How long should it take for my car to be fixed?

Last spring the alternator went out in my car and I wasn't really in a big rush to get it fixed but it had been in the shop since Christmas time! I have called a few times to see if it gad been started to be worked on or not and it wasn't really a huge deal because I didn't really have a need for it until now.

My aunt is really sick and we're planning a trip down to go see her this Friday(March 9th) When we first started making plans (about a week ago) I stoped in and payed them the money upfront and said I needed it worked on as soon as possible! They insured me that they would start working on it Monday(March 5th). I personally am worrying a lot that it won't be done in time and my dad keeps telling me that it should only take a day or two.

My vehicle is a 2004 Ford Torus and its getting new wheel bearings in 2 tires, the alternator replaced, and an oil change. Do you think it will be done in time?

LOL to change an alternator would take about 2 hours Max! And for a skilled mechanic less than an hour on average! All the things you listed, should and could be done within one day, in any decent Auto shop…

Your car should have been done in a day. If the shop is busy, maybe a week. Go to the shop, talk to the shop owner, call for a tow and take your car to another shop. A poorly managed shop will likely do poor repairs.

If one is available, the average time to swap one out is less than an hour… And maybe less than 10 minutes/

The longest part of the job will be the wheel bearings. Mounting and balancing two tires does not take long, replacing the alternator is not that difficult and changing the oil and filter can be done while the car is on the lift for the tires and wheel bearings

The entire job should take less than a day

Provided they have the parts and nothing goes wrong all that should be done well within a day. I'd call them on Monday and remind them that you need it finished that day.

A good shop would have already ensured they have the parts and materials ready to start on Monday.

You never pay the repair costs up front and only a sleazy business would ask a customer to do so.

ALL the work you list can EASILY be done in a single day. Even if they had to order parts from the opposite side of the planet, it should take less than a week.

I'm not sure why you left your car inoperable for almost a year?!

It's bad planning.

Suddenly it will go from sitting, to non-stop driving! Another extreme. Other things might go wrong. Let's hope that your brakes are ok.

It depends on which engine your Taurus has. The 24 valve Mazda engine has the alternator located under the motor between the motor and firewall. The right front wheel has to come off to get at the alternator. It shouldn't take any more than four hours to change the front wheel bearings, tires and alternator.
If your car had the 12 valve Vulcan engine, it should take about an hour less time to complete the job.

It shouldn't take more than a day or two for the work, even in worst case scenario, maybe 3 days if there was a backlog ahead of your car and the guy waited until he was ready to work on the car before getting the parts. I would love hear the mechanic's excuse as to why it's taking three months to do a job that should only take a few days at most. Shady as hell IMHO.