Alternators

[Puggygirl2010]

Alrighty, I have a 2008 Vibe and long story short, I am not happy with this car. I bought it new and sometimes I think it spends more time in the garage than in my driveway. Anyhow, I am now on my 3rd Alternator at 58,000 miles. Starting to wonder if there is an overall electrical problem at this point? Anybody having/had issues with their alternator? It seems like for most folks the '08 is a pretty good vehicle. Mine is going to get kicked to the curb soon. Linda

[Esteban]

This may,, or may not be your problem. I had a friend in the alternator rebuilding business. He was meticulous in the way everything was rebuilt or replaced. Alternators, from many places, that state, rebuilt/remanufactured, are junk. TYhey are " patched-up." I have watched him open up some of those that were still new in the box from discount parts places.. The outside was nicely painted, but inside there was poor soldering & still all the old parts. EVEN the old brushes were left in it ! Some people may go through 3-4 alternators before they get one that lasts any time at all. Get yours rebuilt, totally, by a good shop, or buy a new one.

[Puggygirl2010]

Thanks for the feedback. My last Alternator was purchased new from a GM dealer in Roanoke VA where "Dora" died on me. It was (supposedly) new Alternator with a 12 mt/12,000 mile warranty. Unfortunately, I put on a lot of miles so I'm well out of warranty. My BF is getting a new Alternator from a parts shop that he considers reliable (I trust his judgement). It's another new Alternator. My last alternator failure was sudden--car working one moment, not working the next almost. This time, it was odd. Slow start on the car one day, funny noise a week later, than Saturday, one by one, the electrical compoments just shut down. I've had lots of other issues with this car, but this issue is the only consistent problem (this and my clutch/brake issues but that's a whole other can of worms).Thanks again,Linda

[jake75]

What does an alternator cost these days?Years ago I had similar trouble with GM starter motors. The parts warranty was only 30 days then. Only thing available were rebuilt ones.

[Puggygirl2010]

Just the Alternator itself with tax was $169. Fortunately, BF is a car guy and will replace it so no labor charges. I have no idea if that price is low, high, or average. Being a newer car it's not a stocked part so it's being ordered and I won't have it until Wednesday or Thursday. Bleh. Oh well, whatcha gonna do?Linda

[beemerphile1]

It sounds like the problem is electrical but is not your alternator.Take your car to a top quality auto electrical shop. You might need to ask around at some auto repair shops. Locally here I found a auto electric shop that does nothing but work on electrical systems. The place I use is expensive if you look at their labor rate but they are fast and efficient. They can solve electrical problems cheaper because they do proper diagnostic work before they start throwing parts at it like a less qualified shop will do.You could have a short, an intermittent short, or a ground problem that is causing the alternator failures.

[jake75]

The same car that had starter motor issues also blew Ignition Coils. I finally took it to a shop that specialized in electrical stuff- the guy there guessed it was defective spark plug wires - had those replaced and no more blown coils.

[jake75]

See http://www.justparts.com/Auto_...MILESThere are a number of people who sell parts from brand new cars - evidently they can make money as the parts bring more than they pay for the car.