I tried that fancy remanufactured alternator and it died in 3 weeks

Everyone in my shop kept saying reman alternators are just as good as new ones and way cheaper. So I grabbed one for a 2005 Civic I was fixing up, paid 85 bucks instead of 180 for new. Three weeks later the customer comes back complaining about dim headlights and a dead battery. Voltage was all over the place, like 11.8 to 14.2 volts randomly. Learned my lesson - spending the extra money upfront saves a headache later. Anyone else had bad luck with reman electrical parts?

2 comments

2 Comments

skylercooper1mo ago

Huh, three weeks isn't that bad for a reman alternator if you ask me. Plenty of people get way less time out of them before they start acting up. Still annoying though, but I wouldn't call it a total waste.

the_fiona1mo ago

Ha, three weeks. @skylercooper I think you and I have very different definitions of "not that bad." For the money those things cost, I'd expect at least a year before it starts acting up. Mine crapped out on a Tuesday during rush hour, which felt like a personal attack from the alternator itself. But hey, if three weeks is your baseline, I guess we're just living in different automotive realities.