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Have folks had reasonable luck with them? I am kind of in need right now; alternator started giving that telltale hum of failing bearings just this WE and I noticed rainwater boiling off my hood just above the alt. location; not good at all!

 

Have the alt. off the car and seeking to avoid forking over $200+ for a new/reman. unit. Would rather sink the difference into repaying my bookie...I mean new belts. :D

 

TIA for pointers.

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It depends if you have a good shop around that rebuilds them. If you have that much heat you may have toasted the stator. You get to a point where rebulding isn't cost effective. Basically, they test all the components (voltage regulator, diode pack, stator, bearings, rotor, brushes) and replace what needs replacing. If too much stuff is bad, you are better off getting a rebuilt/new unit.

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I've given up on the auto shop rebuilds. A lifetime warranty is worthless if you have to replace the alternator 3 or 4 times in the life of your car. It's not the installation of another alternator that annoys me, but the inconvenience/cost of getting towed home because the battery is dead. I found a quality rebuilder in Ballard; costs me a little more than the aftermarket jobs for a complete rebuild, but I've never had one of his fail after 2 to 3 months (as a matter of fact, usually my cars have died before his alternator went south on me). I've always gotten over 3 or more years of use out of his repairs. If I were in your shoes and had a good shop near me, I'd get a wrecking yard alternator, install it as a temporary fix, and bring mine to him to rebuild.

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Thanks for the pointers all. I did find a fairly good-sized rebuild shop here in Boston. I will try to get a hold of them today but given the general consensus here about the toll that heat takes on the internal werkins I am not expecting much. Anywayz, I did find this deal on the 'net.

 

When it comes to mechanically critical parts I shy away from someone else's junker extracts but thanks anyway.

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Size of the shop is not the issue; it's the quality of the rebuilder. My shop in Ballard is a one man marine electronics specialist. He is most busy during the boating season from May to September (which is why I keep a rebuilt spare on hand). The fact that he is almost overwhelmed with work indicates the quality and reliability of his work. Lastly, the deals you found; my Ballard shop has never been over $120 for a complete rebuild, usually less. I'd get my alternator fixed with the shop you found but I'd still keep on searching. Word of mouth among the local industry people is how I found the Ballard shop.

 

I did find this deal on the 'net:

http://www.expressautoparts.com/PartSearch/getpart.cfm?year=1993&make=SU&model=LEG-4WD-001&category=F&part=Alternator

Amazing; even the part numbers are the same on the two "deals"; it's striking to see the difference in the prices.

 

Lastly you might call www.1stsubaruparts.com at 866-528-5282. Ask for Jason in parts and tell him the website is down (it was down now as I was looking) and ask for pricing on an alternator. This is a Subaru dealer in Auburn, WA and their internet prices often rival, and sometimes beat, the aftermarket prices. Good luck finding a replacement at a reasonable cost.

Thanks for the pointers all. I did find a fairly good-sized rebuild shop here in Boston. I will try to get a hold of them today but given the general consensus here about the toll that heat takes on the internal werkins I am not expecting much. Anywayz, I did find this deal on the 'net.

 

When it comes to mechanically critical parts I shy away from someone else's junker extracts but thanks anyway.

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Website for www.1stsubaruparts.com is back up now. Search for alternator came up with $179.96 for OEM with a $50 core charge. Ignore the first few items that come up with a search for alternators (how did the search engine come up with bearings??).

 

alternator, Legacy 90-94 $249.95$50.00$179.96

 

Now, I don't know whether that's new or rebuilt, but it is genuine Subaru OEM.

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Or you could try 1stSubaruparts. I think their price is around 60$ and it's a genuine Subaru rebuilt.

 

They're up now. Legacy alts. are offered for ~$180. Pretty close to the Denso reman referenced above at "Express". AFAIK, Nippondenso is one of the OEMs for the Legacy (mine is Hitachi). Decisions, decisions.

 

I put a call into the rebuild place here. Will see what they think. TBC...

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Website for www.1stsubaruparts.com is back up now. Search for alternator came up with $179.96 for OEM with a $50 core charge. Ignore the first few items that come up with a search for alternators (how did the search engine come up with bearings??).

 

alternator, Legacy 90-94 $249.95$50.00$179.96

 

Now, I don't know whether that's new or rebuilt, but it is genuine Subaru OEM.

 

Sorry for the false info. I just checked and the alt for my car (96) is $67.50 but 179.96 for yours like edrach wrote. I think both are Subaru genuine rebuilt.

What would explain such a price discrepancy!!!!!?????

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Sorry for the false info. I just checked and the alt for my car (96) is $67.50 but 179.96 for yours like edrach wrote. I think both are Subaru genuine rebuilt.

What would explain such a price discrepancy!!!!!?????

Look at the difference in price for a Legacy vs. Impreza. $180 vs. $390. Obviously, one is a brand new unit and the other a reman. (UPDATE: numbers corrected.)

 

I'd be interested to know how they made $67.50 possible for your '96.

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Just FYI for all: I have seen from a few aftermarket suppliers that reman. alternators are in serious shortage right now. I have been told that the Bosch or Denso may not become available for up to a week.

 

I hope this isn't usually the case for these items. May have to suck it up and go with the OEM, assuming they are not similarly backlogged.

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I've gotten around a possible shortage for my Legacy by picking up a good looking used one at Pull a Part. I installed it on my Legacy right away and it has worked fine for the last six months. I put the original working alternator on the shelf in my garage so I know I have a spare working one if I need it. Cost me all of $20 to do that.

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