New Alternator - Advice NEEDED!

M

mattzerstoren

:
2003 Mazda Protege5
So, long story short, I need a new alternator. I have a friend at the dealer where the replacement is $275, though I have found a few NEW replacements online for around $110-$175...I definitely want new and not remanufactured; I've read a few horror stories of some P5 owners on here going through alternator after alternator until they found one that was worth a damn. So my question to y'all is, would the cheaper new alternator be worth the trouble? Or will that $100 I save go towards future labor in replacing the alternator again? I'm not too tight on money, but obviously I'd like to save $100. But, if it's gunna be a headache PITA, then I'd like to spend the money upfront on the dealer replacement to (hopefully) ensure I'll be good to go for a while.


Here are links to the cheaper, new alternators I found online:

POWER SELECT / WPS 13719N - $111.79
http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6677484&cc=1416833&jsn=327

PURE ENERGY 13719N - $171.89
http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3372717&cc=1416833&jsn=328


Thanks in advance!
 
mattzerstoren said:
So, long story short, I need a new alternator. I have a friend at the dealer where the replacement is $275, though I have found a few NEW replacements online for around $110-$175...I definitely want new and not remanufactured; I've read a few horror stories of some P5 owners on here going through alternator after alternator until they found one that was worth a damn. So my question to y'all is, would the cheaper new alternator be worth the trouble? Or will that $100 I save go towards future labor in replacing the alternator again? I'm not too tight on money, but obviously I'd like to save $100. But, if it's gunna be a headache PITA, then I'd like to spend the money upfront on the dealer replacement to (hopefully) ensure I'll be good to go for a while.


Here are links to the cheaper, new alternators I found online:

POWER SELECT / WPS 13719N - $111.79
http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6677484&cc=1416833&jsn=327

PURE ENERGY 13719N - $171.89
http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3372717&cc=1416833&jsn=328


Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Go with the OEM part by all means if you can afford it.

Warrantying online parts is a pain in the ass, and these alternators are tedious to replace. Not the kind of job you want to do twice.

If it were something like my old Camry where you could swap the alternator in 10 minutes, I would take the chance. But not on a P5.
 
Thanks for your reply @MrGiggles! That was pretty much what I was thinking, I will go with the OEM! I'd much rather pay the price upfront, than deal with any faulty parts or replacing. I had to replace a pair of lower control arms that were faulty recently and I was not a happy camper.

Thanks again!
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Wheel arch panels
Replies
0
Views
1K
cdt280
C
T
Need new struts and mounts, anybody had issues with Monroe Quickstruts?
Replies
4
Views
2K
tropiganda
T
H
Are rear lower arms from Mazda3 same as Mazda5?
Replies
1
Views
1K
hbung13
H

Latest posts

Back