Rant: Found out most 'new' alternators are just rebuilt junk

I was swapping an alternator on a 2015 F-150 last week and got curious why the store warranty was so short. Looked up the actual failure stats from a parts distributor blog and found out over 70% of remanufactured alternators fail within 18 months. That blew my mind since I've been buying these things for years without a second thought. Now I'm checking every box for a genuine manufacture date sticker before I even take it to the counter. Has anyone else noticed a huge difference in reliability between new and reman alternators?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles2772d ago

Yeah that whole "reputable alternator shop" thing @mia_singh24 is exactly what I've found too. The big box stores push out those cheap rebuilds so fast they don't even replace the bearings half the time. I had a buddy who ran a small electrical shop and he'd strip down cores himself, test every diode, and only use new windings when the old ones were shot. That takes time and money so most places skip it. You're way better off finding a local guy who still does actual bench work instead of just swapping parts.

mia_singh243d ago

Most of those failure stats come from the cheapest rebuilt units parts stores push. Grab a reman from a reputable alternator shop instead of the bargain bin and you'll get way better results.