Alternator Brand Recommendations

All are good if they have been remanu with quality parts. Be sure and get one with LifeTime Warranty AND made for high heat applications. I get a free new LifeTime Warranty kind every

2 1/2 years when they burn out in my Grand Am.

Yeah, I've noticed the rebuilts burn out a lot quicker then oem's.

Thanks for the advice !!!

Thanks for the advice !!! As luck would have it, they have a Delco Remy Premium sitting on the shelf right now !

Again... many thanks !!!

Get yourself a Ford alternator, WBMA. My one old car still has the original. 1971, 289,000 miles on the clock. ;)

mike hunt

Peter wrote:

Unfortunately places like Advance Auto and Pep Boys are the only parts houses in my area except for the dealer parts department which will charge 2 or 3 times more for the same item. What is your opinion of Car Quest? Aren't they the same people who own Federated Auto?

I've never dealt with Car Quest but I have dealt with the others. I think that the important thing is to get a good brand and buy their best quality parts. Not all rebuilders put out good quality parts. The guy I deal with has been in business since the 1960's (I've been dealing with him since the day he opened) and will give me guidance on brands and prices when I ask him to. He has never steered me wrong (and I get the same price as the garages).

I rarely buy parts at the dealer because they are grossly overpriced. The only time I deal with other suppliers is when I'm out of the area and need a part immediately but it is usually for my daughter's vehicles. When I can, I look for NAPA because I trust their parts and the people that sell them. If I were you, I would check to see if there are some good parts dealers within a reasonable driving distance. The independent garages have to buy their parts somehere (although some do buy from Advance, etc., because they're cheap.

****************************************** I would rather be exposed to the inconveninces attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. ~ Thomas Jefferson ~

A new Car Quest just opened up nearby. It is a jobber and not a retail store like O'Reilly's, but the prices are right and they have parts that we cannot get at the other chain stores.

I believe the correct word is 'similar' item. they are hardly the 'same' quality as those purchased at a dealership. ;)

mike hunt

houses in my area except for the dealer parts

Sounds like you are going to replace the alternator yourself, which is probably the least expensive approach.

However, if you will be having someone else replace it, consider that alternators are covered by the "lifetime Mr. Goodwrench warranty" that is provided by most (but not all) GM dealers. Specifically, if the dealer installs it and it fails while you own the vehicle, then the entire replacement cost -- parts and labor -- is covered by GM. The biggest catch is you have to take the vehicle to same dealer that installed the alternator if it fails again, so if you are on an out-of-town trip and can't limp home on a failing alternator, the warranty will be worthless.

The alternator in 1993 Trans Sport with 3.8L engine failed at 34,000 miles, again at 66,000 miles, and again at 96,000 miles. At 34,000 it was replaced under warranty. At 66,000 I paid for the replacement, and the price at the dealer, including labor, was about the same as independent garages. At

96,000 it was replaced for free under the lifetime warranty, and at 132,000 and 168,000 and 205,000 when it fails again it will be replaced for free.

I've read in various forums, etc. that the alternator in the Trans Sport / Silhouette / Lumina have a short lifetime due to excessive heat buildup. Maybe it's worse with a 3.8L engine -- I don't know.

I will bet you still have the original leather with your chariot too mike....

BOB

Silhouette APV 3.1L

I do on my '41 Continental. and it almost like new. ;)

mike hunt

BOB URZ wrote:

Silhouette APV 3.1L

nightmare).

They sell you a piece of crap with a good warranty, then assume you will trade in your vehicle!

Gary

- -

-> (Rich B) wrote:

->

-> Unfortunately places like Advance Auto and Pep Boys are the > only parts houses in my area except for the dealer parts

-> department which will charge 2 or 3 times more for the same > item.

-I believe the correct word is 'similar' item. they are hardly the

-'same' quality as those purchased at a dealership. ;)

- -

-mike hunt

Sorry, Mike.

The "aftermarket" parts you buy at other stores are the same as from the dealership. They are manufactured by the same plants at the same time. My father worked for TRW, and I spent a summer working in the plant. This plant supplied GM, Ford and Chrysler, as well as Canadian tire and I don't know who else. He always bought his parts from Canadian Tire.

When I was on the assembly line the decision as to who got the part in hand was usually determined by the method: is there a space on the pegs on the assembly conveyor for this? No? then Canadian tire gets it. If there was room on the assembly conveyor then GM gets it.

They are the same part, same quality, it just costs much less. You have to get over the "It must be better, it costs more" mentality. That is just BS drummed into you and alot of other people by markering departments. "You get what you pay for" is just another way of saying "It must be better, it costs more".

Ian Reply to snipped-for-privacy@sprint.ca