I don’t get it. I’ve gone through 6 Duralast 220amp alternators in around a year and multiple batteries. Every alternator keeps failing in some way or another, one seized and started smoking, another just stopped charging, and the last one put out so much current it shorted out all the electronics. When the cluster came back on, the battery gauge was pinned and slowly dropping, but the slightest touch on the accelerator would pin it again. It got so hot it nearly burned my skin. I travel cross country for a living, so I can’t keep dealing with this. Is there anything that could be causing this, or are AutoZone alternators really just that bad? I’m at a loss here. I changed this one 2 days ago and I’m still getting the warning, plus my headlights keep dimming as I drive. I had it tested at AutoZone and they said it was fine with a handheld tester, but not a bench test under load. Any advice or suggestions would be amazing. I’m planning to swap the alternator again tomorrow and hope for the best.
Did the other dealership tell you that it was possible to cancel and rebuy from them? If that’s possible, the other downside might be, can you rebuy the warranty as a new car or will dealer B put it through as a used car? I think that impacts the max warranty length you can get.
@Drew
IDK what you mean by that. Is there a difference in how they categorize it?
Ben said:
@Drew
IDK what you mean by that. Is there a difference in how they categorize it?
Yeah, if they treat it as a used car, it might have a shorter warranty period. Just something to consider.
I’ve never heard of anyone returning a warranty. Did you finance it with the car?
Lian said:
I’ve never heard of anyone returning a warranty. Did you finance it with the car?
No, I paid cash for it. I just thought maybe it would be easier to switch since I found a better deal.
Lian said:
I’ve never heard of anyone returning a warranty. Did you finance it with the car?
Gotcha, that makes sense. Just checking. It’s good to have options.
It is a thing and usually you have 30 days to cancel and get your money back.
Zyan said:
It is a thing and usually you have 30 days to cancel and get your money back.
Thanks for that info. I didn’t realize there was a window to cancel and get the refund.
Have you checked your wiring? Sometimes bad connections can cause all sorts of issues with the alternator.
Jordan said:
Have you checked your wiring? Sometimes bad connections can cause all sorts of issues with the alternator.
I haven’t looked into that yet. I’ll check the wiring next. Thanks!
Maybe check the ground connections too. A bad ground can mess with everything.
cliq said:
Maybe check the ground connections too. A bad ground can mess with everything.
Good idea. I’ll make sure to look at that when I swap the alternator again.