Have you bought rebuilt alternators only to have them fail shortly after you have installed them ? I had several persons bring them to me to check the rebuilts out. To my surprise their dirty inside with new brush holder and thats it regulators not replaced or diode trios. They took them back and brought the exchange to me to check out , pulled apart case to find same old dirty interior with a new regulator. I bought a new power steering pump with a shiny new chromed case which would not build pressure, so I pulled out pressure valve to find it and internal p***age clogged with black goo. Took it back to well known speed shop in my area , they said they have no control over their supplier and gave me another pump. I said before I take it to remove pressure valve, he did so and out comes black ****. I said just refund my money which he did before other customers seen what was going on. Has any body had this kind of parts or is it my bad luck to buy them.
Yep, I try and have someone local rebuild the starters and alternators. Power steering pumps I try and do myself.
Went through 4 rebuilt alternators on my daily in one day. The parts store was even less impressed than me. At least the alt. is easy to get at. And it was warrantied, otherwise I wouldve told them to pack it.
Just depends who did the job. I wouldn't trust a rebuilt alternator from Advance, but then again I wouldn't trust a new one either.
back in the 80's i worked for a major ford reman. facility pumping out 128 motors a day. we also did all the component parts from brake shoes to A.I.R pumps and their is no guidline on the description "rebuilt"! new is new and "rebuilt" is usually just enough to get by. when i was tearing down alterators at the rate of 2-3 hundred a day i saved everything including the bearings (they were repacked). with rebuilt parts you roll the dice.
No problems. As others have noted I have a local wiz rebuild anything I need rebuilt. Not as fast as going to Autozone but they don't quit the next day. Having this guy do it is also many times cheaper.
I only trust parts that I rebuild myself. Otherwise, I buy new stuff and that isn't always good either.
A thousand years ago, I worked at Cali-brake, rebuilding master cylinders. I saw **** go out of there that scared the hell outta me. I said something to the owner (my sister's lousy husband) and he said not to worry about it. He'd take care of any returns and that I should just get back to work. Now I buy new every time, if I can afford it.
Sure i trust rebuilt parts - because i do it myself. Thats the only person i can trust to screw it up.
lol agreed. I have only been in auto parts retail for about 15 years, but some of the new stuff is cheap azz chinese ****. the castings and bearings ****. at least with the reman you are getting OEM castings. if the part is hard to remove/install its a good idea to get a 3rd party to bench test it. aside from that, time will only tell if you got a good one.
Autozone was the first that came to my mind after dealing with three new alternators in one day, they claimed to have tested them after the first defect, but after tracing the entire electrical system on a 91 camaro i said bull and made them test them infront of me and wouldnt you know it they didnt p*** so well suddenly. Since then we do them or send them to a place locally in MD call Arlington Armature.
my father has been in the alternator and starter rebuilding business since the late 60's and has owned his own rebuilding company since '84. i have worked there on and off since he started his company and still work there when needed. i will say rebuilt items are only as good as the person doing the work. he has built his company on his reputation and prides himself on the quality he puts out. so i am very biased when it comes to rebuilt parts and have no problem installing them on my cars or other peoples car. just buy from somewhere that offers a warranty and do a quick inspection of the part before you install it. so yes i trust rebuilt parts.
Because I got burned one too many times on a starter for my old O/T motor, no, I don't trust reman stuff. Most of the time, when I need an alternator or starter, I will go to the local pull-a-part, and pick up a late-model 100 amp or better alt, or a late, gear-reduction type starter. They are dirt cheap, and after a cleanup and maybe some paint, are good as new for my use. OE always better than reman built with China junk. Master cylinders I get from NAPA, better stuff.
I know some guys who own local shops and ask them for recommendations on who to go to. I try to support my neighbors a much as possible. You can always throw the **** back through their window if you don't get satisfaction.................
Let's not forget we have, buy it at the dealer new and buy it at carquest,autozone,napa wherever... new. There are vast differences in materials and machining of parts. Today i attempted to install a "new" carquest oil pump in a mistubishi eclipse and after measuring it with a mic and trying to fit it to the block i gave up. I got an oe from the dealer and it slid together perfect.
Most rebuilt electrical stuff is **** . I had a friend who used to do his own starters , generators , etc himself . Easier than it looks .
My dad went through at least 6 "rebuilt" fuel pumps, in 2 years. Some didn't last 30 days, so I got another one.
I was working part time at an auto parts store.Auto Zone and Advance sell the same product,different box.Usually "rebuilt" means the rebuilder cleans it and only replaces the minimum of parts to get it to work.We replace a LOT of alternators,starters under warranty.I always checked them before they left the store,right out of the box.Still got bad ones.Even if you get new,its probably China **** built to a minimum of standards. I think the days of buying good aftermarket products is gone just like the days of buying cars with chrome bumpers
I worked at a shop that used Auto Value parts, as the owner had the parts store and the shop. I used to say to the guys at the store to take the first part off the shelf and throw it in the defect bin, and send the second one to the shop. it actually seemed to work out fairly well. There is one rebuilder that does all the parts for all the chain stores in the US and Canada. I can't recall the name right now, but they only fix what is needed.
I think one of my scariest moments is when my rebuilt starter from advance auto stayed engaged with the flywheel. The 2nd one seems to be working fine now. But I think I still say a little pray everytime I turn the ignition.....
I have had better luck with used starters and alternators from the junkyard. The alternator on my Ford Ranger came from a pull your own parts salvage yard, been on there at least 80,000 miles with no problems. The alternator on my '38 Ford pickup was $10 at a swap meet, high amp unit from an old cop car, charging good with no problems. The last rebuilt alternator I bought was for a 2000 Focus, couldn't find a used one from a salvage yard, the thing was close to $200 and lasted a week, but I have to say the second rebuilt one has been OK for over 100,000 miles (car had less than 70,000 when I had alternator problems, now has 175,000).
I worked at the 'zone 10 million years ago and every rebuilt alt/starter there was a piece if youask me. I much prefer all new and USA when I can get it, of course I can only afford what I can afford so just gotta do the best ya can
Never had any trouble with nappa stuff when i worked at the garage. But i rebuild my own stuff always have.
...I dont know about the other guys, but Advance has 2 lines of starters and altenators. Rebuilt with a 1 year warranty(cheep) or remanufactured by the Remy division of Worldwide with a lifetime warranty. There is also Beck/Arnley and 1 more I cant recall. The Remy stuff is sold under the name Paladium and they also have Brand New product too. The way my parts guy explained it to me, is that rebuilt is only the bad parts replaced(if it works, ship it) and reman is all new everything except the outer case. My defect rate on electrical is almost nothing since I switched to Advance and Remy/Paladium.......works for me
Support your local shops. It may cost you a few bucks more up front but, the little guy trying to make a living at it is going to try to make you a repeat customer by doing it right the first time. The big store don't give a **** how many times you have to take your valuable time and pull that alternator.
It always seems like a good idea to buy rebuilt until you find yourself later that day back in the store for the same part. I always buy new, it's cheaper than a tow...
Starters and alternators are one thing, but I will never use remanufactured master cylinders! I refuse to put my life in the hands if some dip**** who thinks new seals will fix all problems. If Im in a bind and cant find new parts, I take the old master cylinder to my local brake rebuilder and have my old cores bored and sleeved.
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