It cost me $85 in labor to have my old starter removed and a new one installed at an independent mechanics. I don't know what the alternator cost because he convinced the PepBoys people to give him a new one even though I didn't have a receipt for the old one. I ended up having a "World Class Brand" with a lifetime warranty -- but Pep Boys didn't have any of those, so they gave me a free Bosch. It worked out nicely.
It's an easy job, which is why I took it to a shop. The exhaust pipe has to be taken apart, and in my case they had to cut the pipe and weld it back together to get to the starter. It's a 2 - 3 hour job for an experienced person.
You should find a good independent mechanic to take care of your basic stuff like this. I don't mean to insult anyone here (especially you wonderful Isuzu techs that work for dealerships -- and help me and everyone else with their difficult problems) but dealerships charge too much for their labor and parts! $80 dollars an hour for labor?? And the tech gets what -- $20 to $30/hr of that AND many of them have to supply their own tools! The dealer pockets much of that extra $50 to $60 labor charge as pure profit. An independent shop will charge you about $40 - $50 an hour in labor. They have lower overhead costs and can do all the basic maintenance.
OEM dealership parts will kill you with their price! Power steering hose: Isuzu dealership $198 -- Advance Auto Parts $38. That's just one little example. I had to pay $12 for the o-ring on the oil cooler at the dealership!
Now, when you have a severe problem that requires Isuzu expertise, then by all means get to a dealership -- they can work wonders and they really know the vehicles inside and out. But if you're looking to save money you need to find the good independent shop.
**And please, keep our Isuzu techs employed!**