Tensioner cog thingy for alternator belt?

["Tim King" <tking_ms@email.msn.com>]

Hey Q-heads --
The squeal from my alternator has become more unbearable than the prospect
of working on the car in an unheated garage. I readied to tighten the belt
(six months old) yesterday, only to find that the cog-thingy on the
alternator tensioner has stripped teeth exactly where it needs to be fixed.
Does anyone have a part number or source for this cog? Is it a part I could
get from a VW dealer?

I'm a little bummed that the shop that did my timing belt and all my v-belts
last spring, and then two months later retightened the slipping alternator
belt, didn't mention that the cog was stripped (or replace it themselves.
It's pretty crappy to leave it stripped for me with no way to adjust the
tension. If I wasn't so rushed for time, I'd just make them fix it. Oh well.

Happy Holidays all!

Tim King
Seattle WA
89 200tqw