2008 base Carrera Cab 6MT 107k miles

What would you do?

I broke and therefore am replacing the oil filler tube (thank-you Bruce for great DIY) and so have the alternator out. I’m pretty sure I’ve found and deciphered the build date code and it is the original alternator (same build month/year as the car). Spindle spins freely and silently, and I have not had any alternator-warning signs or lights. I do pit the battery on a tender if I will not be driving for a few days. I have no reason to suspect the alternator will fail anytime soon, but at 18+ years old and 107k miles, I wonder how well it is working

There is no reputable alternator refurbish shop anywhere close to where I live. I can get a new one for around $470. The cost is in the “I dunno” zone for me: if it was much more, I would definitely pass and re-install the old one. If it was much less, I would definitely put in a new while I have the chance. Same with work effort.

Would appreciate learning which way you would go. Thanks.

 

2009 C2S 208K miles

Mine is fine. If you are getting a code, low voltage, or squealing/grinding noise, the yes, it is bad. Otherwise... changing it out just because of age, well, there are plenty of other things on your engine that are way more failure-prone than the alternator.

Peace
Bruce in Philly (now Atlanta)

 

I replaced mine and it had 72,000 miles on it. It appeared fine but was barely outputting 12V so made a decision to swap it as a "while you're in there" thing.

No biggie as it's certainly not the least accessible thing but I'd see if you can get a mechanic to check output on it.

Another thing you can do is relieve it of the belt and spin it free hand (or even throw a socket on an impact and spin it up).....and see if it makes any unfavorable sounds....(grumbling of bearings, whining, etc.)

Both output & mechanical stability are worthwhile reasons for replacement, but if both are good, I'd keep running it!

(I had a 1998 Toyota Camry that had almost 300,000 miles on it and its alternator was still good....but that's Japan....I don't expect that kind of quality out of the German folks)

 

Bruce, thanks. What are some of the items that come to your mind that might be more failure prone?

 

My car has 32K miles on it. The alternator failed recently.

Bruce makes a lot of sense; however, you already have the old one out... I personally don't like disturbing things multiple times.

 

So if I had some time, I would clean it and at least check or replace the wear parts. Usually, these are the carbon brushes and diodes. There are lots of videos on this; it's not very difficult.

 

I mentioned this on another thread - 256,000 miles on my BMW alternator (Bosch, Valeo?) but that's from 2004. I'm skeptical of the longevity of cars and their components manufactured in the last few years.

 

Consider this oil filler tube replacement: https://9ii.pro/
Also available at LN Engineering.

 

Mine failed similar time frame. Too bad you don’t have a local shop. I paid $100 for next day refurb.

 

good advice.
this is exactly what I did when I was replacing the AOS, no issues with alternator but when I pulled it apart found that brushes were over half worn at 100k miles, diode pack replaced for peace of mind. Bearings spun well so left it at that.

 

Where did you source the brushes and diodes from?

 

I’m of the school if it ain’t broke don’t mess with it.

 

They come as a unit, FCP euro. For my car this is the part:

Porsche Voltage Regulator - Bosch 1986AE0112

 

Where did you source the brushes?

 

The brushes are part of / come with that unit .