If it makes you feel any better, a guy I work with was quoted 1k yesterday by the local dodge dealer to change the alternator in his caliber. He looked it on online and his options are to either go from the top and remove the power steering pump, undo a motor mount and push the engine back or go from the bottom, remove the shields and covers, remove the a/c compressor and wiggle it out. Another brilliant piece of chrysler engineering.
This is bringing back some PTSD for me. I owned one of those turds and the alternator died a day before Easter. I replaced it myself and had to go through the bottom exactly how you described, so I was only out the $220 for the alternator. Took me six hours since there were no service manuals because Chrysler wouldn't license Haynes or Chiltons to make one for that line at the time.
To compound it all, the alternator itself was fine. What failed was the damn clutch. Who the hell puts a clutch on an alternator?!
