Need some help...i had an alternator fail in my 1999 a6 avant and i replaced it with a remaned unit and it ran fine for about a month and it failed. I replaced the alternator again which was under warranty. I also replaced the old battery along with the second alternator (it was quite old).It worked but this time only for a week or two. Im trying to find out what is causing this...is it a fault somewhere else besides the alternator, maybe in the wiring. i do see that there is only one wire running from the alternator which i believe goes to the voltmeter on the dash. It just doesn't make sense to me why 2 have failed within a month. could it be i got 2 bad remaned alternators? if anyone has any clue it would be great

 

I assume the new alternators are failing to charge? Is it possible that where ever you bought the reman alt from would let you switch brands?

 

Right now i have a Valeo alternator. So your saying that its possible to switch to Bosch with no problems? Is the Bosch a better alternator?

 

or do u mean switch to another reman company?

 

Did you end up with any answers to this??? I am in the same situation right now. I also went with the valeo alternator and am thinking about going bosch, but don't want to spend more money if the alternator isn't the problem.

 

Repeated alternator failurs are usually due to a bad ground between the body and motor.
The strap might be tight but still making poor contact.
Remove the strap -both ends
Clean the surfaces - all four
Then put the strap back on.

 

Where is there a grounding strap? There is only a wiring harness and a terminal B+.

 

Crawl under the car and look for the ground strap between the motor and frame.
It is usually on the right side near the front.
It most likely is a web style wire.
It certainly is not part of a harness.