Advice needed on Denso remanufactured Alternators.
- Thread starter Bill7
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Couple reasons. Biggest reason: the owner retired. Beyond that, his rebuilds had been declining in reliability. It wasn't his fault, he'd been in the business for decades. Straight from the horse's mouth: "If I can't get quality rebuild parts anymore, what's the point?"
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- Jul 22, 2022
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Get a Denso reman but to be honest I think whatever you buy it's a crapshoot. My brand new Japan made Denso only lasted about 55k miles, (bearing) issue. I picked up a Denso reman from Rock Auto, it's been in there for around 15k miles now, so far so good.
I had my alternator replaced 2 years ago, with precisely that - a reman Denso. No issues thus far.
2011 Avalon.
Thanks mjk1967. That helps to build some good data points on people's experiences with Denso remanufactured alternators.
So far I think the overall consensus is that Denso remanufactured alternators are reliable and possibly close to new Denso alternators in expected longevity.
Almost 3 years, I'm guessing 50k miles
Must depend on the car model. I was using Bernardi when I looked at alternators for 2012, 2014, and 2016 Accords.
Children on a dirt floor in China.
I don't read it that way. Maybe not a Koyo but OE quality bearing installed. Makes no sense to not replace.Denso remanufactured alternators the don't necessarily replace the bearings. It says so right on their webpage:
Bearings are validated to OE standards and loaded with premium OE-standard lubricants.
Alternators
DENSO brand Alternators deliver more Quality, Reliability, and Value than any other manufacturer.www.densoautoparts.com
On the ody forums.....all the users say that reman densos are the only alternators that actually last.
All aftermarkets seem to fail before the year mark
Just change the yrans fluid often and you are good.
You have four of these vans? I would like to see under your valve cover with 4k oil changes and regular PCV valve changes. I wonder if that will keep the dark varnish from forming in the front bank, and maybe help the camshaft pitting that IMO many of these vans (including mine) get at high miles.
I was at the junkyard this past Saturday and every Odyssey there had a dark varnished front head -- and four out of four 3rd gens I looked at had considerable pitting on the front camshaft. I managed to find a 2012 that had a good cam.
I think your 06/07 have a J35A6 whereas my 2010 has a J35A7, and I think the A7 has more cam issues, as well as the common leak that destroys alternators.
I am on my second 3rd-gen Odyssey after the first one was totaled. Like you, I find they fit my needs, and I use the 8-passenger capability fairly often. They certainly have some flaws, but every vehicle does.
It seems 10 is the magic number with many different manufacturers. I guess if one intends to keep a vehicle past the 10 year mark these days, they're going to have to start buying certain parts they anticipate will wet the bed later in the vehicle's life.
If it's not specifically mentioned that they are replaced, then they aren't. Don't infer that they are doing more than they are stating!
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That's how I interpreted it as well, "Bearings are validated to OE standards and loaded with premium OE-standard lubricants.". I can't imagine them taking the time to measure play, then pull the seals off bearings to clean out and relube them.
I've seen plenty of reports of reman alternators having a short(er) lifespan, but my data point is that I must have been lucky. Last alternator I had to replace happened almost 8 years ago, reman Carquest Premium (w/lifetime warranty) from Advance Auto Parts.
I'd buy new instead, in different circumstances, like if it were a newer vehicle, or hard to swap out, or the reman didn't have lifetime warranty through a nearby local seller so (normally, except for covid supply chain issues) replacement is quick and doesn't involve current (ridiculous) shipping rates. That plus I got a great deal on the reman at the time, $115 w/tax, after a $40-off coupon code. If I had to do over "today", same alternator is $209 without a coupon, not enough price difference to not go with a new one.
In that case I wouldn't get a reman Denso from Rock Auto because it only has a 12 month warranty and now is about $170 all-in, with tax, shipping, and core return shipping deducted from the core refund, while a new lifetime warranty Bosch is $211 delivered, with no core charge so keep the core and have time to decide whether to rebuild it. I'm sure there are rebuilders not too far away from my location but I'd be more inclined to find some kit and DIY if I went that route.
In Dec of 2019 the original 100 amp Denso alternator in my 197k mile 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser failed. I found an "damaged/open box" deal on amazon for a rebuilt Denso-210-0612 for $66. Its still going strong 3 yrs & 30k miles later. Good luck.
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So you pre-purchase auto parts in anticipation of future failure?
I can only think of a few cases for that, like plastic pressurized coolant overflow tanks (unless you are OK going to the store for an overpriced Dorman that will fail in a year). I certainly wouldn't keep a spare alternator around unless I bought one for $10 used off of someone (I had that happen, it was too cheap to pass up) or it was your old one that you repaired.
Where are you seeing the new Bosch for $211 delivered?
FWIW, on my 2005 Odyssey, I put in a Carquest reman and it worked OK (I didn't get stranded) but sometimes the charging light would come on.
