Replacing an alternator can run you anywhere from $860 to $1,120 CAD on average. Typically, costs are a little better for a small SUV like Kia Soul -- anywhere from $705 to $750 CAD or so. Drive a bigger one like Kia Telluride, though, and you can expect a lot worse: anywhere from $1,030 to $1,065, on average.

Luckily, you can keep your charging system in good shape for a lot longer, your alternator included. Good thing you came to us here at Canada Kia Parts for advice on how to do it. Here are three ways.

1. Jump-Start Right

Do this wrong, and alternator failure is practically certain. Doing it right, though, is as easy as:

Connecting the right clamp on your jumper cables to the positive post on the dead battery
Connecting the other right clamp to the positive post on the working battery
Connecting the right clamp to the negative post on the working battery
Connecting the last clamp to an unpainted metal surface on the car

After that, start the car with the good battery, then try to start your engine.

2. Install Only Compatible Electronics

Trying to put incompatible accessories in can easily overload your alternator. Of course, that also means having a working voltage regulator to manage the AC power the alternator's rectifier converts to DC current.

3. Keep Up With Regular Maintenance

This means inspecting and, if needed, replacing the alternator, either every 130,000 to 240,000 kilometers or about every 7 years. Keep an eye out for signs it might be going bad, too, including:

A dead battery

Battery and/or alternator warning lights on the dash

The car's electrical systems not running (e.g., the displays and lights on the dash, the power windows, the windshield wipers, the electronics, and the power steering)

The car lights malfunctioning

The engine squeaking

The smell of something burning around the battery or alternator

A fluid leak near the alternator

See any, and you should plug in a code reader or an advanced scan tool, review any error codes it feeds back (and check out your owner's manual for more specifics on them), and replace any parts you find damaged or worn out (a failed stator or faulty pulley, for instance).

Alternator repairs can be tricky sometimes. Any doubts about how to do any, contact a Kia dealer; a service pro will be happy to take care of the job.

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