My battery light has been on a couple days; alternator problems came to mind but I kept driving anyways - now my car is a mile away dead on the side of the road. I am debating about whether to have it towed to a repair shop and fork out $300-400 bucks (!) to have a new one installed, or whether I should save some money by attacking it myself outside in the windy 0-degree Wisconsin winter.

Two questions:

-For what it's worth, the Haynes repair manual I got with the car says the alternator needs to be removed from the bottom of the car with the left engine mount out. Is this true? I'm guessing this applies to older models, but the manual doesn't specify. All I can see that could possibly pose a problem is the power steering pump, but other than that, it's sitting right on top.

-Is there a certain brand I should try to get for a replacement, or any specific brands I should avoid? I did a quick google search and came up with one parts warehouse that carries Denso, Bosch, NSA, and a couple dubiously labeled "Aftermarket." I'm mostly concerned about fit, which is somewhat hard to objectively determine based on an online stock photograph.

I appreciate any help you might be able to offer. I did run a search, but couldn't come up with anything on this particular year - I'm new to the Japanese world, so I want to be sure I have this right before I freeze my hands off.