Need to swap your B8 Audi A4 Alternator??? READ THIS FIRST

Soooo, driving 2 hours away from home I got an alternator fault on the dash computer. Rode home in GFs car, had mine towed back via AAA.

Swapped the alternator the next day with a part from Autozone. Local shop because I didn't want my car down, but I also bought the same part from them online to get 20% off, then planned to just return the online part as the in store part. (hey, if they want to pay shipping so I can save 20%, thats their problem, stupid they wouldn't just let me pick up the same part in the store for that deal.....that's $45 off!)

Anyway, easy swap, worked great all week, then the fault comes back! I research online, one person says maybe bad new part from store....OK fine.....Ill swap in the one online after all, and return the in store part as faulty...I go to swap, and this time notice a tiny difference with the plug, it doesn't click into place, the layout is slightly different.....so that must be why the first failed in a week, it's working fine, but the plug got loose.

*(also interesting to note, the two alternators from Autozone were supposed to be the exact same part, but one says BOSCH, the other doesn't, and the pulleys are different colored. They are both supposed to be BOSCH, the factory part is BOSCH)

All 3 are 140 amps and everything else matched besides the plug....hell even the plug matches 100% except the interior plastic prongs are backwards, when I say plug I mean the D shaped plug, with the D right side up, the stock alternator has 1 on top, 2 on bottom, the 2 from Autozone are 2 top, 1 bottom. WTF! I went back to Autozone, tried one other part they had in stock, it too was backwards.....so I tried a different model year, the previous model, same issue!!! Called NAPA, they don't carry it, can't find it anywhere, all pics online show the D plug being backwards.

How the hell does this issue exist and why has no one complained yet!?!

So in the end, I swapped the voltage regulator from the stock alternator over to the new alternator I bought online and am returning the store bought one as a no-fit part. Plug now clicks into place, no more faults in the car, battery charging, issue fixed! Crazy I had to do all that for a simple alternator swap on a 2009. Hopefully this helps others.

Here is the vid about swapping the voltage regulator:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtyP7AyZxwg


Pics of alternator differences here: (first is stock, second is Autozone part and every other part apparently)





Autozone part number 15083. (15082 didn't work either! Also only a $1 difference, why the hell do they stock both???)

*Issue with my original alternator was the pulley wore out I guess...it slipped each way.

*Autozone was unable to bench test the new alternator. Couldn't find the specs in their system to do it, funny cuz they sell it, Advanced Auto also could not....they found the part specs but not the plug they needed to use....isn't that funny....all around a MAJOR PITA for such a simple fix!!!

- - - Updated - - -

Meh, no way to add pics I guess....I described it enough, take my word for it, they don't effing match. lol

Here is what the new alternator plugs look like:


http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-AL0825N-...ype=automotive



Notice the D plug interior plastic guide pins.....those are opposite of how they look on my stock alternator voltage regulator.....WHY!?!?!?!?!?!

This is why i dont buy from Autozone, and go to O'Reillys Auto parts. I replace my Alternator from one i got from them, no issues, took 10 min.

Stay away from Autozone parts all together, their stuff is absolute junk. Had a similar problem with an alternator from there. I bought a brand new Valeo (OE) from europaparts for about the same price.

I replaced mine within two weeks of buying my car in 2014 and used a Autozone alternator. Still going today. They were open at 11:30 pm when I replaced it on a Saturday. No error codes. I took my old one in, matched it and left. Autozone, O'Riellys, Advanced, Carquest, any of them, carry a lot of parts that are the same in different boxes. There are differences in starters and alternators. But a lot of parts are similar no matter where you get them. I am a warehouse manager and counter guy for a small, family owned company here in StL. We have 13 stores and I see the parts from all of them. And we deal mainly with shops and dealers. Walk in retail is less than 10% of our business.

Before you go replacing the alternator, watch a few of the videos from WestronicIrl on YouTube. That guy knows his sh*t!

I had the same warning come on when we were 600 miles away from home. Tiny town that doesn't have the big box auto part stores, just one NAPA, and they don't do free diagnosis. And it was a Sunday! Bought a cheap code reader and looked it up. Basically didn't tell me anything, so off to search the web. Basically found that the alt was not fully charging. Surprisingly the cheapo scanner had real time diagnosis, so I just kept it connected for the drive home to monitor voltage. Made it the 600 miles no issue.

Watched a couple vids from WestronicIrl and thought I'd try the regulator before anything. Easy. 30 minutes because I take my time and it can be done ON THE CAR! Charging at 14.3v!

I would never buy replacement parts for an Audi or VW from any chain auto parts store unless it was an absolute emergency. I try to buy online only from dealers that sell OEM parts and specialize in German cars, like Europaparts, FCP Euro, ECS Tuning, and several others. Most of the stuff the chain stores sell are cheap knockoffs made in China. It's just not worth the aggravation dealing with it. They're fine for getting parts for American cars, but foreign car parts are a total crapshoot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by captain_video

I would never buy replacement parts for an Audi or VW from any chain auto parts store unless it was an absolute emergency. I try to buy online only from dealers that sell OEM parts and specialize in German cars, like Europaparts, FCP Euro, ECS Tuning, and several others. Most of the stuff the chain stores sell are cheap knockoffs made in China. It's just not worth the aggravation dealing with it. They're fine for getting parts for American cars, but foreign car parts are a total crapshoot.

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In September the bearings on the pulley went bad on my alternator. I changed it out with a NAPA remanufactured alternator. Sold as NAPA Power Premium Plus brand. The part is actually a BOSCH remanufactured alternator with painted black pieces in the back to hide all the OE markings. Out the door with core trade in I paid just under $200. I’m happy with a BOSCH part that comes with lifetime warranty <$200! I wouldn’t say never buy from a chain store, but do your research and look at the part carefully over the counter before purchasing.


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I had the same problem as above after I ordered my part to save 20%. Ended up back in store and they swapped me out with the correct plug. I'm not a huge fan of AZ but I know its covered and you can basically find one in every town.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ericA6

In September the bearings on the pulley went bad on my alternator. I changed it out with a NAPA remanufactured alternator. Sold as NAPA Power Premium Plus brand. The part is actually a BOSCH remanufactured alternator with painted black pieces in the back to hide all the OE markings. Out the door with core trade in I paid just under $200. I’m happy with a BOSCH part that comes with lifetime warranty <$200! I wouldn’t say never buy from a chain store, but do your research and look at the part carefully over the counter before purchasing.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine Forum

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Sounds like they didn't rebox a Bosch alternator, but got a Bosch alternator as a core and had a local supplier rebuild it. NAPA actually works with local rebuilders all over the country and tend to use local companies for these jobs.

OE alternator on ours had the bearing going out or something like that - it was making a load groaning sound but still worked fine. Replaced it with a Bosch unit from FCP Euro just under a year ago and have had zero issues since. Install was super easy and no issues with fitment.