My Rants

This morning I go out to our vehicle and start it up. This vehicle has been having some little issues with it ever since we bought it. We have dealt with the drivers door not opening and the main computer having a floating ground ( a floating ground means that sometimes somethings don't work the ways they should. The computer thinks that things are broken when they are not.). The floating ground makes trying to figure out what is broke and what is a false positive difficult to say the least. Well I had a battery light the other day. The next time I start the car the battery light is out. I figure its a false positive. This morning I go out start the car and the battery light is there.

No problem I think. I turn on the head lights and head out of my driveway. I am only a dozen meters or so away when all the dashboard lights go out and the radio stops playing. The headlights dim and the engine starts sounding funny. I turn off the radio and the headlights and turn the car around. I am able to pull into the driveway and the car is out of commission.

Say la vie right. So I phone a few places for a new alternator or a rebuilt one. Oh did I mention that the car is a 91 Honda Accord. Well a new alternator is almost three hundred bucks. Ouch! A rebuilt one is two hundred and thirty bucks. Ouch! One from the scrap yard not rebuilt and no idea how long it will last with a minimal warranty is one hundred and twenty five bucks. OUCH!

Why the hell is a simple part so expensive. All it is is some wire wound around iron rods and surrounding some magnets that spin with the rpm of the engine. It produces an alternating current which is regulated and then goes out to power the car and charge the battery. Its not a difficult thing. Its not an uncommon part. WHY THE HELL IS IT SO EXPENSIVE!

Well enough of my rant thanks for listening and seasons greetings.