Debate: do you fix the old alternator or just swap in a reman?

My 2004 F-150 died in a parking lot last Tuesday. Turns out the alternator bearings locked up completely. I spent 3 hours pulling it out and found the voltage regulator was also fried. Some guys at the shop say rebuild kits are fine and save money, but others swear reman units are more reliable. Has anyone here actually rebuilt an alternator on the bench and had it last longer than a year?

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fisher.charlie2mo ago

Rebuild kits are fine and save money" tell that to my buddy Dave who spent a weekend on his '99 Civic alternator and had it crap out two months later. He got stranded at Waffle House at 3am, lol. Honestly I just swap remans now, ain't nobody got time for that headache.

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the_jessica2mo ago

wait @fisher.charlie didn't your buddy Dave check the voltage regulator before he put it all back together? i did the exact same thing on my old '00 Accord, spent like 6 hours swapping the brushes and bearings, felt like a hero for saving 40 bucks. then three weeks later i'm on the side of the highway at 11pm with a dead battery and a fried alternator again. it's just not worth the gamble with those cheap rebuild kits, especially on older Hondas where the alternators are already tired. i finally just bought a reman from the parts store, swapped it in 45 minutes, and haven't touched it since. sometimes the extra money is for peace of mind, you know?

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