I just had to swap my alternator today on my MK7. Mine was Valeo but I could only find a Bosch locally, I decided to give it a shot and it worked just fine. Just a PSA for anyone in the same situation, they are both the same barring a slightly different orientation of the plug on the back.
Our 17 has 205,000km so far. Has been great. Have gone through 4 sets of rear brakes, maybe 2 front but it might only be one, had to recently replace the alternator.
I am currently leaning towards picking up a new Bosch 120 amp over the BMW.
In place of the Valeo alternator I installed a Bosch VR6 120 amp alternator with a Bosch ABA alternator pulley (its 5 ribs versus 6 ribs of the VR6).
I just went over 195,000 miles while I've driven it over 26,000 miles this year with the only failures being the original 15 year old Bosch alternator and the spark plugs needing to be replaced.
I bought the Rock Auto Denso (really a Bosch rebuild) and am happy.
I've been looking on RockAuto. Will a Bosch remanufactured or AC Delco remanufactured work ok?
I tried a Bosch reman from Rockauto on my Civic. Lasted about two years then the rear bearing starting squeaking.
Mazda's DO NOT like aftermarket alternator. Most don't work out of the box. You need to get a genuine Mazda alternator.
Literally just put a FCP Bosch remanufactured 2 pin alternator in our 530 last week--it doesn't work at all. Communicating with FCP currently to send it back and get a replacement, but I'm not happy about it. I was told that Bosch was the one to go with for best quality, but now I'm skeptical.
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If choosing alternator across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare alternator across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator Bosch were overall better than OEM Mazda.
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator Bosch were overall more popular than OEM Mazda.
By vote balance, alternator Bosch surpassed OEM Mazda:
By number of reviews, alternator Bosch surpassed OEM Mazda:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, alternator Bosch led more car-specific ratings than OEM Mazda:
Bosch are chosen by owners of cars such as: BMW X5, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Passat, and others.
Alternator OEM Mazda have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of alternator Bosch with: Denso, Duralast, OEM Toyota, VALEO, OEM Honda, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi, OEM Nissan.
Also available: comparisons of alternator OEM Mazda with: Denso, Duralast, OEM Toyota, VALEO, OEM Honda, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi, OEM Nissan.
You can also see who is better among other alternator manufacturers: Bosch or Denso, Denso or Duralast, OEM Toyota or Denso, Bosch or Duralast, Denso or VALEO.
