Hey all! My 2017 Ford Escape SE FWD with about 120k miles just gave up on me. Had it towed, and the shop says I need a new battery and alternator. They’re quoting around $2k—$350 for the battery, $700 for the alternator, and $800 for labor (they say it’ll take about 4 hours). I don’t want to pay that much, but I’ve read these cars make it a nightmare to replace the alternator.
Do I have any other options, or should I just give in and pay? I’m a single mom, and this right before Christmas is going to be rough.
Whoa, that’s steep! My new alternator was $325 (Canadian dollars) for a genuine FoMoCo one. I’d look for another shop. It’s a pain to replace since the AC compressor is in the way, so it needs to be unbolted, but for someone who knows what they’re doing, it’s like an hour max. And the battery? You don’t need the super expensive AGM one unless you have push-start or engine on/off. A regular $150 battery works fine.
Get a battery from Costco or somewhere else and install it yourself. There are plenty of YouTube videos to walk you through it. Shouldn’t take more than 30 mins.
Then test it again.
If the issue sticks around, you can try doing the alternator yourself or find a different shop.
Definitely check out other shops.
Honestly, you got pretty lucky with 120k without major issues. Many others have had engine or transmission problems by now.