u/Simple_Buddy6649

This is fairly niche, but I’m hoping there might be some people in this community who can weigh in.
I’m in MA and have a 2011 Honda Accord with ~135k miles. I’ve been going to the same mechanic for years. They’re a small family-owned business with only 2 locations, and I’ve always trusted them, so I’m not trying to trash the shop. I just want to know what’s fair.

Timeline:
June 2024: They replaced my battery and alternator.
December: That alternator failed and they replaced it under warranty.
Now: The replacement alternator has failed too.
Because this has happened twice, they brought in another mechanic to look for an underlying issue.
They told me they couldn’t find anything wrong with the car that would be causing the alternators to fail.
They’re now ordering a nicer/higher-quality alternator.
They say I’m about 5,000 miles past the original warranty, so the alternator installed in December isn’t covered. They quoted me $608.42, which they say already includes a $150 discount.

I understand the shop didn’t manufacture the alternators, and I’m not accusing them of bad workmanship. But I also didn’t choose or purchase these parts myself. The shop sourced and installed them, and now two have failed prematurely with apparently no underlying issue with my car.
They suggested I contact the manufacturer, but I’m confused about why that falls on me rather than the shop working with their supplier/manufacturer.
I’m talking to the manager tomorrow. I also want to see the warranty terms because I assumed the replacement alternator installed in December would have some warranty of its own. Apparently they’re saying the warranty continued from the original June 2024 repair rather than restarting.
I appreciate that they’ve discounted the repair and are ordering a better alternator. I like this shop and don’t want to be unreasonable. But I’m struggling with paying another $608 when two alternators supplied through them have failed and they’ve found nothing wrong with my car causing it.
For mechanics/shop owners: What would be a fair resolution? Is it normal for a warranty replacement not to get a new warranty period? Should the shop be pursuing their supplier/manufacturer, or is this reasonably on me because I’m 5,000 miles past the original warranty?

I’m in Massachusetts and have a 2011 Honda Accord with about 135k miles. I’ve been going to the same mechanic for years and years. They’re a small, family-owned business with only two locations in my area, and I’ve generally trusted them and had a good relationship with them. I’m genuinely not trying to trash the shop or accuse them of doing bad work — I’m trying to figure out what would be fair here.

Here’s the timeline:
June 2024: The shop replaced both my battery and alternator.
December 2025: The alternator they installed in June failed. They replaced it under warranty.
Now, August 2026: That replacement alternator has failed too.

The shop was concerned about the repeated failures and brought in another mechanic to look at the car to see if there was an underlying issue causing the alternators to fail.
They told me they couldn’t find any underlying issue with the car that would explain the repeated failures.
They’re now ordering a nicer/higher-quality alternator rather than using the same type again.

Here’s where I’m struggling:
They say I’m about 5,000 miles past the warranty, so the alternator that was installed under warranty in December isn’t covered. They quoted me $608.42 for the repair after already knocking about $150 off the price.

I understand that the mechanic didn’t manufacture these alternators, and I’m not saying their workmanship caused the failures. If they checked the car and there’s nothing causing alternators to fail, it sounds like I may have gotten bad parts.

But I also didn’t select the alternator manufacturer or buy the part myself. I paid the shop for the repair, and they sourced and installed the parts. And I trusted them & the parts they selected.

They suggested that I contact the manufacturer. That’s where I’m confused. Since the shop purchased the parts through its supplier, shouldn’t the shop be the one dealing with its supplier/manufacturer about repeated defective parts?

I’m speaking with the manager tomorrow. I also want to ask to see the actual warranty terms. I had assumed that when the first alternator failed and they installed another one under warranty in December, the replacement alternator would have some warranty of its own. Apparently they’re saying the warranty continued from the original June 2024 repair instead of restarting with the replacement.

I really do like this shop and have been a customer for years, so I’m not looking to go in angry or blame them for something outside their control. I appreciate that they’ve already discounted the repair and are now ordering a higher-quality alternator.

At the same time, I’m having a hard time accepting that I should pay another $608 because two alternators supplied through the shop have failed, especially when their own investigation apparently found nothing wrong with my car that is causing the failures.

For mechanics, shop owners, or anyone familiar with parts warranties: What would you consider a fair resolution?

Is it normal for the warranty on a replacement alternator not to restart when the part is replaced under warranty? Should the shop be pursuing its supplier/manufacturer over the repeated failures? Would you expect the customer to pay $608 in this situation, or would you expect the shop/supplier/manufacturer to absorb more of the cost?

Hey folks,

I adopted a 1yo cat on Thursday evening. She got home to my apartment around 7:30pm. She was in a foster home with 3 other cats & a very sweet foster mama who said she’s a sweetheart but takes a bit to feel fully comfortable.

I’m giving her space, letting her roam around at night & explore as she’s comfortable. I have a pet camera so I can see what she’s up to. She explored way more last night than she had on Thursday night, and she also used the litter box for the first time last night while I was sleeping (both pooped & peed, a good amount of both - the first poo’s did look a little bit hard & dry.)

My worry is that I don’t think she has eaten or drank much, if anything since she’s been here. When I’m posting this, it’s 1:30pm on Saturday. I got the same food her foster mom had (both wet & dry) and have put out new wet food twice a day & dry food & fresh water each day. I just tried heating up the wet food to see if it might be more enticing.

I watched her look at the food last night on the pet cam, so I know she knows where it is.

Is this deeply concerning? Can I give her another day or do I need to bring her to a vet? I worry that would be more traumatizing for her at this point.

I’m a first time cat mama trying to do right by this baby, and I really appreciate any advice or guidance/experiences. Thank you!

Hey folks,

I adopted a 1yo cat on Thursday evening. She got home to my apartment around 7:30pm. She was in a foster home with 3 other cats & a very sweet foster mama who said she’s a sweetheart but takes a bit to feel fully comfortable.

I’m giving her space, letting her roam around at night & explore as she’s comfortable. I have a pet camera so I can see what she’s up to. She explored way more last night than she had on Thursday night, and she also used the litter box for the first time last night while I was sleeping (both pooped & peed, a good amount of both).

My worry is that I don’t think she has eaten or drank much, if anything since she’s been here. When I’m posting this, it’s 1:30pm on Saturday. I got the same food her foster mom had (both wet & dry) and have put out new wet food twice a day & dry food & fresh water each day. I just tried heating up the wet food to see if it might be more enticing.

I watched her look at the food last night on the pet cam, so I know she knows where it is.

Is this deeply concerning? Can I give her another day or do I need to bring her to a vet? I worry that would be more traumatizing for her at this point.

I’m a first time cat mama trying to do right by this baby, and I really appreciate any advice or guidance/experiences. Thank you!

I’ve wanted to adopt a kitten for a long time, but my biggest hesitation is my allergies. I would say my most common symptoms are itchy/red/hot face, sneezy, itchy eyes, and OCCASIONALLY respiratory symptoms - just feeling mild shortness of breath being in small homes with cats. Never anything significant enough where I’ve needed to use an inhaler or anything.

I’ve been told that getting a kitten might be the best route to take, as they produce less allergens & will give me more time to adapt?

The confusing part is that my reactions have been really inconsistent.
For example:
* I recently spent about 30–45 minutes interacting with several kittens at a shelter and had very minimal symptoms.
* My girlfriend’s roommate has a cat. Before I stay over, my girlfriend washes the bedding, vacuums, and keeps the cat out of her bedroom. Even though there’s a cat living in the apartment, I have very minimal symptoms there.
* I have spent the last 3 summers nannying for a family with a cat who keep a very clean home & have 0 reactions to their cat. I can rub my face in him & am fine.

* On the other hand, I visited a friend who has a cat in a small studio apartment and had itchy eyes, runny nose & a little bit of wheezing afterward.
* I also have pretty significant environmental allergies in general and often get sneezy when I sleep in new places- even places with no cats. For example, I get similar symptoms at my dad’s house, where he has a dog but no cats.

If I adopted, I’d be willing to vacuum regularly, wash bedding frequently, use my 2 HEPA air purifiers, and even make my bedroom cat-free if necessary. (Because of the set up of my apartment, I don’t want to start off with my bedroom closed off, but I will try it out if needed.) I’m also open to exploring allergy shots, but don’t know yet if that’s needed.

I’m curious:
- Has anyone else had reactions that varied this much between different cats or homes?
- Did your allergies improve after living with your cat?
- Were environmental controls (HEPA filter, cleaning, keeping the bedroom cat-free, etc.) enough to make it manageable?
- Is there anything you wish you’d known before adopting?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who were in a similar situation.