Don't be so quick to condemn your local mechanic, who it seems you have trusted for 5 plus years.

You have to keep in mind you were talking to a "parts" person with minimal experience at best. He sells parts and does not repair vehicles for a living.

I'm not trying to say either of them is right or wrong.......just consider the source of the info you were just given.

You can always get a second mechanical opinion......but I would suggest staying away from a "parts" person diagnosis.

One of the biggest issues on these cars/engines, has been the rubber mounting bushings on the alternator bracket. Over time these bushings wear out and cause the alternator to sit a little bit crooked. Not much......just by looking.....but enough to throw the belt out of alignment a tad.

This alignment issue causes the belt to make noise. These bushings were discontinued from Chrysler a long time ago and were only available with the complete bracket.......which was pretty pricey. The ones we have done recently, we sourced out a used bracket assembly and advised the customer that it is a used part........or they had the option of a new one.........haven't had a customer opt for a new part yet.