I noticed the other day that the alternator was starting to get louder and louder, I was planning on looking into it when the weather got better but it had other plans. On my way home it started to whine very loudly, the battery light came on the "M S" and drive lights were flashing, by the time i got to an off ramp the engine cut out and the alternator was billowing white smoke. It was nice it waited until it was -15 out with a -30 wind chill. I pulled the alternator out and was wondering if its salvageable or if i should even try, i also found a sticker on it from a local company so it has most likely been rebuilt once before by a previous owner. Should i just buy new or have it rebuilt. Also if any one can recommend a good shop in the Denver metro area it would be appreciated, when i had one rebuilt for my Mercedes i had to take it back three times, once because the pulley fell off while i was driving. I would like to avoid that shop this time.

thanks in advance

 

I just got mine back from the shop today actually for the same exact thing, I would suggest going ahead and getting a new one. The Bosch one that I got comes with a lifetime warranty I was reading, so I would consider it to be worth it. On Saturday evening I was driving down the highway and the same thing happened to me, every light on the dash came on, then my headlights went out, then the dash lights all went out, then my speedometer went to zero. Barely made it off the highway, people were flying by honking and flashing their brights lol

 

Depends on the cost difference really. Both are just as good. Most eletrical shops warranty their rebuilds for any where between 3 months to a year, maybe more. Call and compare. I dont know what a new one costs.