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Alternator OEM Volkswagen or GENERAL MOTORS
Reviews
The alternator itself can get bad only if the bearings are shot. If you don't have play on the shaft, and it spins freely then the alternating part of the alternator is fine. What can get pretty bad are the diode rectifier bridge.
Pros: spins freely
Cons: bearings shot
If you have the V6 4.3 it's one of the more dependable motors GM ever made. The factory alt is rated at 105 amps. Should be enough for your needs.
Pros: dependable motor, enough amps
The high rev voltage must be over 14 volts, so if not, then its the alternator. But make sure all connections clean and greased.
Pros: clean connections, greased connections
Cons: low voltage
Eurovan exhibited similar behavior. Start and run fine until.... engine would lose power. Pull over and would die. Restart would be nothing. Sit for an hour or so and could restart and could get the few miles to home. Next day things could be normal or a repeat of slow down and die. This went on for a couple of weeks. The last fail found the battery to be toast even though only a year old. OK, so new battery. All good for the next few days then the gremlins return. New battery is now no good. Determined the alternator had developed enough play that when warm would start to short creating more heat and more of a short allowing it to eat the battery. New alternator and another new battery and all is and has been good.
Pros: solved power loss issue
Cons: alternator shorted when warm
Vehicle:
Volkswagen
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
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Jetta
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
Pros: car runs great, good longevity
Cons: alternator failed twice, strut bearing failed
Vehicle:
Volkswagen
Mileage: 117000 km
Spent 300 on an alternator to get the whole car apart just to find out it was the wrong one
Cons: wrong alternator
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Passat
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.
Cons: difficult to change, poor placement
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Jetta
three alternators in a Cadillac, even "new GM" are remans, only way to get a new one (never installed, made of new parts, new for you) is to buy a new car.
Cons: multiple failures, poor reliability
What bugs me now is that it seems the alt doesn't quite put out. Dash light (at least the one I put under the dash since the one in-dash quit working) won't go out. Goes from bright to dim when the alt should excite.
Cons: doesn't put out
Vehicle:
Volkswagen Jetta
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