Dunno. Probably 4. I'd call any dealer and get a quote. It's a standard repair, so they'd just look it up.

 

GM Service says 2.3 hours for change and up to 1 hour for diagnostics.

 

Thank you very much. That's right about what I was thinking. Then why does everyone say the dealership want over $1,000 to do a alternator change?

 

I had one done under warranty 2 years ago and they charged about a thousand bucks which is way too

 

If you include the price of a new GM original equipment alternator you are probably getting pretty close to that.

 

Yep. ^^^^
Remember, the dealership rates are well over $100/hr. and parts markup is double or more.
It sucks breaking down on vacation.

 

I was treated very well by my Cadillac dealership's service man and always asked for him...sadly he no longer works there and I've only had one experience with a service writer at that same dealership and that experience appeared to be what everyone dislikes about going to the dealership...when I explained to this other service writer that I did indeed have an appointment and I was here to see Jason (my service guy) his attitude changed immediately...

I have not been in to have my car serviced there since Jason left and my OE warranty ran out...I go to the same local garage I have been using fo my cars since 1983...

Bill

 

Never take to a dealer unless under warranty... Take the time to find a local mechanic that does a good job. Dealership will charge you from $300-600 for a new alternator that costs $150 elsewhere... Then will charge you whatever bookcharges are. If I had a lift I could do the job in under an hour. I didn't realize how much easier it would be to access from underneath and ended up spending about 3 hours changing out mine. Once I realized I could have accessed the bolts from underneath I could have had it in and out in probably a half hour even without a lift. I bought my alternator locally for jobber pricing at NAPA and believe I paid like $80 for it. Mine was 3 bolts easily accessed from under neath, one charging cable and one controlling cable. Had to remove the belt which was like a Metric 17 bolt or something like that and like 10 seconds to loosen. Very simple jobs to do. But dealer will likely charge anywhere from $700-$1000 for the job.

 

Not trying to be a wiseass, but if the alternator's dead, how on Earth do you get it off the ground? My jack stands won't get a car high enough to do a job like that.

 

some people have lifts in their garage or other devices that will raise the car high enough to do work on a car...I sometimes wish I did...

Bill

 

I'd probably just charge the battery and run just long enough to put on ramps. Can change oil that way so why not drop the alternator ? (Admit am used to a 3800. On top and a 5 minute job. A Fiero now...

 

There is a YouTube video of replacing an alternator on a 2009 cts. The removal was done from up top without ever raising the car. These jobs are sometimes said to be more complicated than they need to be. I feel for anyone who has ever paid a thousand dollars to have an alternator replaced.

 

 

I removed mine thought the top side but spent over an hour trying to get to the third bolt when I reinstalled. That was when I raised the car and found out it would have taken a lot less time.
If you have large arms (Like I do) good luck getting it all from the top side. You can disconnect the belt but you should unbolt all three bolts from underneath. And when reconnecting the new one I would bolt from underneath as well.

I fought with it through the top for maybe 3 hours total.. Had I realized how getting to the bolts from underneath was so much easier I would have had the alternator swapped out in under an hour as I said.
If you have skinny forearms then maybe you can get to all of the bolts from the top side. With my large forearms I ended up very frustrated and with torn up arms. Going from the bottom would have been easy peasy with no abrasions.

 

Good show posting the video, one should always do what works best for them and save money if possible.

 

I pulled my alternator out the top after disconnecting the battery and removing the PCM for clearance. Took it to the local alternator shop and had it rebuilt with a new rectifier bridge (which is what failed), brushes and bearings for $150. Put it back in the next day. Total R&R time was less than 90 minutes, it wasn't hard.

Unfortunately this is no help when you're on vacation.

 

 

My 2013 CTS coupe, with 14,000 miles, had a very dead battery that possibly triggered the code of bad alternator. Indie garage guy that I’ve used before put in a new battery and said the computer shows I need a new alt. He could install it for $950.00! I couldn’t believe it needed replacing so i said no thanks, just the battery. That was 6 months ago and no electrical problems since. Was he trying to rip me off?

 

Maybe, maybe not. It's hard to say based on a paragraph in a forum that lacks parameters like voltage.

My alternator had a wounded rectifier bridge (turns the AC into DC in the alternator using diodes) from the day I bought it used in 2018. It still kept the battery charged, but didn't boost the voltage as high as the computer called for sometimes, like when the PCM commanded extra voltage for climate control or headlights. But it "still worked", and didn't even light the error light on the dash. Until one day it did. After replacing the alternator (see my previous link) I realized the voltage had been slightly low the whole time I owned the car.

The point is these alternators are known for burning out rectifiers, and sometimes that results in weak instead of totally dead. Did you ever get the "service charging system now" light? When you start the car on a cold morning does it push the voltage up to 14.8 to 15.0V within a few minutes, as shown in the DIC? Or does it only go up to 13.8 to 14.2V, normal for some older cars? Do you ever hear a faint whine when the car is under a heavy electrical load?

 

double post

 

Usually the diode bridge (6 diodes) is part of a rebuild kit. Not hard have done several Delcos but not a Denso.