Just a PSA for you guys:

I recently had an electrical issue and thought I needed an alternator (turns out I didn't; it was a bad power cable connection). The nearest dealer (Atlanta) quoted me $1214. Everywhere else I looked was over $700.​​​​​​ AstonMartinBits has one for about the same price, and it's used, not refurbished.

Did a little digging into part numbers. The OEM manufacturer of the part, Denso, lists it as 4W4T-10300-AA. When I searched that on RockAuto, it brought up a remanufactured Denso alternator, part number 2101062. Which costs $124, plus $73 core charge, and shipping. $250, delivered. Literally 1/5th the cost at the dealer for the same part. Includes a one year warranty.

I think it's very likely that the same alternator was used on other engines besides just the 4.7. Probably on some Jaguars, too. Here are the alternate OEM part numbers listed:

1042103200, 2100532, 3W4T10300AF, 3W4T10300AG, 3W4T10300AH, 3W4Z10346AA, 3W4Z10346BA, 4W4T10300AA, 4W4Z10346AA, 6W4T10300AA, 6W4Z10346AA, 210-1062

 

ya, welcome to the bogus parts rip-off orchestrated by manufacturers and dealerships. common parts at reasonable prices put in a box with a prestigious logo on it and then an outrageous price is slapped on it depending on the price of the car when new. over 90% of the parts on cars are bought from outside suppliers and most of those are not significantly modified from car to car. most commonly the parts that this applies to are electrical parts. they are made by a few third party companies and EVERY manufacturer uses, for the most part, identical ones for the same task. why? because they offer no advantages that a customer might notice or prefer. after all, who cares what an O2 sensor looks like or an alternator? nobody.

that's why, like the OP, its a good idea to always search on the internet for the OEM supplier, find the part number if you can (sometimes you can't. body parts and interior parts are often bespoke and ARE expensive or at least there is no alternative part available) and then search for the best price.

just the other day i replaced the front rotors and pads on my porche for a total of about 90 dollars in parts. porsche wanted about 800 for them. it's ridiculous. there is absolutely NO difference in performance. none. don't be a rube. do your homework and deny them the fruits of this deplorable system.

how do i know this? i owned a company that supplied parts/services to chrysler corporation for a decade. we supplied identical parts and services to anyone who wanted them. even their competitors. none of them requested any bespoke modifications to anything. we delivered items to them unlabeled. they did the packaging.

 

It gets even better than that if you buy at the dealer parts counter. Most dealers pay salary or hourly + commission to parts guys. So the guy behind the counter is making $15 an hour, and a commission on the additional up-charge he's arbitrarily putting on that oil filter that the dealer paid 10 bucks for, is re-selling for $25, and now you get to pay $37.50 for, all for, as 61MGA says, an OEM filter that cost about $8 on a place like Rock Auto or Autozone.

I was a parts guy at Land Rover for a few years after college, eye opener.

 

Great find Adam!

Looking forward to our next Coastal Aston Club Lunch.

 

I restore and build cars professionally, have worked on many different cars of many different manufacturers. Here’s my take on the parts situation:

AM’s are not like BMW, Jaguars, Porsche Etc. They are an entirely different category, and if you have spent any real time underneath one/working on one this is entirely self-evident. Pull the wheel liners, dig into the wiring harnesses, etc etc. the cars have a distinct “hand build” feel, they are on another level entirely.

With a V8V costing only a little beyond $100k, it is very difficult for me to imagine how on earth AM stayed solvent while producing these cars. They are a small company, building super high-end machines that must “deliver the goods” to customers who expect near perfection.

Realistically, if AM is to survive, it has to remain solvent as an organization, and its international dealer
network has to remain solvent. Not going to happen if the dealers and service centers are charging Ford Focus pricing. Economy of scale is playing a huge role
here. Realistically it doesn’t take much laser etching (for the AM logo) logistics, supply chain, sourcing, stocking etc etc to double the price of a part.

Most of us on the forum here have bought these cars second hand for a fractional a mount, but let’s just look at it from a new-buyer point of view: would you really want to spend new AM $$ to have it serviced at your local Ford dealer? Would you prefer a sticker price 2X as much and then pay Ford Focus parts prices?

The parts cost/rip-off argument is fine to make, and it’s fun to save money like this and complain about something, but it is an argument made in a vacuum and a relatively small one at that.

Also, just because it fits and works, doesn’t make it the same part. Maybe 90% of the time it is, but you would
be surprised.

All that said, no way I’d ever pay AM dealer parts pricing when I can get the same thing for 1/5th of the cost.

 

Great Find!

 

Thanks! Same here. I'd like to get you and the local guy with the Vanquish together to trade notes (I saw a black one driving around downtown last week, I presume that was him).

I also just found out there's a cars & coffee around here every 4th Sunday of the month at a place called Just Love Coffee. I plan to go to the next one (July 24th), and would like to see you there, too, if you can make it.

 

That C&C sounds good! I’ll give you a call this week.

 

A C&C sounds good - am in the PA area so easy trip. Good catch on the alternator. I will add it to my list

 

I think I forgot to change my location in my profile. I'm in Savannah now.