Hi there! Long time lurker, first time poster here.

I have a stock '07 Sport MT. I bought it with 63k on it and am at 159k now. As far as I know it has the original alternator.

For awhile, I had the headlight/dome light flicker thing going on and after reading about it here, I figured I should replace the alternator to address that. Before I got around to it, I was traveling and didn't drive the car for about a month and now that I'm back, I haven't been noticing any flicker. I also took it to the auto parts store for an alternator check and it passed.

I'm gearing up for a 2000 mi move from Portland to Chicago and I'm also dealing with the cold start dying issue (which I think I'm going to address with a valve adjustment). I also sometimes get some belt squeak when starting up and it's cold, but this could just be moisture.

Given mileage and the other context above, would you guys recommend that I just replace the alternator anyway at this point or not?

Thanks!

 

I think you are rushing into things w/out checking some basics. Hopefully you are talking about also Headlamps, and not just the dome light flickering and deciding on the Alternator. Just by reading the voltage on battery terminals with engine running would tell you about the alternator and charging system. No need to take it to auto store. It should read 14 - 14.6 VDC. That's a good sign because that kind of voltage can only come from the Alternator. The car is a 14VDC system. Only the battery is 12VDC.

The squeaking of the belt should be addressed first. They are replaceable items. What if it is slipping on your Alternator pulley causing to flick??? Go with the related things that are easy and should have been replaced by now. first before going to the more expensive ones.

 

I recently replaced the Alternator in my 220k mile '07 Fit. The battery light started to come on at low rpms, and then eventually just stayed on. I measured the battery voltage across the terminals with the engine running and got a consistently low reading. A rebuilt alternator, new belt and idler pulley cost me $190 to install myself. Before investing in a preventative new alternator, I'd recommend getting a $10 cigarette lighter voltage meter like this: That way, you can monitor the voltage in real time before deciding whether the peace of mind of a new alternator is worth the cost.