Alternator Motorcraft or OEM Volkswagen

As far as replacements I've had good luck with Rock Auto Sticking to the better brands like Motorcraft, AC Delco, Remy, and Bosch.

The OEM motorcraft alternator in my focus lasted 14 years and its replacement, a Remy, lasted 6. If the difference in price between OEM and aftermarket isn't too big, and you plan on keeping the car for more than 5 more yrs, I'd go with the OEM.

RockAuto does offer Motorcraft alternators and back in 2021, I purchased one for my 2016 5.0 Lariat.

When it comes to an Alt i would spend the extra dough for an OEM model like Motorcraft. Nothing wrong with Rock Auto. I always buy there.

Dealer quoted me $557 for my 15 f150 alternator the other day. Found the same motorcraft alternator for $325-ish (+a $75 core charge). A little less painful. I share them same feelings as a couple other posters. Been burned by enough cheap-o remans over the years to skimp on certain parts.

I also noticed that the alternator looks like a remanufactured unit. I’ve been reading about how these PCMs really don’t like reman units that are not built perfectly to spec. It’s best practice to replace these with only motorcraft units.

Been there with a Motorcraft alt. 181K miles. She stopped charging. No batter light on the dash. I laid it to rest and paid my respects.

I owned one for about a year. Loved the car, wish I could have kept it. That being said, it was only in drivable condition for about half the time I owned it. I replaced the alternator, fixed the air suspension, redid some vacuum lines, tried to repair the front diff, and that's where I gave up.

Spent 300 on an alternator to get the whole car apart just to find out it was the wrong one

even a simple job like changing the alternator is difficult due to where they place it. There's not a ton of space to work on the car in the engine bay.