mastershake575
CarAudio.com Veteran
I checked the install videos for the 2007/2008 and it doesn't look that bad.And the reason the price is so high on the alt is because of the tundra it’s unreasonably hard to get to and you have to remove many other components to get it out which seems to make it a pretty lengthy process
It looks like a case of if some weekend warrior tried doing it at home yeah it would be not only tough but ultra time consuming but a proper mechanic with proper tools and a car lift it's not that hard (remove wheel, remove plastic shielding, remove 4 bolts to bring the sway bar down, remove 3 bolts to loosen power steering pump and then all you have to do is push it to the side to give you direct acccess to the alternator).
I would contact other shops and explain what you need because it does not look very time consuming or difficult (especially for a professional shop). It's more time consuming then say my car (my car you can install and alt in like 20 minutes) but there's zero reason why it should take a good mechanic more than 1.5 hours total to do a remove of the old alt and install of the new one.
Good point. Not only that if your still running the OEM alt then there's a strong chance your going to have to replace it anyways (especially if you plan on keeping the car at least a few more years) so might as well do it properKeep in mind good alts should last the lifetime of the vehicle or close to it. Batteries have a handful of years.