2006 Forester NA AT 115,000 miles. First cold day of the winter here. Started the car and it sounded like a box of rocks. It's the altenator bearings. What's the best way to go for parts? Any reliable aftemarket parts, or should I go with genuine Subaru? Thanks.

If you are handy with a wrench, it is no big deal swapping in an alternator to your Forester. I have always bought a reman alternator from a parts store like Autozone or Advance Auto Parts. Seem like three I have bought for various cars over the past 15 years or so. I have never had any problems with any of them. I know others here on this forum will say that they have had trouble with remanufactured alternators from parts stores.

 

With Autozone, they offer a lifetime warranty. If the alt goes bad, they will give you another one at no cost. A dealer with genuine OEM won't sell you an alternator with a lifetime warranty.

 

Some guys source things like alternators and starters from wrecking yards. Price is usually good, but you just don't know how much life is left in a used part.

 

You might also want to check on line parts stores. I know Advance Auto gives 20% discount if you buy on line, then pick up at one of their stores.

 

Just my 2 cents worth. I wouldn't drive far with that alternator with the bearings going out. It is possible that the bearing will seize up, and leave you stranded.

My first choice was always to fing a local alternator/starter guy and have him rebuild it.

 

Unfortunately my last guy just retired. Yet another trade that's being lost to CRAP.

 

Other than that I'd stay away from "Worldwide" brand reman's. I've got several here that are like new and are bad.

I went through about 3 Autozone rebuilds in a few months. The first was bad bearings, the second was bad diode and the third was bearings again.A little fustrating but they kept swapping out no questions asked. Since this last swap it has been over a year and all is well. I would use autozone again.

 

I suppose if you really really wanted to, you can source the bearings fom a company like Mcmaster-Carr. (http://www.mcmaster.com) If you have a caliper/micrometer handy, you can match the inner diameter, outer diameter and RPM needed. Sometimes they also have a trade number stamped on the bearing case (example 2304). I do this when I need bearings for equipment I rebuild for my job.

 

 

Dean

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't care if the parts store gave me a hundred replacements. I want one reliable unit that I can count on when I drive many miles at night. One of mine went without warning on the old Mercury; towing

in the middle of Winter was a real pita.

Edited January 4, 201214 yr by john40iowa