Moderator: volvite
That's interesting. When I went to the dealer and asked about installing an aftermarket part on my vehicle they stated they can only install OEM Nissan parts as per Nissan's policy. Aftermarket wouldn't be accepted because they couldn't guarantee their quality and testing of the part. Not sure how true this is, but it is surprising. Glad you got it fixed at the independent shop + the savings.dougdornbos wrote:The alternator on my son & daughter-in-law's 2014 went out. I was stunned that the price quote from my regular mechanic was $850. His estimator book puts the time for this job at 5.5 hours. He works on almost any brand and even he was blown away. I went to the dealer for a second quote and they were at $950 for an aftermarket alternator or $975 with the original Nissan part. I decided to let my regular guy do the job based on how I was treated at the dealer plus the $100 savings. My regular mechanic buys most of his parts from Advance Auto Parts who offer a lifetime warranty on the alternator itself and a 2-year warranty on the labour. FYI.
It was the plastic piece on the dipstick itself. If he would have replaced the dipstick, his alternator would likely still be fine. Apparently, under braking, the oil in the engine gets to a spot where it can be splattered out of the dipstick hole if the plastic stopper piece is missing at the top of the dipstick. A costly error.dougdornbos wrote:The alternator in my son's 2014 was ruined because there was a broken plastic fitting apparently where the oil dipstick tube goes into the block which allowed oil to splatter out and covered the alternator and ultimately destroyed it. I did NOT see it so I am living off the mechanic's description to me. FYI