£400 alternator quote????

ALLMENPLAYON10 · Nov 16th, 2009, 20:17

Newbie here. Have done a search but without much luck.

I have a 2001 V40 as my daily, never missed a beat and cant fault it.

The prob is the mother in law (her car not her for a change).
its an 06 plate 1.6 s40, the on board computer came on yday and read "engine warning power system service urgent" .
I only find this out today when she happens to mention that her local volvo dealer from where she purchased the car new has diagnosed it as needing a new alternator and the cost is £400!!!

is it me or is that steeep???
Plus alternator failing on such a new car, is this common?

thanks

Guru · Nov 16th, 2009, 20:57

More common than it should be, that's for sure.

Just changed mine last week with only 66,000 km "42000 miles" on the clock.

The 120A alternators are cheaper than the 150A, i.e £230 vs. £370. don't know which one is suitable for the 1.6D as mine is a 2.0D, so ask the dealer which one would he be fitting. If it's the 120A then the £400 quote is quite steep, if it's the 150A then it's a bargain i think.

Btw, all these faulty alternators get sent back to Volvo for a refurbish, that's why they keep them. You should get a couple of pounds off the price too for letting them keep it.

ALLMENPLAYON10 · Nov 16th, 2009, 21:09

really appreciate the response.

im going to go out on a limb and guess it'll be the cheaper alternator then - will ask though.

I will also ask for the alternator back unless they'll do some kind of trade in deal.

thanks again

heyskull · Nov 16th, 2009, 22:53

£400 for an altenator seems like Dick Turpin was not the only one who robbed people!!!

stevo48 · Nov 17th, 2009, 00:41

Shop around, cars are being wieghed in under this pathetic scrappage scheme, lots of parts available at reduced prices if you got the time to shop around.

NewVolvo · Nov 17th, 2009, 10:19

You should get £100 off if you let Volvo have the old one. If not, then price is £400.

Bernard333 · Nov 17th, 2009, 11:14

You should ask what part of the alternator has failed , most Volvos are fitted with a Bosch unit with a removable voltage regulator . The most likely failure is the regulator , best price for an original Bosch unit was £22 on ebay recently , will fit any D5 140 amp alternator , this was a private seller so only one available , I am kicking myself for not buying it as these cost about £80 normally . There are also Chinese made regulators available for around £20 to £30 , cant vouch for these and would be interested to hear from anybody who has used one however I have a bad experience of Chinese made diodes and protective relays . The regulator on a D5 can be changed in 20 minutes easily without disturbing the main body or removing the drive belt . On a petrol V70/S60 its more difficult to get to . The other parts that can fail are the pulley/clutch assembly which can also be replaced on its own but a more difficult job and needs the alternator to be removed from the car. The main power diodes can also fail , these would be very difficult to replace but not impossible as they are crimped and then welded to the ends of the stator coils but Bosch designed and make their own diodes so reliability on these should be good , if you were replacing them there are lots of other makes of diode available which will do the job . The Bosch design is really very good compared to some other makes I have looked at recently but one reason I can see could have an impact on life expectancy would be lots of city driving in hot weather , the area around the diodes can reach 200 deg C with radio ( some power amps can pull 50 amps or more )/headlights/heated windows full on pulling a high current causing heat in alternator even considering there is forced ventilation which at low engine speeds is going to be less effective , like everything else on the car the alternator is going to last longer on a car driven mainly on the motorway . In summary there is no way I would be paying £300 for an alternator , have a look into it yourself and save at least £200 probably more .

Guru · Nov 17th, 2009, 12:22

Bernard, if it was a Bosch unit, it wouldn't have failed that prematurely, a Bosch alternator would most likely outlive the car.

Unfortunately the 1.6D and 2.0D were fitted with cast DENSO alternators that cannot be dismantled without cracking the outer shell, that's why they are replaced as whole and not repaired.

Bernard333 · Nov 17th, 2009, 13:53

Thanks Guru didnt realise its a Denso , I just assumed Volvo fitted Bosch to everything , I am assuming that some of the horrible alternators I have looked at recently couldnt be designed any better due to Bosch owning all the best patents so the rest of them have to find a convoluted design to acheive the same result .

fenton_jd · Nov 17th, 2009, 18:49

Mine has this "power system service urgent" message on my dash for about a week now.

Strangley the car and everything on it works fine. I even left it for 2 days and it started straight away.

Can't afford a new alternator so I'll just hope it holds out.

Mine has 124,000 miles on an 05 plate.

Nov 16th, 2009, 20:17	#1
ALLMENPLAYON10 New Member Last Online: Nov 16th, 2009 21:16 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: STAFFORDSHIRE	£400 alternator quote???? Newbie here. Have done a search but without much luck. I have a 2001 V40 as my daily, never missed a beat and cant fault it. The prob is the mother in law (her car not her for a change). its an 06 plate 1.6 s40, the on board computer came on yday and read "engine warning power system service urgent" . I only find this out today when she happens to mention that her local volvo dealer from where she purchased the car new has diagnosed it as needing a new alternator and the cost is £400!!! is it me or is that steeep??? Plus alternator failing on such a new car, is this common? thanks

Nov 16th, 2009, 20:57	#2
Guru Premier Member Last Online: Oct 25th, 2023 07:46 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Between chair and keyboard	More common than it should be, that's for sure. Just changed mine last week with only 66,000 km "42000 miles" on the clock. The 120A alternators are cheaper than the 150A, i.e £230 vs. £370. don't know which one is suitable for the 1.6D as mine is a 2.0D, so ask the dealer which one would he be fitting. If it's the 120A then the £400 quote is quite steep, if it's the 150A then it's a bargain i think. Btw, all these faulty alternators get sent back to Volvo for a refurbish, that's why they keep them. You should get a couple of pounds off the price too for letting them keep it. __________________ Volvo S40 2.0D momentum \| 100kw/136bph \| 2005 \| Euro III \| 49mpg \| Electric silver

Nov 17th, 2009, 10:19	#6
NewVolvo VOC Member Last Online: May 28th, 2024 16:30 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Köln, Germany View Photos By: NewVolvo	You should get £100 off if you let Volvo have the old one. If not, then price is £400. __________________ 2019 XC60 T6 R-Design 2017 S6 Avant 1996 850R 1987 780 Bertone Lots of previous Volvo's

Nov 17th, 2009, 12:22	#8
Guru Premier Member Last Online: Oct 25th, 2023 07:46 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Between chair and keyboard	Bernard, if it was a Bosch unit, it wouldn't have failed that prematurely, a Bosch alternator would most likely outlive the car. Unfortunately the 1.6D and 2.0D were fitted with cast DENSO alternators that cannot be dismantled without cracking the outer shell, that's why they are replaced as whole and not repaired. __________________ Volvo S40 2.0D momentum \| 100kw/136bph \| 2005 \| Euro III \| 49mpg \| Electric silver

Nov 16th, 2009, 21:09	#3
ALLMENPLAYON10 New Member Last Online: Nov 16th, 2009 21:16 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: STAFFORDSHIRE	really appreciate the response. im going to go out on a limb and guess it'll be the cheaper alternator then - will ask though. I will also ask for the alternator back unless they'll do some kind of trade in deal. thanks again

Nov 16th, 2009, 22:53	#4
heyskull Heyskull Last Online: Jun 19th, 2021 09:23 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Ullock, Workington.	£400 for an altenator seems like Dick Turpin was not the only one who robbed people!!!

Nov 17th, 2009, 00:41	#5
stevo48 Premier Member Last Online: Jul 9th, 2020 20:08 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Halifax West yorkshire	Shop around, cars are being wieghed in under this pathetic scrappage scheme, lots of parts available at reduced prices if you got the time to shop around.

Nov 17th, 2009, 11:14	#7
Bernard333 Premier Member Last Online: Oct 20th, 2021 11:41 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Ramelton	You should ask what part of the alternator has failed , most Volvos are fitted with a Bosch unit with a removable voltage regulator . The most likely failure is the regulator , best price for an original Bosch unit was £22 on ebay recently , will fit any D5 140 amp alternator , this was a private seller so only one available , I am kicking myself for not buying it as these cost about £80 normally . There are also Chinese made regulators available for around £20 to £30 , cant vouch for these and would be interested to hear from anybody who has used one however I have a bad experience of Chinese made diodes and protective relays . The regulator on a D5 can be changed in 20 minutes easily without disturbing the main body or removing the drive belt . On a petrol V70/S60 its more difficult to get to . The other parts that can fail are the pulley/clutch assembly which can also be replaced on its own but a more difficult job and needs the alternator to be removed from the car. The main power diodes can also fail , these would be very difficult to replace but not impossible as they are crimped and then welded to the ends of the stator coils but Bosch designed and make their own diodes so reliability on these should be good , if you were replacing them there are lots of other makes of diode available which will do the job . The Bosch design is really very good compared to some other makes I have looked at recently but one reason I can see could have an impact on life expectancy would be lots of city driving in hot weather , the area around the diodes can reach 200 deg C with radio ( some power amps can pull 50 amps or more )/headlights/heated windows full on pulling a high current causing heat in alternator even considering there is forced ventilation which at low engine speeds is going to be less effective , like everything else on the car the alternator is going to last longer on a car driven mainly on the motorway . In summary there is no way I would be paying £300 for an alternator , have a look into it yourself and save at least £200 probably more .

Nov 17th, 2009, 13:53	#9
Bernard333 Premier Member Last Online: Oct 20th, 2021 11:41 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Ramelton	Thanks Guru didnt realise its a Denso , I just assumed Volvo fitted Bosch to everything , I am assuming that some of the horrible alternators I have looked at recently couldnt be designed any better due to Bosch owning all the best patents so the rest of them have to find a convoluted design to acheive the same result .

Nov 17th, 2009, 18:49	#10
fenton_jd turkeyspace.com Last Online: Nov 5th, 2016 16:41 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Gloucester	Mine has this "power system service urgent" message on my dash for about a week now. Strangley the car and everything on it works fine. I even left it for 2 days and it started straight away. Can't afford a new alternator so I'll just hope it holds out. Mine has 124,000 miles on an 05 plate.

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