Hi Brickboard! Long time, no post. (And even then the regulars won't remember me.)

I own a 1988 240 GL wagon, 240,000 miles, and I've just had it towed for the second time because of an electrical system failure.

The first time was when Keystone Volvo gave it back to us after removing the speedometer - to get it rebuilt at some place in Texas. They claimed the car would be operational while they waited to get the rebuilt speedometer back - but then 12 hours later my wife broke down at an intersection as the car lost power.

We had it towed 20 miles back to them and then waited a week and a half or so to get the car back with the speedometer functional once again.

So a couple days ago we're driving and I notice that ALL the dashboard lights in the instrument cluster are flickering. I called Keystone and they told me to bring it by this morning and they'd figure out what was wrong.

This morning, on the way to Keystone Volvo, I'm following my wife and I notice that her tail lights are getting dimmer. And her turn signal is also dim and cycling at a higher frequency than usual. Then she calls me on the cell and says she's losing power. Sure enough, on the highway, she starts coasting to a stop.

So I called Keystone and they gave me the number of a tow operator they use. It's towed in and I'm told to wait for their diagnosis.

Well, they called back a couple hours ago to say that the alternator needs to be replaced. And it would cost us an additional $770 to get it fixed ($500 parts/~2.4 hours labor, which includes diagnosis).

Yes, in one regard, it seems reasonable that the alternator could go at 240,000 miles. But, in another, it seems doubtful. What are the odds we'd suffer the exact same symptoms as when they were messing around with the speedometer?

Hate to sound paranoid, but I've gotten the impression they've been struggling with this car because they don't have technicians who know the 240s inside and out. I feel like we're being fed a story.

Any thoughts?

Bryce