Alternators

Car alternators run off the engine using a pulley and drive belt arrangement. They work with the battery to keep your car electrics functioning. The battery provides power to the starter motor and ignition systems to start the engine. Once the engine is running, the alternator then provides power to keep the car running. It also is the delivery system for charging the battery. Being a critical component, most vehicles have a warning light that comes on if the alternator is not charging the battery.

Naturally, this alternator cost is very much determined by the vehicle you drive. Alternators to fit more common vehicles may be cheaper due to volume but this is not necessarily a rule. A replacement alternator can be purchased from $250 to well into the thousands of dollars if required for a truck or heavy duty application.

Being vehicle specific your car alternator price may only vary slightly by brand rather than significant price as they all need to output a required voltage and fit the application. If you are getting a mechanics workshop to replace your alternator you should also budget on at least 1 to 2 hours labour to remove the old alternator and refit the new alternator. Crowded engine bays can make this operation difficult so this depends on how easy it is to access and how proficient the mechanic is.

Without an alternator, your car would be running off the battery. Since the battery is not designed for this your car would come to a stop in a fairly short time. Our alternators are manufactured to perform from extreme cold to the hottest conditions you can have faith your new alternator from Repco is constructed with the highest quality materials to go the distance. Built with long lasting bearings, new insulation and rigid construction, all this adds up to giving you peace of mind that installing it on your vehicle brings long term reliability and durability.

In very old cars the generator was used to deliver the charge to the battery. Once the alternator was introduced the generator was rapidly replaced with these new units. While the alternator performs the same role, providing a converted AC current to a DC current for charging the battery, the benefits are it produces the same current regardless of engine rpm in a smaller more compact design. The generator charging was RPM dependent. The more revs the greater the charge.