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Never again will I use aftermarket


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Well this past weekend I decided to mess around with my 96 LSI wagon and replace the alternator. This was my first attempt at it, but I like working on my own cars, so I was actually looking forward to it. So I called a local subie dealer and he wanted $250 buxx for an alternator but was out of stock. then I call my local R&S Struass auto parts store and they wanted $150 buxx, so whatever I bought it installed it and the Alternator was running hotter than hell itself.

 

So after a poster here indicated that it might be a bad battery I take it back to R&S strauss b/c I had also bought this battery from them 6 mos ago. They check it and say no your battery is fine, so then I ask them so why is my alternator running at a thousand degrees the guy says pull your car in let me look at it. He runs some tests and tells me that the alternator is not fully charging my battery. I look at him like wtf? You sold me this alternator 2 days ago, you told me it was new not re-built how can it be bad, he says I dont know, but it happens. Great I wish I had such luck playing the lotto.

 

So then he offers to give me another alternator, I tell him that I want a full refund and my core back. So long story short I am pulling the alternator out tomorrow and returning it to him. In the mean time I called 1st subaru parts and ordered a OEM alternator for about 70 buxx and am having it shipped 2nd day for an extra 40 buxx.

 

So I think that everyone should learn from my mistake which is to simply not mess with aftermarket parts. I am an attorney here in NYC my billable hourly rate is $250 (this is what the partner bills me out as , i barely get to see 50 buxx of it so don't think I am rich:) , I have probably lost over $1k worth of billable hours so that I can rectify this situation, and all I needed was an alternator!!!! Never ever again will I install a aftermarket part and neither should anyone here:)

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Yeah, I agree with Firstwagon. You get one bad aftermarket part and you dismiss the entire aftermarket part industry.

 

Also, You got ripped on the OEM part. I just got quoted $78 yesterday from my local subaru dealer for an alternator for my 96GT.

 

Sorry man, but $h!t happens. Not the first time or the last time you are going to get something out of the box that doesn't work right.

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Yeah, I agree with Firstwagon. You get one bad aftermarket part and you dismiss the entire aftermarket part industry.

 

Also, You got ripped on the OEM part. I just got quoted $78 yesterday from my local subaru dealer for an alternator for my 96GT.

 

Sorry man, but $h!t happens. Not the first time or the last time you are going to get something out of the box that doesn't work right.

 

You should read my entire post or in the alternative pay closer attention to detail. In actuality you payed 8 buxx more for the alternator than I did:)

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So how is $70 for an OEM alternator from a dealer (1stsubaruparts.com is a Subaru dealer) getting ripped?

 

 

Because he payed $70 + $40 shipping for a dealer when his local dealer should have had it $78 + Tax ($5 in PA) to start, not $250. Also, what reputable dealer wouldn't have at least one piece of stock on an alternator used for 5 years of production on basically every model during that period. (95-99 All legacy models used the same 85amp alternator)

 

Thats what I meant by getting ripped. He had to pay more for something a dealer should have had, and should have had at a much lower price than what he was quoted. :cool:

 

 

You paid $110. (edit: 110 buxx)

 

**** ******!

Exactly

 

And Roamer, let me just say that in your shoes I don't think I would have done anything differntly other than being willing to try another aftermarket unit first. In the end you are still saving money over the aftermarket piece so it's a win in the $$$ department :headbang:

 

 

Keith

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LOL, i work for advance auto parts.. (LIFETIME WARRANTY on alternators, starters and various other things) yah, we sell aftermarket parts, and yes i prolly sell a bad starter and alternator once a week.. even tho its a new part, someone still has to put it together and can fudge it up.. it doesn't just magically appear like you would find a seashell on the beach.. (ohh look what washed up on shore ma, a brand new alternator for my 97 legacy)

 

that parts guy did the right thing by tellin you he'd get you another one.. parts stores usually buy thier parts from someone else, usually a company in mexico or something..

 

even a brand new subaru oem part has to be assembled by someone that can fudge it up..

 

what i'm gettin at is theres a dud in everything.. (ever bought a pack of pens that didn't write?)

 

suck it up and put another one on there... and live with the fact that you got the dud in the box..

 

oh and a low not fully charged battery in a car, will make a replacement (brand new or rebuilt) alternator overwork itself, run hot, and burn up cause its gotta charge your dead battery, that was prolly run down when your old alternator went bad and ya didn't get it charged before hand..

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LOL, i work for advance auto parts.. (LIFETIME WARRANTY on alternators, starters and various other things) yah, we sell aftermarket parts, and yes i prolly sell a bad starter and alternator once a week.. even tho its a new part, someone still has to put it together and can fudge it up.. it doesn't just magically appear like you would find a seashell on the beach.. (ohh look what washed up on shore ma, a brand new alternator for my 97 legacy)

 

that parts guy did the right thing by tellin you he'd get you another one.. parts stores usually buy thier parts from someone else, usually a company in mexico or something..

 

even a brand new subaru oem part has to be assembled by someone that can fudge it up..

 

what i'm gettin at is theres a dud in everything.. (ever bought a pack of pens that didn't write?)

 

suck it up and put another one on there... and live with the fact that you got the dud in the box..

 

oh and a low not fully charged battery in a car, will make a replacement (brand new or rebuilt) alternator overwork itself, run hot, and burn up cause its gotta charge your dead battery, that was prolly run down when your old alternator went bad and ya didn't get it charged before hand..

 

I once purchased an aftermarket lifetime warranty alternator from Sucks for $99 and it failed within two weeks. I took it back, Sucks tested it and told me it was fine. I was in disbelief. They told me I installed it wrong (I believe you would actually have to TRY HARD to install an alternator incorrectly) or that I had a bad ground somewhere. So, I took the car to Smart Service here in Seattle. They said the alternator was bad. I took it back to Sucks, and they said it was fine. BS!!! I had Smart replace the two week old alternator (they kept it for a "core") and it had run fine ever since (2+ years). Good alternator my a$$. That thing was a peice of ***************. I'm not sure where Smart Service gets theirs from, but I reccommend them. I paid a hundred bucks for a "Lifetime pain in the a$$".

 

On a side note, not only was the alternator from Sucks a total peice of manure, but the people there were total morons. They also tried to tell me there was an external voltage regulator on the car - an 88 wagon - and that maybe that was the issue.:banghead: The guy at Smart Service showed me where the voltage regulator was in the alternator. :rolleyes:

 

 

Jordan

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some companies only replace the parts that are warn while others replace all serviceable items - bearings, brushes, voltage regulator, resolder joints, etc. that's the difference between a quality built item and taking a risk. a new part will have all new components where a poorly rebuilt item may only have new brushes (in the case of an alternator) but everything else has unknown mileage on it, but passed whatever spec's they had at the time of rebuild. benebob mentioned locally rebuilding, that's a good option because you can request they replace everything, a complete rebuild and not just the brushes.

and if they only replace the brushes they'll charge you likewise - $40 or so instead of full price for a half rebuild. (disclaimer...assuming local rebuilder is honest and a nice person)

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