Where to find alternator replacement DIY

**B501S4** · 07-06-2008 10:18 AM

seached AW and the net for a diy for an alternator swap but came up empty maybe otheres could help me out a little bit. found out we have a hobby shop on base and it would save me some cash if i just did it myself. thanks

**mholme** · 07-06-2008 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by B501S4

seached AW and the net for a diy for an alternator swap but came up empty maybe otheres could help me out a little bit. found out we have a hobby shop on base and it would save me some cash if i just did it myself. thanks

It's two bolts holding it on, plus the power wire. Jack up the car, pull the belly pan and you'll see what you're dealing with. You have to remove the passenger side lower intercooler hose. Some say the bolts can be accessed without pulling the bumper and going into service position. I didn't find this to be true as the top mounting bolt hits the radiator support/fan. It's really not that hard of a job. If you have never pulled the bumper or put the car in service position, that's going to be the hardest part.

**B501S4** · 07-06-2008 02:00 PM

yea i mean pulling the bumper should not be a problem i have the write up on that and can wrench faily well. from what ive seen im gonna have to pull the fan too which wont be bad dont really care if it takes me a few hours it just beats paying about a grand for labor and such. and to do all that just to check if the alternator to see if it has gone out might as well just go ahead and do it myself

**lrg8683** · 07-06-2008 02:04 PM

go look at the tech articles on audiworld.

**B501S4** · 07-06-2008 02:15 PM

looked there so i am gonna be able to pull the bumper and such to get to it so i found that but no alternator swap

**mholme** · 07-06-2008 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by B501S4

looked there so i am gonna be able to pull the bumper and such to get to it so i found that but no alternator swap

If you can pull the bumper and get into service position, the alternator is very easy to replace. Just be ready to catch it when it comes down..it's heavy.

**B501S4** · 07-06-2008 05:12 PM

thanks for the help just waiting for parts at this point

**RedRocketS4** · 07-07-2008 08:53 AM

where did you get your parts? I got a rebuilt alternator from autozone for $180 and it has lifetime replacement. And after you have replaced the thing once, you have it down packed and it should only take about 2 hrs at that point. good luck. if you have any questions, pm.