116 votes
4 aftermarket alternators in a Volkswagen Vanagon… after the last shit the bed i insisted on a factory one. That solved the charging system issue.
Alternator stopped charging while driving and it slung grease all over the engine bay and hood.
When I finally bought another car and started preparing the Bora for sale, the alternator failed. The only real issue it ever gave me.
oddly enough, I've only ever been completely stranded by failed alternators. once in my '98 Jetta GLX VR6 and once in my '09 Outback 3.0R
Replaced the alternator - twice. The second one failed as a result of a jump start scorching a relay in the voltage :-( Replaced the starter (in 2024), First alternator failed at 49K miles - oddly, when the car came out of the shop, the oil light came on and they found debris in the pick up so I got a new long block (under warranty so I suspect VOA knew of some defect for that model/year). Had one strut bearing fail at about 90K miles. I also had the AC recharged - car actually came from the factory with too much pressure (would ice up on humid days). I've stuck to dealer maintenance for everything except the strut repair and the usual annual CC alignments (well documented issue...) and keep all fluids (coolant/brakes/DSG) fresh. My car is still a daily driver - I'm probably due another battery soon but it runs great. I'm tempted to freshen the struts and control arms and add a rear sway bar - and possibly a tune, but I also see a Golf R in my future! I've run 3 other cars to 250K miles (Volvo 850, Highlander and an Audi 4KQ) and I don't see any reason why the dub can't get to 200K+ particularly if you keep up with a full maintenance plan. You may need to have some carbon blasting done at 100K, have the timing chain tension and service the PCV (leaving that too long leads to the carbon build up in the DI engines) but those are like 50K mile intervals
I just put a new alternator and the batty is dead again but when I jump it the car run fine until the next .morning I am going Crazy trying to figure this.
I owned one for about a year. Loved the car, wish I could have kept it. That being said, it was only in drivable condition for about half the time I owned it. I replaced the alternator, fixed the air suspension, redid some vacuum lines, tried to repair the front diff, and that's where I gave up.
Spent 300 on an alternator to get the whole car apart just to find out it was the wrong one
Drove it for a day and the alternator crapped out. Installed a new one asap.
even a simple job like changing the alternator is difficult due to where they place it. There's not a ton of space to work on the car in the engine bay.
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The brand is registered in Germany. Official website: https://www.volkswagen.de/.
In March 2026, PartReview users have a mixed opinion of OEM Volkswagen alternator.
PR Score — 55 out of 100, based on 36 reviews and 116 votes. 16 positive reviews, 8 neutral reviews, 12 negative reviews. Average rating — 3.1 (out of 5). Vote balance: 64 up, 52 down.
In the ranking of the best alternator this part is at position 11, behind OEM FORD and OEM Volvo , but ahead of OEM BMW and Mitsuboshi.
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See which car brands and models owners choose OEM Volkswagen alternator for. Below are car-specific ratings where this part is in the Top-3:
There are 17 comparisons of OEM Volkswagen alternator with other manufacturers on PartReview.
In particular, see which alternator are better: Mitsuboshi or OEM Volkswagen, OEM KIA or OEM Volkswagen, OEM Volkswagen or GENERAL MOTORS, OEM Volkswagen or OEM BMW, OEM Mazda or OEM Volkswagen .
