V60 T6 alternator question

[330hp Wagon]

I’m looking to get an alternator for my V60 and there is 2 options that I’m facing: either a 180A 12V alternator or 180A 14V Alternator. What is the difference between these and which one should I actually get, before the alternator went bad my car was reading 14.2V when I was driving, does this mean I should get 14V alternator or?

[GrahamBrown1]

On the face of it you’d go for the 14v one. I’ve not come across deference voltage ratings only amperage. A 12v max rating isn’t much good……… there must be another difference. Perhaps check with a Volvo dealer. Is it a reputable supplier your using?

[330hp Wagon]

The suppliers I have no idea about. In Germany there are many brands available such as: Alanko, PSH, Eurotec, AS-PL, Henkel, Bosch, Valeo and so on(all of them with different Amperage and Voltage combinations). The Volvo original one without coupling is sold for 357€ (at Skandix .com which is Volvo and Saab parts store and with coupling which is needed is extra 55€ totaling over 400€ pretty much. Thats why I am looking for alternative brands and came across different amperage with different voltages which I never expected. Amperage for the T6 is 180A but the voltage I couldn’t put my finger on it. I assume its 14 because whenever I start the car it shoots up to 14.2V. Also the Bosch offering is14V with 180A so I assume Bosch is saying the right numbers but that is also 350€ with coupling. Currently found a remanufactured Eurotec with 14v and 180A with included coupling for 180€ so was thinking of going with that in the beginning anyways, just wasn’t sure of the voltage values

[b1mcp]

This sounds like marketing BS to me.

AFAIK - All cars run on a 12v (nominal) system. All alternators produce 14+ v when running. This has been the same since I can remember.

I think all the alternators you are looking at will be exactly the same (in terms of voltage), but are being described differently (intentionally or not?).

[330hp Wagon]

I also thought they all should produce the same voltage until I saw that there is different voltage outputs written down on the product page, I will insert the link down below on where I am shopping from but doesn’t sound right to me too. I’m still not sure, but the reputable brands like Bosch and Valeo are stating 14V while some others are stating 12V, which makes me question it.

https://www.autodoc.de/autoteile/gen.../107414-t6-awd

[b1mcp]

I still think it's just the way the different manufacturers are describing the product.

If you filter the list on 12v you will see a list of brands. If you filter on 14v you see a different set of brands.

If there were really 2 different versions, then I'd expect each brand to have both available in their range.