts are a common thing - I wouldn't be surprised if they occur in new parts more than refurbished (although obviously the life of a refurbished item wont be as long.)

We had absolutely no way of knowing that the alt we put in would fail, and at the end of the day, no significant irrepairable damage has been done - yeah so a couple of bolts had their grooves ruined - big deal - he saved (and has still saved) much money.

Someone mentioned the price of the vehicle dropping as work was carried out by someone who wasn't certified, knowing JG fairly well I'd say he's probably going to own the car for a few more years yet - let's face it these things don't have great value going down the line anyway - I should imagine that if you're looking at a car's resale value before you buy it - you're probably looking at something more sensible than this - and JG isnt the sensible type ;)

I think JG over-emphasised 'we didn't know what we were doing,' and meant to say 'we'd never replaced an alternator before.'
-We identified the alternator, we disconnected the battery, we disconnected the alt. leads, we unbolted the alt - and then we did the reverse order with the new one... It's not like we were taking the ****** engine out.
 
I wasnt fully aware of the circumstances but either way i think ppl are being a little harsh on Jolly. £500 for an alternator? Must be made from gold and being fitted by specially trained Chimps for that sorta money.

Also excuse my ignorance but how is it insured TPO ? When ive looked around for insurance in the past all the companies ive gotten quotes from have said that if the cars value is £5k + then its MUST be insurced fully comp. I assume then this isnt the case for all insurance companies?
 
Poppy said:
I wasnt fully aware of the circumstances but either way i think ppl are being a little harsh on Jolly. £500 for an alternator? Must be made from gold and being fitted by specially trained Chimps for that sorta money.

Also excuse my ignorance but how is it insured TPO ? When ive looked around for insurance in the past all the companies ive gotten quotes from have said that if the cars value is £5k + then its MUST be insurced fully comp. I assume then this isnt the case for all insurance companies?

Thats the price of a lotus dealer tho id imagine, what did the specialists prices say?
 
There are a few things wrong with this, for starters - if you are happy to spend £500 on such a simple piece of equipment which can be installed yourself in a number of hours (as we did) then you have more money than sense.

Well said that man!!
 
Conanius said:
Im sorry, but ill never ever own a true performance car that I cant afford to...

Insure fully comp
Get whatever needs doing at a suitable specialist
Not scrimp on anything, always buying the best part for the car
That's my attitude too. However, my point was that these cars are incredibly affordable to run these days, with a large choice of specialists around the country.

If you take these cars to main dealers, of course it'll cost a fortune.

edit: And, to be honest, I only paid slightly more than 7.9k for my, 1999 Elise, with a lot fewer miles and some rather tasty suspension.
 
Poppy said:
Well said that man!!

£500 may seem extreme, but an enzo clutch replacement is something like £2,500 .. where something like my puma is about 250 quid... you pay a lot more for parts on performance cars, its just the way it is....
 
Nozzer said:
That's my attitude too. However, my point was that these cars are incredibly affordable to run these days, with a large choice of specialists around the country.

If you take these cars to main dealers, of course it'll cost a fortune.

indeed, thats the beauty of an elise...

being quite a lotus fiend... do you know how much a decent specialist would have charged?
 
Conanius said:
indeed, thats the beauty of an elise...

being quite a lotus fiend... do you know how much a decent specialist would have charged?
Depends on the problem, but I think Mr Williams' labour rate is something like £40/hr+VAT, as opposed to the £100+ that Stratstone charge.
 
Conanius said:
£500 may seem extreme, but an enzo clutch replacement is something like £2,500 .. where something like my puma is about 250 quid... you pay a lot more for parts on performance cars, its just the way it is....

Not being funny or anything... But why bring the Enzo into this as a comparison?

The Elise was a £13k car... My dad paid more than that for his Rover 75! The alternator in this thing is highly generic - many cars will have exactly the same one - it's made by Bosch!
 
Nozzer said:
By the way, the alternator will be a Rover/Toyota part, there's no reason to pay a fortune for it.
I was thinking that? Can you not purchase the exact part from a Rover or Toyota parts counter?
 
As Fivelo has said, it'll most likely be a Bosch part, available anywhere.

Excuse me, I've been drinking. *hic*
 
[TW]Fox said:
Fitting it yourself when you dont have a clue what you are doing, however, does.

My mum knows how to fit an alternator:p But then again she could build you a v6 engine also:p
 
It is a Bosch part ;)

Keep in mind chaps that this has the Rover K (I think) series engine in it... Not some purpose built powerhouse.

To be honest, I've seen under the bonnet of a fair old few cars, the Lotus (aside from the flipping undertray) has one of the most accessible engine bays I've seen - they've kept it simple and it's great.

My dad's 75 on the other hand - has a V6 motor from BMW in it - the bay is so packed that you lift the bonnet... Look at it for <10 seconds in some confusion - and put it back down again. (Sorry to make reference to my dad's car again, it made a good point of comparison though.)
 
[TW]Fox said:
So whats your point?

If you do some reading you can pretty much fit anything you like. But as you are a DIY recluse I can see how such a task would be quite daunting:p
 
gurdas said:
If you do some reading you can pretty much fit anything you like. But as you are a DIY recluse I can see how such a task would be quite daunting:p
That's why we have mechanics and cheque books :rolleyes:
 
gurdas said:
If you do some reading you can pretty much fit anything you like. But as you are a DIY recluse I can see how such a task would be quite daunting:p

Sometimes you post the most bizarre stuff. Seriously, the guy has admitted he made a total hash of it. Given this, what does your the ability to fit an alternator posessed by a) Your mother and b) Myself have to do with anything?
 
[TW]Fox said:
Sometimes you post the most bizarre stuff. Seriously, the guy has admitted he made a total hash of it. Given this, what does your the ability to fit an alternator posessed by a) Your mother and b) Myself have to do with anything?
Hang on, what did I make a total hash of beyond overtightening an alternator belt because I misdiagnosed a fault with the new unit as something that I'd done wrong (which I hadn't).
 
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