RECENTLY MY ALTERNATOR CRAPPED OUT. IT WOULD BE OK FOR THE FIRST 15-20 MIN AFTER STARTING BUT THEN GO BELOW 12 VOLTS ON THE GAUGE. THE MECHANIC SAID THE STOCK "VALEO" ALTERNATOR IS CRAP! HE REPLACED IT WITH A BOSCH 120 AMP. HE SAID YOU WON'T BE DISSAPOINTED.
EVERYTHING IS WORKING MUCH BETTER NOW. MY HEADLIGHTS ARE EVEN BRIGHTER.
NOTE: WHEN THE ALTERNATOR BLEW, IT KNOCKED OUT MY STOCK RADIO. THE RADIO WOULD NOT GO ON BUT ALL THE BACK LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED.

of course it will work better with a 120A alternator have you added some audio amplifiers??, nothing wrong with valeo stock it does what its designed to do but things do wear out you know

SO THAT'S WHY VALEO IS ONLY OFFERED IN THE LOWER END AUDIS? YOU WON'T FIND ONE IN A A6 4.2 OR AN A8. I CHECKED IT OUT. MY MECHANICS RIGHT. YOU ARE WRONG. VALEO IS CRAP. CHECK IT OUT ON THE WEB. LOTS OF COMPLAINTS. K.
BYE BYE

WHY ARE YOU YELLING? It did not appear to me that there was anything to be upset about. Or were you just THAT excited about your new alternator?

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My Registry Page

Ive replaced more bosch alternaotors than valeo.

just found out my alternator needs to be replaced. The car just came out of the 4yr/50k covered warranty period. I have 4.5yr and 56k. I called the dealer and they told me $600-$700 for labor plus $500-$600 for the part depending on which one I have in my car.

Does this sound expensive and do I have a case for some bitching to the dealer/audi? How long does it take to replace the alternator? Am I better off buying the part online and finding a mechanic to put it in for me?

Help????

I had to have my alternator replaced about a year ago. I was stuck in Detroit and the local dealer wanted $600 for the part and $500 for labor. I searched the internet and purchased a remanufactured unit for about $240 (with core swap). Cannot remember if it was a Valeo or Bosch. Anyway, I convinced them to accept the drop shipment and they installed for their exorbitant labor charge. Long story short - you can find the parts cheaper but installation may be the challenge.

If the failure happened closer to home, my local indie's labor rate is $50/hr less than Audi and it would have been $200 cheaper.

BTW - the rebuilt unit has been fine for the last 30k miles.

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2003 Audi A6 2.7T MT6
Premium Package-Cold Weather Package-Bose
GIAC-Bailey DVs-Samco TBB
AWE Stage 2 Clutch+Lightweight Flywheel
235/45 R17 Pirelli P6 All-season; OEMs
235/40 ZR18 ContiExtremeContact;
Velocity RS4 Replica Rims

Can anybody tell me whether there are aftermarket alternators available that produce more amperage? I am considering installing a nice sound system in my car, and at full blast will have the potential to suck 160 amps. The stock alternator does not even produce that. What are my options? I know I can always remove my factory piece and have it re-wound. I would like a 200 amp if possible just for peace of mind.

P.S. I never intent to have the stereo at full blast, I am an audiophile and overbuild all my systems for SQ.

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Light a fire for a man and he will be warm for a night, light a man ON fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life!

The number one rule of tinkering is keeping all the parts!