alternator cost

[rdragon]

hi,

how much does an alternator typically cost and is the dealer the best place to buy from?

can we use one bought from the parts store or is this not recommended? looks like ~$600 difference between the 2 (for parts alone). does that sound about right? if so, why such a big difference?

Edited March 16, 2007 by rdragon

[Tool Pants]

Don't know what is wrong with your alternator, but if it is just the regulator you can replace just that part for little money. There are a few people who had a bad alternator and it turned out to be the regulator.

[rdragon]

i'll ask the dealer that. i would prefer not having to spend 1k+ on parts/labor for an alternator. does it typically die that soon? i have an '02 with less than 40k miles...

[Tool Pants]

I assumed you were interested in DIY like this. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...c=3311&st=0

If your car is at a dealership you are stuck. If it is the regulator they are not going to replace just that part. And Porsche does not even sell it, just the entire unit.

[rdragon]

sounds like i have to have them do the work then. what is the average life expectancy and what causes an alternator to go bad?

[pjslowik]

Take the alt to an auto electrics shop. It can prob be repaired for under fifty bucks.

[rdragon]

i'll have to keep that in mind the next time i have alternator problems (hopefully i don't). i just gave the dealer the go ahead to start working on it.

what is the average life expectancy and what causes an alternator to go bad? is it purely end of life?

[pjslowik]

Likely Porsche uses a Bosch alt, simmilar to the Bosch in my VW. My VW alt has 240,000 miles on it. I had it serviced once about a hundred K ago. New bearings & brushes and had the commutator turned (cut on a lathe). Cost was about $35 I think.

It's like anything else. It will last a lifetime if you care for it and service it properly (as long as there are no design flaws). It just matters how much and to what level you want to get involved. The military has bombers that are 50 years old and are still in active service.

[boxs2000]

My alternator went out last summer, my car is a 2000 986s and when it went out, I only had about 37,000 miles on it. Many people say that because alot of Porsches are not daily drivers that this actually takes a toll on the charging system as a result the alternator work harder to recharge the system etc.. As far as the alternator, I did the fix that I found in this forum. I save myself over 1000 bucks by doing it myself. The dealer does not sell the voltage regutor, but if you take the old one out you can cross reference it to the same part made by bosch for mercedes, bmw and vw. The part itself cost me about $70. The local MBZ dealer sells it for about $125. The job took me about 4 hours to do.

[Tool Pants]

ASE Supply Inc. had a special on a replacement Transpro regulator for $21. This $21 regulator is used on many Bosch alternators. VW, Audi, Mercedes, and so on

Did a quick price check for what Porsche wants for an alternator. About $1,320 new and $921 for a rebuilt. Makes me mad.

[pjslowik]

Did a quick price check for what Porsche wants for an alternator. About $1,320 new and $921 for a rebuilt. Makes me mad.

I think it's a crime what they charge for this stuff. These cars are no different from any other, and in some cases, not as good. I wonder how much of the car is VW design and manufacture anyway?

[rdragon]

yeah, that's about what i ended up paying yesterday (parts w/o labor). car is now working again...

boxs2000 - that's unfortunate ours went out so early, (mine at 39k) but in a way our similar situation (non daily driver) makes me feel somewhat more understanding. i was so disappointed at my car/porsche when even the dealer mentioned that they rarely see them go out this early. i hope it was a design flaw for that particular alternator and that this one lasts much longer...

pjslowik - i was not aware you can service/care for it. is there an an actual service that is recommended at X miles prior to it going out?

for those of you who changed the alternator or regulator replacement (which seems like more work) in ~4 hours or less (boxs2000, boxsterSS, etc...), how do you guys do it so fast? the dealer took 4 hrs to fix mine...you would think that they see same problems over and over and repeated exposure would make them faster/familiar. i'm asking this b/c i'd like to try it myself but i have no experience in fixing up cars...

[pjslowik]

i was not aware you can service/care for it. is there an an actual service that is recommended at X miles prior to it going out?

My view is that anything can be refurbished. When I worked for the Navy, we literally took junk and reworked it to new standards. In the case of my alternator, I heard the bearings becomming noisy. It still has the original regulator. It's not a daily driver anymore but I keep it on a charger. Some items I just have a feel for when they might need attention.

Edited March 20, 2007 by pjslowik