I purchased a altenator from GMPartsDirect.com back in Jan. Recently it developed a whine(bearing going bad). E-mailed GMParts and recieved a reply that in order to warranty it, I would have to take my car to a GM dealership service dept. so they could diagnose the problem before it could be replaced. Talked to the local Chevy dealership and he said this was correct, BUT I would have to pay for a service and diagnosis even though I would do the work to replace it, or they would replace it for me for an addittional fee. In other words if you buy ANYTHING from GMPartsDirect.com and it goes bad, you have to go to a dealer to get it replaced. So you are not gainig anything by buying from them. Might as well go to the local auto parts for such items, as they will swap out with you for no addittional fees. Live and learn.

 

for alternators and starter i will always continue to buy powermaster. good pricing for the product.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience, but thanks for the heads up BADMAN.

 

Well,sometimes you get lucky. Local Chevy dealer called me back and said they would replace alt.for no charge. Said with the reciept and documentation I had he could charge it to Chevrolet. So next Wed. I will be getting it replaced. Still, not a good way to do buisness. All those considering using GMPartsDirect.com: Cavet emptor(Buyer Beware).

 

When I had the original engine in my TA I got tired of having to replace the alternator, so I went to Autozone and got one that had a lifetime warranty and NEVER had to replace another one. I think I paid 3x what a GM replacement would have, but given the lifetime of my car it was worth it!


PDG

 

That's incredible BADMAN. The dealer is going to charge chevrolet....what did you do promise him a 12 pack

 

" No refunds or exchanges on electrical parts." Gotta love that one...

 

dude that sucks, good thing your local dealer is willing to charge it to warranty dept for free. Good save i guess but i can see how itd be easier to swap out an autozone alternator, correct me if im wrong though but arent
GM alternators regarded as "better" than AZ or CSK ones?

Ive gone through 3 so far that have bearing whine from Checker lol

 

No, master_disaster, the best thing is to buy one of my 160 amp versions, from me LOL

 

i had one from advance and it went bad after 3 months It was a alternator pissed me off

 

I've had my chrome Powermaster in my car for 4+ years now without any issues. Don't remember how much it cost. Got it from Summit back in '04.

 

Powermaster makes some excellent alternators and starters. I would go with one of those before I went with GM replacement. Also, if budget is a constraint, I'd recommend GM before Autozone/Advance Auto/etc...

 

I totally agree with that. Now that you tell this story I'll spread the word man. It's like, they are giving pointless warranty for the customers who patronize their stuffs