Tire Prices!! Geeze

[JB4310]

Nah, the Lesabre has the tried and true GM 3800 V6. Wish our summer driver ('93 Olds Cutlass Supreme) had the 3100 V6---nope, it has the DOHC 3.4 V6. Alternator is under the glovebox, when the regulator goes bad, pull the exhaust system, some of the front suspension and loosen the motormounts, then jack up the engine to replace the alternator....what a huge PIB that was. Really brilliant engineering !!!

I just got back from the dealer, I'm bringing my 3500 ram in for an alternator tomorrow morning. Only 25,000 miles/ five years old.

Got 1 month left on an up to now unused extended service plan. So I will lose a little on that one. But we'll see what the total amount of the repair would be, they said the part is ~$400. Looks like an easy swap, just the air box needs to come out.
I told them I want a certain mechanic I know to work on it, since I trust him.
He's a tranny tech, but is capable of any mechanical work. He does work on the side for me, for out of warranty repairs. He's got a good deal with the owners of the dealership, as they let him do side jobs in their 50 bay shop. That's not something you see very often.

JB.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I must be the luckiest guy on here. I have owned well over 20 cars and trucks and about 10 boats and have never had a single alternator or starter go bad on my stuff, mostly Fords but also some GM, Dodge, Honda, BMW, Nissan, Toyota, ect. I have changed dozens on others stuff but just never mine.

I do change my batteries before they go bad. I just have learned it money ahead to do it a 36 months or 60 months depending on the application. It saves frustration and my uncle the mechanic swears it saves wear and tear on starters and alternators. Maybe it does or maybe it does not but its worked for us.

Chris

 

[jeffsw6]

I guess you don't tow much. Most AT truck tires have about 13/32" tread when new. I have measured all my tread depths then towed 2000 miles and measured again and have seen the rears lose 3/32"

Almost all my miles are towing actually, but I think you are talking about more tongue weight than me since my tongue is probably around 1000#.

Either way I do not see any advantage to rotating my tires. It's not like it would take me all day to do it, but .. why bother? I think it is just make-work. I would only do it if I was rotating my spare to put wear on it.

 

[JB4310]

I must be the luckiest guy on here. I have owned well over 20 cars and trucks and about 10 boats and have never had a single alternator or starter go bad on my stuff, mostly Fords but also some GM, Dodge, Honda, BMW, Nissan, Toyota, ect. I have changed dozens on others stuff but just never mine.

I do change my batteries before they go bad. I just have learned it money ahead to do it a 36 months or 60 months depending on the application. It saves frustration and my uncle the mechanic swears it saves wear and tear on starters and alternators. Maybe it does or maybe it does not but its worked for us.

Chris

My first in a long, long time. Since my old wyllis overland (pick up) Jeep's generator had to be rebuilt. put it in a back pack and rode my bicycle 5 files to an auto electric shop to have it repaired while I waited.

On this 07 3500, an idiot light came on saying "check gauges" for the last week intermittently. All the gauges were good, just the alt gauge was low but still in the green.

Sunday all I got was click when I went to start the truck, OK 5 years on the Bats, figured that's why the light was coming on. But even with the new batteries the light was still coming on. I did have the bats checked at Napa and they said 1 was good but the other looked like 1 cell was probably bad.

So maybe your uncle is right, the bad battery may of done damage to the alternator/regulator.

JB

 

[Bird]

I must be the luckiest guy on here. I have owned well over 20 cars and trucks and about 10 boats and have never had a single alternator or starter go bad on my stuff

I guess I've had one of each on my own vehicles. I replaced the alternator on a 1975 Chrysler Town & Country Station Wayon (400 engine) and I replaced the starter on a 1970 Olds 88 Sedan (350 engine). But like you, I've replaced a few for others.

I was working in my Dad's service station and auto parts store when the first cars came out with alternators instead of generators. Dad invited all the mechanics in town for a little barbecue and to hear the factory rep for our line of rebuilt starters, genrators, alternators, etc. I never forgot him saying that he knew a lot of people take a screwdriver and short across the contacts on a gnerator to see if it's putting out at all. And he said, you can do that with an alternator, too. He said if you get sparks you know it was working until you did that.:laughing:

 

[kenmac]

last alt I replaced was about 10 yrs ago on a 1988 ford bronco & it was the original alt.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Almost all my miles are towing actually, but I think you are talking about more tongue weight than me since my tongue is probably around 1000#.

Either way I do not see any advantage to rotating my tires. It's not like it would take me all day to do it, but .. why bother? I think it is just make-work. I would only do it if I was rotating my spare to put wear on it.

1000# of tongue weight is nothing to balk at. My trailers range from about 800# to 1,800# of tongue weight. You must just be tire lucky. I am not. If there is a way to get a flat I have done it. Had a dogs tooth, table fork (4 holes in a row), rail road spike, trailer hitch ball, nails, screws, pieces of metal, thorns, tread separation, broken belts, ect. I keep the tire companies in business. I have bought 3 sets this year alone.

Chris

 

[timswi]

Not sure is the $200 price is for load Range E, but will check. Have always liked BFG tires.

Just bought 2 load range E's...200 each...I think they were Uniroyals or Firestones..Don't remember..Had them put on an drove it straight to storage.


Edit:..They're Firestones..Had them installed by a local guy with a mobile tire service, he came to the motorhome...Might be the way I buy tires in the future..Very convenient, fast and know his tires..

 

[JDgreen227]

I must be the luckiest guy on here. I have owned well over 20 cars and trucks and about 10 boats and have never had a single alternator or starter go bad on my stuff, mostly Fords but also some GM, Dodge, Honda, BMW, Nissan, Toyota, ect. I have changed dozens on others stuff but just never mine.

I do change my batteries before they go bad. I just have learned it money ahead to do it a 36 months or 60 months depending on the application. It saves frustration and my uncle the mechanic swears it saves wear and tear on starters and alternators. Maybe it does or maybe it does not but its worked for us.

Chris

Had to replace the alternator on my '92 Olds 98 at about 8 years old and 85,000 miles, Cutlass barely had 17,000 on it when the regulator went bad. Gm is notorious for bad regulators, especially when the alt is buried under the engine and gets hot all the time. Our 2004 Lesabre and Saturn L-300 both have OEM batteries, going to replace them next spring.

2000 GMC is on it's third right now....big engine, requires lots of cranking power in winter.

 

[clemsonfor]

Looger i have right now just had to put a new tire on his Tigercat skidder. The big one they make. Tire cost him $6K! They got 3000 hours out of the last one. The other back is peeled all the way on the outside and inside so its hours from going out. Fronts look to have about 6 months or so left. This tractor is not quite 2 yrs old i think.