My battery light came on yesterday, symptoms lead me to believe it is an alternator. Car starts, but the battery is not being charged. Power Steering is very heavy, head lights dim, wipers slow. Belt still in tact.

So, I was going to replace the alternator. Mini of Peabody wants $509 for the part, and auto zone is $169 + $35 core charge. Is there something special about the OEM part that makes it that much more expensive or will I be OK with aftermarket one.

Thanks.

Ryan

 

I don't know what year your MINI is, but if it is 3 years old or more and still has the original battery, you probably just need a new battery.

I'd troubleshoot the easy stuff first before buying expensive parts.

 

yeah, take it to autozone or advance, and let them check the battery and the alternator for ya..no sense in replacing something off a hunch. Whenever ive had an alternator go bad, I've always had my oem rebuilt to better than oem standards so that it can better support the stereos that my cars typical have. its often a much cheaper route too, except for buying a used one out of a boneyard

 

Get the AutoZone/Advance one if you need an alternator. My experience is they are as good or better than OEM...and they usually have a lifetime warranty.

 

The difference is the OEM part is 100% new,whereas the aftermarket is partially rebuilt. However, the aftermarket will have a better warranty, lifetime usually at the zone.

 

I know its easy to remove a battery and test it, but can the alternator be tested without removing it from the car? If I am going to the trouble of removing it...

Ryan

 

Yes, they have a tester that just hooks up to the car and runs a program.
That being said, I had that done once and they said it was the battery, but it turned out to be the alternator.
10:1 that in your case it's the battery. If not, this is the first case I've heard of a MINI alternator going out.

 

Hmm, Average life of an automotive battery: 5 to 7 years depending on climate and driving habits. (extreme heat/extreme cold = bad). Area under Mini hood very constrained, so unless it's a MCS, it gets pretty hot. If it's an MCS, the long cable run causes a pretty major voltage drop. Result: hard working battery.
Alternators have been lasting in the 10's of years and more in most cars (I'm in auto parts) and Mini's haven't been around long enough for failures to start showing up. Autozone, Advance, Checker/Shucks/Kragen sell lifetime rebuilts that have ALL critical components replaced and/or upgraded (hence the lifetime warrenty), and are usually a good deal.
The on-car tester is marginal at best, so my first recommendation is to take the battery in and have it fully load tested. Odds are that it will be the culprit.

 

Got a multimeter? If not you should

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...ord=multimeter

 

I totally agree with having your stock OEM alternator rebuilt if that is the problem. Don't forget to give the cables a good look over.

 

+1, but since the headlights dim you'd probably see a dropped voltage anyway. You could just have a bad diode- probably quite a bit cheaper OEM than a complete alternator

 

I worked as a alternator rebuilder in college, and am still in the business, but in the heavy duty/industrial end of the market, though no longer rebuilding, just importing & distributing. First the OEM is a ripoff, the Autozone/Pep boys route should be fine, they offer a pretty good quality Chinese product, and the quality the Chinese have been putting out has increased incredibly over the past few years, it's been kind of amazing to watch. I work directly with our Chinese suppliers providing engineering specs during the development process, six or seven years ago they did everything wrong, today that is no longer the case. I'm not sure about getting it rebuilt, just looked up the alternators, and do not see much a parts breakdown available, so it's unlikely a rebuilder could do a proper rebuild, patch job at best with new bearings & brushes. The Cooper uses a Valeo unit, the Cooper S uses a Nippondenso, fwiw the Denso is much better unit, they really overbuild & over-engineer their alternators & starters, Valeo is kind of junky, but they do not appear to be interchangable.

 

I work at Advance so I feel the need to chime in. The on car test is not accurate for testing anything. Off the car is the only way to give a definite yes or no. Our rebuilt alternators on new or hard to find to buy for cars are usually OEM parts that are rebuilt. Al lot come through carring an OEM stamping, say a Ford oval with "Ford" stamped in it. The only thing reused is the case. All of the internals are new and each one is tested before it leaves the factory. I've looked and the R50 alternator is not cheap, like $225, but it carries a lifetime warranty. I might be able to test it, I'm not sure. If I don't have the proper connector, I can't.

 

There is a cheaper online version that still carries a lifetime warranty:
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...rtNumber=15411

 

Just watch out for the lead paint

 

FINE then. I won't let my child play with the alternator.
I'm still betting it's the battery.

 

Watch out for the lead plate.

 

Took the car in, found that it in fact was the alternator. As i was carless and both Autozone and Advance had 3+ day lead times and Herb Chambers had one in stock, I went the expensive route. The alternator was in fact dead. I charged the battery before leaving work, and drove 30 miles home on the battery. Corners are much harder without power steering.

On an up note, for some reason the dealership did not charge a core charge for the alternator so the repair shop gave it to me. Its now going in for a quote on a rebuild at a local repair shop. Figure what the hell, I might as well have a backup on hand or a good part to sell off.

Thanks for the info, it was very helpful, unfortunately, in essence of time... its only money.