[200q20v] Don't replace that alternator!

[omllenado]

Oliver M. Llenado
805 Dahlia Street, Apt 22
Denver Colorado 80220
Telephone (303) 322-6613
Homepage http://www8.ewebcity.com/omllenado



----- Original Message -----
From: <david_haupt at agilent.com>
To: <pjrose at frontiernet.net>; <C1J1Miller at aol.com>
Cc: <200q20v at audifans.com>
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2001 10:17 AM
Subject: RE: [200q20v] Don't replace that alternator!


> When you repair a component, there's always the risk that some other part
of
> it will fail.  I've had a few Audi and/or Quattro specialists tell me that
> it's risky on all alternators, without specifying that any particular one
is
> worse.  On the other hand, for those of us on a budget, $35 and two hours
is
> easy, but the cost of outright replacement requires adjusting the budget.
>
> I'm not like that on seriously risky repairs.  When having the T-belt
> changed, I always have the water pump changed.  The damaged due to a
failure
> is too high to risk.  The alternator seemed like low risk, since the
> remaining parts that tend to go bad give you some warning before they go
> (bearing noise).
>
> If I had the budget, I'd replace with new or rebuilt, but if I had that
kind
> of budget, I'd be driving a notably newer Quattro!
>
> So - 18 months on it and it's still going.  This alternator, BTW, has 145k
> miles on it.  It's the 90A version.  If the bearings go tomorrow, then
I'll
> be a statistic that says "replace it!".
>
> Dave
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Phil Rose [mailto:pjrose at frontiernet.net]
> Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2001 10:00 PM
> To: C1J1Miller at aol.com; david_haupt at agilent.com
> Cc: 200q20v at audifans.com
> Subject: Re: [200q20v] Don't replace that alternator!
>
>
> At 1:28 PM -0500 3/8/01, C1J1Miller at aol.com wrote:
> >In a message dated Thu, 8 Mar 2001 12:29:43 PM Eastern Standard
> >Time, david_haupt at agilent.com writes:
> >
> ><<
> >Oliver,
> >
> >Unless that shop REALLY knows the 200 Quattro, they might have
> mis-diagnosed
> >the problem.  I'm a little surprised nobody else has mentioned this up to
> >this point, because the topic's been discussed here by several people who
> >were taken for an alternator when they didn't need one.
> >
> >  >>
> >
> >(snip)
> >
> >Good advice.  BTW, I did mention this stuff in my reply yesterday...
> >Chris
>
> As to whether to fix or replace--What about the alleged "fact"--cited
> to me by a couple of different independent Audi wrenches--that the
> 115 amp Bosch alternators are not built to the same standard of
> durability as their 90 amp version? Hence, they claim to often
> encounter additional failure modes in the 115 amp alternators fairly
> soon after doing the quick fix with brushes and regulator, whereas
> they claim that those repairs on the old 90 amp alternators seem a
> more satisfactory fix (longterm).
>
> Fact or fiction? I don't know, but hearing that same story from two
> people I trusted made me decide to go ahead and replace my 120 kmile
> alternator (after I was convinced in the correctness of the basic
> diagnosis). I suppose it gets down to a question of expectations (how
> long will you keep the car) and resources.
>
> Phil
> --
>
> Phil Rose
> Rochester, NY
> mailto:pjrose at frontiernet.net
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