BAD: WorldWide Remanufactured Alternator
06-21-07, 11:23 PM
#1
BAD: WorldWide Remanufactured Alternator
FORUM ID: ericgrau
PARTS Bought: alternator
Description of transaction: Needed a new alternator, chose WorldWide for the lifetime warranty. Failed after 2,000 miles, so I pulled it. Kregan tested it, it was good. So I put it back in, sure enough it was good again. Then it failed again a couple days later. This time I left it in and immediately drove to Kregan right away to show them. As I made a hard left into Kregan, my battery voltage sudden dropped from 12 to 10. I noticed because my power steering suddenly cut out at the same time. Guy at Kregan tested my battery, found out it blew a cell. I bought a replacement battery. Alternator was still bad even after replacing battery, so Kregan replaced it. They didn't have a WorldWide alternator in stock, so the guy made a long phone call: got refund on WorldWide alt, got Kregan to pay the slight difference to get me an AutoLite alt, refunded the AutoLite core charge (b/c WorldWide only refunds the alternator price, not the core charge), etc. I installed the alt before driving home.
So in the end I had to pay for a new battery and spend some time dealing with a bad alt. I still need to fax something to partsamerica.com (Kregan's website) to handle the core charge refund since I ordered the WorldWide alternator online.
Oh and
to Kregan, including the store managers in Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. Dunno how good the AutoLite will be yet.
PARTS Bought: alternator
Description of transaction: Needed a new alternator, chose WorldWide for the lifetime warranty. Failed after 2,000 miles, so I pulled it. Kregan tested it, it was good. So I put it back in, sure enough it was good again. Then it failed again a couple days later. This time I left it in and immediately drove to Kregan right away to show them. As I made a hard left into Kregan, my battery voltage sudden dropped from 12 to 10. I noticed because my power steering suddenly cut out at the same time. Guy at Kregan tested my battery, found out it blew a cell. I bought a replacement battery. Alternator was still bad even after replacing battery, so Kregan replaced it. They didn't have a WorldWide alternator in stock, so the guy made a long phone call: got refund on WorldWide alt, got Kregan to pay the slight difference to get me an AutoLite alt, refunded the AutoLite core charge (b/c WorldWide only refunds the alternator price, not the core charge), etc. I installed the alt before driving home.
So in the end I had to pay for a new battery and spend some time dealing with a bad alt. I still need to fax something to partsamerica.com (Kregan's website) to handle the core charge refund since I ordered the WorldWide alternator online.
Oh and
to Kregan, including the store managers in Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa. Dunno how good the AutoLite will be yet.
Last edited by ericgrau; 06-21-07 at 11:34 PM.
06-22-07, 08:13 AM
#2
DGRRX
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It is a remanufactured part, they are prone to failure. Also, you put an even CHEAPER alternator in your car as a replacement, what do you think will happen next?
Not to bag on you, but I have work in automotive parts for a LONG time, and it is not uncommon for things like this to happen. That is why you get the WARRANTY.
If you wanted something reliable, you should have spent the extra cash and gotten a Beck/Arnley alternator.
My .02
Not to bag on you, but I have work in automotive parts for a LONG time, and it is not uncommon for things like this to happen. That is why you get the WARRANTY.
If you wanted something reliable, you should have spent the extra cash and gotten a Beck/Arnley alternator.
My .02
06-22-07, 01:37 PM
#3
Didn't know. Where do I get a Beck/Arnley alternator? How much does it cost? EDIT: Found a Beck/Arnley at Kregan's website for ~$150, but it's remanufactured. Is that what you meant? And yeah, the WorldWide alternator had a lifetime warranty. That's why I got it. Prices for my various options were all similar, and I couldn't find any user comments on the quality of any of them.
EDIT: heehee, "Murfreesboro". Sorry, really sorry.
EDIT: heehee, "Murfreesboro". Sorry, really sorry.
Last edited by ericgrau; 06-22-07 at 01:44 PM.
06-27-07, 12:47 AM
#4
The charging issue has come up again, so it must not be the alternator.
Tried everything in the Haynes manual, told me absolutely nothing. So I replaced the alternator. Stupid, vague and useless ("make sure the connectors are in good shape" - wth does that mean?). Sigh, time to go post for help.
Tried everything in the Haynes manual, told me absolutely nothing. So I replaced the alternator. Stupid, vague and useless ("make sure the connectors are in good shape" - wth does that mean?). Sigh, time to go post for help.
09-24-07, 02:05 PM
#5
DGRRX
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Check all your grounds, remove them and clean the surfaces if you must. Also, be sure the battery doesn't have a dead cell in it. There are so many stupid things that can make a charging system go screwy it isn't even funny.
Also check that your positive cables aren't hard and stiff (like a coat hangar). That can lead to problems as well.
Also check that your positive cables aren't hard and stiff (like a coat hangar). That can lead to problems as well.
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