New alternator questions

[Morgenster]

Hi,

my car broke down due to a busted alternator. My local indie mechanic couldn't score me a refab unit so we had to go for a brand new one.
The new one's REALLY new in the sense that it stands out from everything else in the engine compartment :).

Now I noticed a few things immediately when starting:
-idle is now rocksteady
-slightly more power
So I guess alternators can definitely be added to the list of idle killers.

Labor and parts was 470 euros incuding a new belt.
Was this reasonable?

Also: the new alternator is 140 Amp instead of 115. Can this cause any type of trouble later on?

[632 Regal]

it should be just fine, the regulater wont let it overcharge.


Also: the new alternator is 140 Amp instead of 115. Can this cause any type of trouble later on?

[Jon K]

470 euros i think is very reasonable for a new alt + belt replacement at a mechanic. Figure the NEW alternator was at least $200 - $250 I'd think, belt is $20, so he charged labor.... its expensive, I wouldn't want to pay it, but its not the outlandish $1450 quote I got on my moms Rover.

[Morgenster]

the part was 302 + VAT (21%) so Labor was really cheap I guess.

Anyway, I now get the feeling that the alternator was subpar and on the way out for quite a while considering the difference in the way the engine is running now.

Thanks for the posts!

[Jon K]

Yeah a new alternator is night and day - i replaced mine from a Valeo (trash) to a Bosch 140A and it was night and day.