Matsui

Couple of days ago when my wife turned the car on and started driving, the battery light came on and when she stepped on the gas it made a whining sound. Also when she moved the gear into reverse, the door locks did not lock automatically. Once the car was driven about 30 minutes and she got on the highway, the battery light turned off and the sound went away. I was not able to replicate that issue when she arrived that night or the next day. I dropped it at my mechanic yesterday and he wasn't able to replicate the problem. He also looked at the belts and tested the voltage and everything was fine. The car is still with the mechanic and he is going to see if the problem comes back.

Based on my search on the forum, people have said that it is because of the alternator bearings going bad and they ended up replacing the alternator. Some people said that they got stranded in the middle when this problem occurred.

My question is should I just go ahead and replace the alternator even if the problem does not recur? Since my wife drives it daily long distance, I don't want her to get stranded in the middle. What would you do? Also, should I replace it with Toyota alternator which is around $350 or aftermarket which is around $165? Both are remanufactured, not rebuilt. The car has 132k miles and I plan to keep it for a long time. I prefer quality product, but don't want to unnecessarily waste money if I don't have to.

Please let me know what you suggest.

Booyah

Its 99% the alternator, mine did the same thing but the second time it did it it (very soon after first) smoked and made a racket, change it out you will be good to go. I let lexus do mine for just the sake of a warranty and if something went wrong soon after then they would just take care of it on their dime--you can work with them on price, they will come down if you ask politely

Matsui

I agree, I think I'll get it replaced for the peace of mind. I'll let my mechanic do it who is an expert and a good friend of mine.

In terms of part - should i go with Toyota brand for $350 or aftermarket for $165? If aftermarket, any brand that's reputable like Denso?

Matsui

Based on the Internet search it looks like there is a split between those who prefer Toyota vs. those who've had no issues with aftermarket alternator. Although I have not seen a any complaint from those who went with the Toyota remanufactured one, so I think I'll go with this option.

chiph9

I would go with the factory part. I've heard of people buying replacements at Autozone, PepBoys, etc. going thru 2-3 of them to find a good one.

Chip H.

Booyah

Thats a FACT

Matsui

Mechanic said the problem never came back even today, but I asked him to replace with Toyota alternator and also the drive belt. Big hit, but worth it for peach of mind especially since my wife drives it to DC everyday.