I just got my 02 protege ES back from the mechanic after replacing my alternator for the 3rd time.
1st change @~60 000km's dec 2005
2nd change @ 62 000km's feb 2006
and today Mar 2, 07
Is it just me? I've scrolled through pages and pages of posts, and found no complaints, I've reviewed service bulletins, and found no issues. Any insight as to what can cause premature failure an alternator? The local dealercommented that I may have a bad ground, bad battery, or just bad alternator luck.

 

sounds to me like the mechanic is just using cheap alternators. the thing about alternators is that it is very seldomly actually the alternator going out, it is the voltage regulator. in cheap parts. things likevoltage regulators are almost always remanufactured, which means you're getting a part that has already been broken once and rebuilt.this isobviously a continuous thing so my suggestion is to go find the best alternator that you can and take it to the mechanic for the nextinstall. the best thing to do is to go down to your local mobile audio shop andask them for a reference on where to buy. acdelco is the best stock replacement part but to get something better, the audio shop is the best bet.

 

Thanks for you advice.
Just to give a little more detail on the 3 times I've replaced the alternater:
1st time-I was 1200 kms from home, and had little choice of brand of replacement part. Who knows wat the AAA garage put in. Although, I was stunned to see it lasted only 36 days.
It was then that I ask my hometown mechanic to check the entire electrical system for a root cause. He found nothing other than the alternater at fault. He said if I was concerned, he could install a bosch alternator -80amp-that carrys a 2 year free replacement warranty. (typical warranty for a mere mortal part was 1 year)
So I went with that . It lasted 13 months. I replaced it yesterday with another 2 year bosch, except they had a 95 amp unit available for the protege. So my track record is pretty poor for fixing this problem.
Again, I am surprised that no one else is experiencing any pain with this !

 

I am sure that many have experienced the pain with having to replace alternators or starters with cheap aftermarket rebuilds emeraldmica. Have experienced rebuilds that last a total of 3-4 days with a failure and the only problem is with the cheap rebuild process. A "rebuild" could mean as little as that it was briefly checked and then spray painted a nice new silver color and labeled as such. The cheaper you pay for the part the quicker it is likely to fail. Know it seems like a bit to pay for an OE rebuild part but at least you will have some peace of mind that it will last and will not have to keep going back for a replacement again and again.

 

Good point babyhuey. I never really considered $500-$600 per alternater "cheap" before.
Perhaps you're right; this isthefirst import we've owned.

 

Wow, where are you getting a $500-$600 alternator? Mazda remanufactured alternators that I have yet to ever have a problem with only retail for between $245-$275 depending upon which engine you have.

 

he is talking labor too i'm sure. if not emerald, you are getting screwed with no kiss.

 

Getting screwed with no kiss regardless. Listed labor rate to replace alternator on an 02 Protege is 42 minutes so shop labor rate would have to be around $400 per hour. Lamborghini/Ferrari shop maybe?

 

yeah, i guess that's true. i do all of my own work, so i'm not sure what the going rate is really. all i know is that the alternator is a lot more accessible on my 2002 protege5 than it has been on some of my other cars. haven't had to change it yet, but i can see how it comes out