Had the same in reverse. Bosch factory, Valeo worked fine though.
Remember the old Bosch and Valeo alternators where the brushes were built into the regulator, which cost $15 and came off the back with two screws? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
The V8s are good. I've had 2 pulleys/bearings go bad. The second failed completely, dropping the aux belt and damaging the timing cover. If you hear any weird noises from the engine bay, check your pulleys.
They're also not as bad on fuel as you'd expect. I've regularly seen 25mpg+ on a good run.
ABS modules and siren modules always fail, but are relatively cheap & easy to replace. Alternators also seem to be a weak point and are _really_ awkward to get to.
Bought a used Valeo alternator, and sure enough, the charging problems went away, and it starts charging as soon as I start the car.
Maintenance I do oil every 10k km including all filters except fuel filter (every 2nd oil change). Basically never burns any oil, didn’t have to fill up at all. Only alternator broke down in extreme heat at 150k km but that’s expected.
Cheapest for me was a new Valeo unit from Rockauto. Cheaper than Turner too.
I had Valeo in my other car, very common for Bosche to overcharge.
I did see something recently where an aftermarket alternator made by Valeo had the same part number as the Original Toyota part, but in fact had another software part number that made it through an error and not work properly.
Mesmo um Valeo novo está caríssimo, pede mais orçamentos.
Alternator is my wild guess: Valeo alternators have long sucked, kinda like their starter motors.
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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 VALEO were overall better than OEM Volvo.
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator VALEO were overall more popular than OEM Volvo.
By vote balance, alternator VALEO surpassed OEM Volvo:
By number of reviews, alternator VALEO surpassed OEM Volvo:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, alternator VALEO led more car-specific ratings than OEM Volvo:
VALEO are chosen by owners of cars such as: Ford Escape, and others.
Alternator OEM Volvo 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 VALEO with: Denso, Bosch, Duralast, OEM Toyota, OEM Honda, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi, OEM Nissan.
Also available: comparisons of alternator OEM Volvo with: Denso, Bosch, Duralast, OEM Toyota, 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.
