mamizana

A few weeks ago, I posted asking about the alternator replacement for a '99 A6. After getting the low down from some of you folks, I took it on and all went surprisingly well.

Thanks to all AW'ers. This board is a TREMENDOUS resource!

In the end, I'd give it about a 7 out of 10 on the difficulty scale.

The hardest part for me was actually getting the (OEM Valeo) alternator out of vehicle AFTER everything was unfastened. My ALLDATA cheat sheet said to fish it out from the bottom of vehicle but there was NO WAY that was going to happen without detatching cooling/ac lines, etc.

I ended up pulling it up through the engine bay. The new one went back in the same way.

So . . .

Alternator:
Precision Parts & Re-man (Valeo OE)
p/n BOA 145
$237.91 + tax
$88.95 + tax (core charge)

Serp Belt:
Bando
p/n K060739
$24.00 + tax

My dealer wanted approx. $900 for the swap -- $500 for the alternator and another $400 to install.

My whole job took about 7 hrs and cost me about $283.00 all-in. Also, my head-unit didn't go into safe mode on battery re-hookup. That was a nice surprise.

Thanks again for all the advice, everyone.

Ciao,

Matt

April

Sweet! Nice sig!

SouthboroAudiGuy

Hey there. I was searching the forum for some info on car covers and noted that you had gotten one from Santa a while back. I'm curious as to your experience with it...

Specifically, I'm wondering how clean the car has to be in order to use a car cover without scratching the paint?

I do not have a garage and am trying to decide if I should buy a car cover. If the car would have to be spotless in order to avoid scratches with the car cover, I'll probably pass -- I just can't see having it THAT clean all the time. If a moderate amount of dust/dirt on the car will not cause any damage, I'll go for it. Bottomline: I'm considering a car cover as a means to protect the paint -- if the only way to do that is to have the car be spotless, I'm probably not going to be doing myself a favor by getting a car cover. Right?

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thx.

muzzy996

Not familiar with the procedure you mentioned. Did you put the front carrier into service position?

April

to remove the surface dust.

I forget which version I have, but it's got a soft fluffy inner lining that prevents much scratching. Washed it once in a commercial washer.

But the bottom line is to clean the car before you put it on. Just a quick swipe with a microfiber and detailer spray.

I used to have a very thin cotton cover that was useful to keep off dust and water spots, but nothing more. Just a single layer cotton. Very unfussy and compact.

SouthboroAudiGuy

Thanks for the feedback. Now to decide how **** I want to be on an ongoing basis...

April

including time to install the car cover.

I don't use the over if the car is dirty or it's windy, since that will rub dirt into the paint. That means it gets covered maybe 8 to 10 nights out of 14.

mamizana

Yes. Had to remove the front bumper first. Easy process but tedious.

mamizana

Danke.

TeddyBGame

Good stuff Matt. Well done.