[firefight1981]

I have a 2011 MDX with 158k miles on it.

Heard the whining noise and pretty sure the alternator went out and drained the car battery.
Car battery has been recharged and is still holding the charge, but car has not been driven since alternator/whining issue.

So...
Dealership wants $780 for OEM or $600 something for aftermarket.

Local mechanic will rebuild alternator for about $600.

I will be selling the the car, but still want a reliable alternator.

Any experience with OEM vs aftermarket vs rebuild?

 

[rbmorse]

I have a 2011 MDX with 158k miles on it.

Heard the whining noise and pretty sure the alternator went out and drained the car battery.
Car battery has been recharged and is still holding the charge, but car has not been driven since alternator/whining issue.

So...
Dealership wants $780 for OEM or $600 something for aftermarket.

Local mechanic will rebuild alternator for about $600.

I will be selling the the car, but still want a reliable alternator.

Any experience with OEM vs aftermarket vs rebuild?

Back in the days when I owned Jaguars, I became fast friends with the guys at the local shop who did my alternator/generator rebuilds. Never had an issue with them that wasn't endemic to the original design.

 

[firefight1981]

Back in the days when I owned Jaguars...

Owned Jags....in the 90s my uncle always had problems with his Jags.

 

[thumper]

a rebuilt alternator is fine as long as the rebuilder is good and the part has a warranty.

 

[logisticalstyle]

I had trouble getting the right aftermarket alternator from Advance Auto. It took three tries before we finally got one that put out a consistent 14 volts. I've had this alternator for about 2 years now with no issues. My MDX is a 2007 and I think I paid $200 for the part and another $100 to have it installed.

 

[firefight1981]

a rebuilt alternator is fine as long as the rebuilder is good and the part has a warranty.

Will come with a transferable lifetime warranty.

 

[Storyteller]

Go new OEM/ Denso or be prepared to replace it again in a short period of time.
I replaced 2 in the past with rebuilt/ new non oem and had to replace both within a year.

 

[thumper]

that's unfortunate. back when i owned an old honda, i bought a rebuilt alternator from a reputable local shop that only did alternators and starters. it had a lifetime warranty and lasted me the 6 years i had the car.

for me, if the car was still relatively new, then yes i would go with a new oem replacement. but when the car like my honda was older and the replacement value was not high, so it didn't make much sense to go overboard with repair costs and budget accordingly.

 

[firefight1981]

Spoke with local mechanic again.
They can do a rebuild on an OEM and includes 1 year transferable warranty.

This will save about $300 compared to dealer new OEM.

I think that's a pretty good deal, especially since the car has 158k miles on it.
Very well taken care of, serviced regularly, etc... But when you get to these amount of miles, you need to expect some expensive repairs coming up. Whoever buys the car should understand that.

 

[dzionassi]

Spoke with local mechanic again.
They can do a rebuild on an OEM and includes 1 year transferable warranty.

This will save about $300 compared to dealer new OEM.

I think that's a pretty good deal, especially since the car has 158k miles on it.
Very well taken care of, serviced regularly, etc... But when you get to these amount of miles, you need to expect some expensive repairs coming up. Whoever buys the car should understand that.

get autozone one, with current 20% off it will cost $240 for a new one. Lifetime warranty. no questions asked.

 

[csmeance]

rock auto denso alternator for about $180, and then swap it yourself in the driveway or pay mechanic 1-2 hrs labor to do it

More Information for DENSO 2100580

google for 5% off coupon for rockauto

 

[AcuraAddicted]

OEM remanufactured from Rockauto. Can't go wrong with that.

 

[tron3107]

I have a 2011 MDX with 158k miles on it.

Heard the whining noise and pretty sure the alternator went out and drained the car battery.
Car battery has been recharged and is still holding the charge, but car has not been driven since alternator/whining issue.

So...
Dealership wants $780 for OEM or $600 something for aftermarket.

Local mechanic will rebuild alternator for about $600.

I will be selling the the car, but still want a reliable alternator.

Any experience with OEM vs aftermarket vs rebuild?

Are these installed prices? They must be charging you list price for the part.
Seems kind of steep. It is most likely just the brush assy and/or the front bearing. Should only be a hour to hour and a half labor.
Bearing and the brush assy are around $15 ea from the dealer. Do you have an alternator/starter shop nearby?
I rebuild my own alternators and starters.

 

[csmeance]

wrong therad

 

[RainGoat]

My notes:
6/2/19 Ordered Denso Alternator - [Remanufactured] 210-0580
130A $124.44 ($113.30+$11.14s+$20.34t)+$70c = $223.78
CARiDNumber #30178333 6/2/19
Installed in about an hour but needed this wrench $46.19 total from Amazon in less than 48*

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002WSFTO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_t1_Og53FbHZW5PEG?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[dklkn]

Get the remanufactured Denso from Rockauto.com. It’s inexpensive ($135.79 after core charge of $79). When it arrives it looks brand new and it will fit perfectly.

More Information for DENSO 2100750

I took my original denso alternator to a local rebuild shop for repair and, while it tested well on three different testers, it never worked after I reinstalled it on the mdx. The only thing I can think of that prevented the original rebuilt alternator from working was (possibly) the leaking power steering pump dripped fluid into the electrical windings which screwed up the output voltage.

(I have a 2007 MDX with 225,000 miles. The Rockauto alternator was installed 6months/10,000 miles ago and has worked perfectly.)

 

[MCRacer]

my past experience with aftermarket or rebuilt water pumps or alternators now leads me to buying new OEM versions. In some cases that's directly from the dealership parts dept. In other cases the OEM version is also sold by the OEM mfg, such as denso, ACDelco, etc. Do some shopping around.

Yes, price is usually higher than a rebuilt or non OEM replacement but they have lasted way way longer.
And often dealers on Amazon or some dealerships on ebay have prices WAY less than over the counter "list" at the dealer parts department. Dealer parts (and aftermarket) have very high markups so the extra profit goes into the job. That's why the "list price" is so much higher than "jobber price" or "net price" when you get parts from a parts store. In the vast majority of cases Shops get them at net or below but invoice at "list".

yes, some of the rebuilt or aftermarket have "lifetime" warranties, but when I need to keep returning them after way less miles than the OEM to get a replacement it gets old in a hurry.

 

[Twistedsteel]

There's a huge difference between refurbished and remanufactured parts. Refurbished is pretty much just cleaned up tested and resold, remaunfactured is all new parts, tested, and carries the same warrenty as a brand new unit. You can also remanufacture your own with a rebuild kit that costs maybe $30-$40. It's not difficult at all. A remanufactured Denso for $180 is a pretty awesome deal as well, and there are only 2 bolts that hold it in place, lol.

 

[MCRacer]

There's a huge difference between refurbished and remanufactured parts. Refurbished is pretty much just cleaned up tested and resold, remaunfactured is all new parts, tested, and carries the same warrenty as a brand new unit. You can also remanufacture your own with a rebuild kit that costs maybe $30-$40. It's not difficult at all. A remanufactured Denso for $180 is a pretty awesome deal as well, and there are only 2 bolts that hold it in place, lol.

depending on the vendor remanufactured can vary a great deal. some may use all new wear parts, some only replace what they have to in order to get it out the door. and testing can be marginal. If it is an OEM remanufactured part, likely has new parts and good testing. Aftermarket rebuilds vary all over the place in quality and in the quality of the parts they use.

 

[firefight1981]

This is a nice instructional video:

I think buying a remanufactured Denso alternator from rockauto sounds like a good plan.
Found a local mechanic that will install it for about $130. Not bad considering I would spend $60+ getting the needed tools.