Refurbished Alternators

Most of the time when I work on my car I dont have a clue what I am doing, but I get stuck in and it usually goes very well and all fine.

On the other hand my car is not even worth £1k though so I have far less "at risk".

I would attempt the work myself even on an Elise though. After one failure I would turn to a specialist.

It's hard to swallow your man pride, if you don't it can sometimes bite you in the bum as it ends up costing more.

Things like brakes, I will probably always do these myself. I know that no corners have been cut and that everything is fine then.
 
Fivelo said:
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!
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the Elise was not a 13k car when it left the factory.

The enzo was an example (although massively exagerative, it still illustrates the point) that performance cars will cost a fair amount to run.
 
Conanius said:
the Elise was not a 13k car when it left the factory.

The enzo was an example (although massively exagerative, it still illustrates the point) that performance cars will cost a fair amount to run.
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Your comparison is still flawed however as the original part I replaced was a bosch part found in various cars defined as somewhat less than performance cars, and considering the exceptionally accessible design of the engine bay should not cost much labour to replace!
 
[TW]Fox said:
So if its so simple how come it took 7 hours :p
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Because it was a "learning" experience ;)
I'm sure that when I come to put in the warranty replaced unit it'll take me less than 90 minutes on my own without removing the undertray.
 
Irrelevant, but worth noting: the 75 was a year old at the time of purchase

My point was that for a 'performance car' the Elise isn't a wallet-destroyer - as I understand pretty much all of the power / drivetrain / handling related parts come from existing manufacturers - which means that replacing stuff shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg. Ferrari on the other hand, seemingly do most of the parts in-house and so obviously you'll pay more for the 'proprietary' goods.
 
JollyGreen said:
Your comparison is still flawed however as the original part I replaced was a bosch part found in various cars defined as somewhat less than performance cars, and considering the exceptionally accessible design of the engine bay should not cost much labour to replace!
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I can see that, like in your original thread when you bought the elise, you wont listen to reason... nevermind.. I cant be bothered to add anything more to the thread (although I await my personal insults with great joy and anticipation !!)
 
Conanius said:
I can see that, like in your original thread when you bought the elise, you wont listen to reason... nevermind.. I cant be bothered to add anything more to the thread (although I await my personal insults with great joy and anticipation !!)
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Personal insults :confused:
 
To be honest, if you give negative feedback and support it with facts and opinion they should be welcomed.

This is of course a discussion forum, they don't all go your way, and you wont always be praised for your efforts/opinions. That's why you ask, to gain knowledge of many others on your topic.

Speak your minds as long as it is clean.
 
Fivelo said:
My point was that for a 'performance car' the Elise isn't a wallet-destroyer - as I understand pretty much all of the power / drivetrain / handling related parts come from existing manufacturers - which means that replacing stuff shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg. Ferrari on the other hand, seemingly do most of the parts in-house and so obviously you'll pay more for the 'proprietary' goods.
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I don't know, it can be. My history folder has plenty of four figure bills, once non-consumable parts start needing replacing.

By the same token, Ferrari parts can be had cheaply from the likes of Bosch. They are only cars after all. It's just when you get in to the engines that things get expensive.
 
Conanius said:
I can see that, like in your original thread when you bought the elise, you wont listen to reason... nevermind.. I cant be bothered to add anything more to the thread (although I await my personal insults with great joy and anticipation !!)
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Obviously I don't expect you to respond to this - as you have now put in your debate exit clause ;) (Very clever. Tsk) But I may get one anyway.

Remind me where the issue of reason comes into this?

Reason as in... Reasoning... Reasonable... Spend £500 or spend less than half - it's all money at the end of the day... I know which one I would've gone with - even if I had the money (but then that's just because I enjoy working on this kinf of stuff myself.)
 
Now, if this thread was about changing a Rover altenator (which technically it is) there would be no talk along the lines of what has been.

Based on the comments posted I imagine a lot of guys in here pay for PC repair too then?
 
Tesla said:
Based on the comments posted I imagine a lot of guys in here pay for PC repair too then?
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If I spent every penny I had, then more besides, on a PC I couldnt afford to be without, and knew nothing about fixing them, then yes, I would pay for PC repair.
 
Tesla said:
Now, if this thread was about changing a Rover altenator (which technically it is) there would be no talk along the lines of what has been.

Based on the comments posted I imagine a lot of guys in here pay for PC repair too then?
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I dunno... Would've still been fairly long winded, its an MR - alternator is sandwiched between engine (duh) and back of bay - with only a few inches of lee-way - the one part of it which is difficult to access!
 
I totally disagree with Conanius on this one - I find myself siding with Fivelo and JGG.

Yes, "performance" cars will generally cost more to run than "normal" cars to run. This does not translate as "you must pour every penny, and your soul, into running said car". We're back to the old point I keep bringing up - there are a RANGE of options to suit a RANGE of needs and pockets. You can buy a DVD player for £15 but you can also buy one for £150, this does not mean that unless you can spend £150 on one you shouldn't own a DVD player.

If I had the option of a reconditioned alternator at around £200 or a new one at around £500 I know exactly which I'd pick, and it isn't the one that cost more than my car :p A refurbished alternator isn't just an old one given a dust off and put in a new box - they are totally refurbished and all worn components (and some unworn ones) replaced.

He made some mistakes doing the job the hard way, he's learnt from it and now has a better idea of what he's doing. If anything else fails in the engine bay in the future he'll be a damn sight more confident about having a go. Getting a duff alternator in exchange is just unlucky and even happens with brand new components (as anyone who's built a PC will tell you)

You're all laughing at this guy for running an Elise on a shoestring, but he's got an Elise and you lot haven't (Nozzer excepted ;))
For what it's worth, I think he's pretty mad for buying it the way he has but that's his decision not mine, and as long as he's happy with it then more power to him.
 
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