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.
I did one on my Wife's 2011 Nissan Quest with the same engine as the Pathfinder.
Original one lasted around 130k miles, so can't really complain.
The one on the Quest wasn't great, but I think I got it done in about 4-5 hours.
Had to pull the lower bumper splash shield, and the passenger fender liner.
Then I unbolted the ac compressor and let it drop down (was able to leave all the refrigerant hoses connected so that was a plus).
The upper bolt was a pain to get to, probably the worst part of the job!
With it unbolted there was just barely room to get it out through the wheel well. If you had it positioned just right it would slip through the opening between the subframe and the frame rail.
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).
Nissan use to be good
The alternator quit on my 2020 Nissan Sentra, and there were NO aftermarket options for it. The dealership wanted $900, JUST for the alternator, so I can actually believe their price.
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.
And assuming that the alternator is the issue, hope you get an oem good part or a used one, on nissan altimas/maxima Remans are bad.
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 Nissan.
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator Bosch were overall more popular than OEM Nissan.
By vote balance, alternator Bosch surpassed OEM Nissan:
By number of reviews, alternator Bosch surpassed OEM Nissan:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, alternator Bosch led more car-specific ratings than OEM Nissan:
Bosch are chosen by owners of cars such as: BMW X5, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Passat, and others.
OEM Nissan are chosen by owners of cars such as: Nissan Maxima, and others.
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, Motorcraft.
Also available: comparisons of alternator OEM Nissan with: Denso, Duralast, OEM Toyota, VALEO, OEM Honda, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi, Motorcraft.
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.
