alternator died. indie mechanic or stealership?

[kismetcapitan]

1) secondary coolant valve has started leaking in earnest. So I ordered a replacement at a $300 savings through genuineaudiparts.com. It will arrive Friday.

2) Alternator dies today. Not sure if it's related, but I seem to recall that alternators don't like fluids in them.

3) I need my car asap. I have my bikes, but since I just fell off one ten days ago at 60mph and *just* finished repairing it last night, I kind of want to stay off two wheels until my broken ribs heal.

Are RS6 alternators easy to source? Or do I need to hit the dealer to get a fast turnaround? Is this a very common VAG part, available at say an Autozone, or a specialty part?

Argh, not a good week :(

[4.2Crew]

That sucks. Sorry, man. My alternator just died last week as well... It can be a DIY repair BUT, it is a pain in the ass. Dealer gets $705 for a reman. These are not gonna be sourced from Autozone. I chose to remove it myself and had it rebuilt and refreshed locally. More than likely it is the regulator. Total cost was just over $100. Good luck!

[4everRS]

Likely a regulator issue. I bought a Bosch regulator for about 90 bucks and installed it myself. I had it bench tested before I put it back to be sure. I sprayed the windings with degreaser when I did it to clean them up. This was last summer. The hardest part is getting the alternator in-wedged from its place. Remember rain, snow, and mist hit the alternator.

Where's the secondary coolant valve?

[Brav]

Def take it to an independent.. rebuild is cheap. new one 450. I rebuilt mine, but I still have red batt light on.. perfect charging. Still haven't figured that problem out, but if that's the only thing wrong, I'll take it.

[marklar182]

Where's the secondary coolant valve?

On the other side of the engine bay.

[kismetcapitan]

dropped it off at the local indie Porsche/Audi specialist and they're going to try to resurrect it. If it still tests bad they have a shop that rebuilds alternators. I should be good.

[4.2Crew]

I bought a Bosch regulator for about 90 bucks and installed it myself.


This might be worth noting... When I had the alternator rebuilt at A & B Auto Electric, they were very adement about using only a Bosch oem regulator for reliability.

[dab]

I tried a couple of different non dealerships, they still had to purchase the part directly from audi. My cost is 1k, both shops were consistent in the cost.

[bmlee007]

Mine failed just as I was pulling off the interstate a couple Sundays ago. I had just enough life to limp it to the shop where I get inspected (since the dealer is over an hour away) and parked it for the night. Called in the morning to tell them what happened, cost me $179 parts and labor for rebuild. I would have pulled it myself, but i hit their driveway before mine, and I was already getting on a plane Monday morning.

[4everRS]

This might be worth noting... When I had the alternator rebuilt at A & B Auto Electric, they were very adement about using only a Bosch oem regulator for reliability.
Agreed. The shop I bought mine through first quoted me 45 bucks. Wasn't a Bosch. I said I want the Bosch, and they seemed confused why I wanted to pay more. I was confused why they wanted me to pay less.

[4.2Crew]

.....Called in the morning to tell them what happened, cost me $179 parts and labor for rebuild. I would have pulled it myself, but i hit their driveway before mine, and I was already getting on a plane Monday morning.

So was $179 your total cost?... Or, just the cost to rebuild the alternator? If you paid $179 for the removal, rebuild and install, that's a helluva deal given the PIA factor of removal!

Like 4EverRS stated, the hardest part is unwedgeing the damn alternator from the hanger bracket once the 2 mounting bolts are removed... I kinda expected it to simply fall out of the car and hit me in the face! Not a chance. I was do'n pull-ups from it! It's a bit unnerving to pry a very expensive alternator out from a place it is unwilling to leave.

[kismetcapitan]

alternator is done. fried regulator, rebuild was cheap as chips. Car's getting an oil change and door latch assy replacement, and I took home the engine cover to do the Sportec cooling mod. All good :)

[bmlee007]

So was $179 your total cost?... Or, just the cost to rebuild the alternator? If you paid $179 for the removal, rebuild and install, that's a helluva deal given the PIA factor of removal!

That was total cost. The garage I go to when necessary mainly services long-haul trucks, and they don't have a high labor rate. They're not an import specialist by any means, but fine for something like this. When the need arises for more specific work, I have another shop about a mile further down the road.