Just an encouragement not to fork out mega bucks for a new or reconditioned unit unnecessarily.
My starter died: was looking at £180 for a replacement. My friend suggested using a guy locally who sorts starters and alternators. After 24hrs my motor had a new solenoid and brush pack fitted and returned for just £40.
I now it's been said before, but it bears repeating! Don't just bin it, see if you can fix it. (Or someone else can fix it for you!)
I bought a new one within the last six months but only because the case was too corroded and could no longer be taken apart. The new one was a genuine Bosch exchange for £100 and looked mint to me - certainly a new body. However, I've always rebuilt my own, there is plenty on youtube showing how to do it if you don't know and in 9 out of 10 cases its just worn brushes which are cheap to buy - well under a tenner. There is a huge profit in parts, made worse by an insistence on selling complete units rather than replaceable items but with the decline of old-school mecanics and the rise in 'fitters' as many garages are now, thats what happens. Its only by thinking outside the box that you come up with different solutions - my kawasaki silencer was the result of overnight thought. It outperforms the stock one and is cheap to replace.
Alternators too can be rebuilt at home if you have a vice. Some vendors even sell complete rebuild kits although good bearing shops will match whatever you need. Forgetting the internet sometimes and getting out there is good for your legs, great for forging new contacts with local business, and will frequently save you money. Ex-engineers, people with lathes in their garages, are also invaluable as they can usually make obsolete or broken parts fairly cheaply yet often from better materials than you'd get from parts outlets. The skills are out there, if you're prepared to look and in so doing you ensure those skills continue for a long while yet. Support them or lose them I say.
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