My car's alternator died on the way to work last Tuesday and I actually saved money fixing it myself

I was driving to my shift at the grocery store when the dashboard lights flickered and the engine died. The tow truck guy quoted me $500 for a shop to replace it. I looked up a YouTube video and bought a remanufactured alternator from AutoZone for $120. It took me about 3 hours in the parking lot with a socket set and a lot of swearing. Now I'm wondering if there are other car repairs I can tackle myself to keep saving. Has anyone else had a surprise repair that ended up being a win?

2 comments

2 Comments

william_garcia1mo ago

Heard a guy on a podcast say brakes and oil changes are the next easiest things after alternators. You probably saved yourself a headache plus a couple hundred bucks, nice work.

evan_green521mo ago

Brakes are pretty straightforward, did you have to buy any special tools for that alternator job or was it just standard sockets?