Alternator Scam?

[DayCruiser]

OK, Summer before this past one in August the marina said they rebuilt my alternator. The marina has since went out of business.<br />So I take the boat to another place to have it winterize and have that wiring short fixed. I thought it was just a censure. They say it is the wiring harness? or something like that $300+ buckos. And they say the alternator needed to be rebuilt and they sent it off to be rebuilt already.<br />Now what would cause a alternator to go bad so soon? Or maybe it wasnt rebuilt at all or correctly?<br />On top Of this is the winterization

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Alternator Scam?

Unfortunately many repair shops confuse repairing with rebuilding.they call everything a rebuild.I took off an alternator and brought it to a friends shop where they rebuild alternators and starters.He took it apart and replaced bearings and what looked like a tiny magnet and spray painted the case .all of which took 10 minutes.It was a repair but they call it a rebuild.So in my eyes a rebuilt alternator is not nearly as good as a new one.Charlie

 

[tommays]

Re: Alternator Scam?

its a question that cant be answered and alternator could last allmost forever or fail very fast with what ever electric problem you have it could damage it easely<br /><br />i would not be happy with a place that does work that you did not approve beforehand it is the reason many of us do are own work there are more boats than there are well run shops<br /><br />tommays

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: Alternator Scam?

Yea I called them. They said they were just about to call me about the wiring flange or harnness. I guess because it was big money. But yea they should have called me before hand with the complete diognosis, I agree. <br />(the mechanic went out of biz and not the entire Marina)<br />I am glad I didnt get a new one then if the wiring could have zapped it anyway<br />I have heard worse stories about other boat shop places in the area and a couple are much higher priced. So there is really no choice. <br />Thanks for the replys

 

[waterone1@aol.com]

Re: Alternator Scam?

Daycruiser, the other posts make very good points.<br />Finding the right shop to work on your boat is almost as important as finding a good brain surgeon, talk to other boaters in the area and get their opinion before you take your boat in. If you find a good shop, do not let anyone else touch your boat. Communication is very important and is a two way street, let them know what you expect. Boats and boat owners are all very different, while some people want to know what is wrong and what it will cost before any work is done, others don't care about the details, as long as their boat is fixed before this weekend.<br />In a case like yours it is so hard to say if the first shop did a reasonable job or not. 90% of the time a bad alternator is just that, a bad alternator that needs to be rebuilt or replaced. The other 10% of the time there is another problem that has caused the alternator to fail, such as a wiring problem or shorted component that may not be noticable untill a particular set of circumstances are duplicated.

 

[deputydawg]

Re: Alternator Scam?

I have both repaired and rebuilt dozens of alternators. If done right either should last years. Any time the alternator is taken apart for brushes, bushings etc the armeture and windings should all be tested. A short in the wiring should not cause an alternator to go bad, the voltage regulator or diods should regulate the juice that is produced. GM or Delco alternators do have a bad habit of overcharging and in my experience do not hold up as well as others, but they should last a lot longer than yours did. Either the previous shop ripped you off, or this shop is. Most likely the previous shop did not know what they were doing when they worked on it. I would try to find out what it was doing that needed repaired. If it was rfebuilt by a reputable shop it should have some kind of warranty on the parts if not the labor. Most people are afraid of alternators and starters. Internally they are simple peices of equipment, If the armeture stator and everything is good then it should last. Probably what happened is they just replaced brushes and bushings, then corrosion got to the windings. <br />Bottom line is electrical parts fail, some mechanics are rip off's, some mechanics don't know what they are doing. These ruin it for the honest mechanics out there!

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Alternator Scam?

I agree with Tommays. I have had new and rebuilt alternators last between two years and five years or more with no apparent relationship to whether they were new or rebuilt. This spring one of the diodes in the two-year old rebuilt alternator shorted and the alternator nearly caught on fire(heavy smoke). It was not the first time a diode has shorted for me, but usually they cause only a low amperage short(and no smoke). <br /><br />I am able to buy rebuilt marine alternators and starters at my local auto parts store. These units look and function as well as new ones from the marine parts store, but are a bit cheaper. However, the salt water I run in turns the alternators into a fine white powder after about 5 years, and I would not want one of those units back as a rebuilt unit!

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: Alternator Scam?

If your rebuilt alternator hangs onto the flywheel, it'll go inside a few weeks of use. It happened to me.

 

[DayCruiser]

Re: Alternator Scam?

Thanks for all the good info. When they are finished. The first question will be what the Hail happen to the alternator? lol. From what I found out the ex mariner contractor is no longer in the boat repair biz. Maybe we know why? A few things were slack about the whole operation. BUt he was recomended by the Insurance company

 

[waterone1@aol.com]

Re: Alternator Scam?

Diode packs and regulators have a max. current rating, they are NOT designed to deal with a direct short. It most certainly is possible for a short on the output of an alternator to cause the diodes to either "open" or short. In either case you end up with a bad alternator.