Search Button

Search

Account Button

Account

Basket Button

Basket Basket

Search Suggestions

Categories

Products

View All Results

Alternators

Car
Bike

Find Oils & Parts

Select Your Motorcycle:

Manually Enter
Modified Vehicles

Alternators, although designed to cope with different climates and weather conditions, are put under extreme pressure during winter months which results in increased demand. They are a crucial component of your engine, responsible for converting chemical energy to electrical energy and charging your battery. That’s why it’s so important you replace old or faulty alternators with the latest, high-quality alternators on the market, with the exact specifications and fitment for the needs of your vehicle.

At Opie Oils it's easy to find the right alternator for your vehicle. Just enter your registration in the lookup above to quickly find units that are matched to your specific vehicle.

Our alternators are all brand-new, high-quality items, are not remanufactured or re-boxed, and don't carry any surcharge or requirement to send back your old unit. We've tried to make our alternators as easy as possible to purchase.


Denso Logo
Brand Denso Alternators

Browse our DENSO
Alternators

View All
Febi Logo
Brand Febi Alternators

Browse our FEBI
Alternators

View All
Hella Logo
Brand Hella Alternators

Browse our HELLA
Alternators

View All
NAPA Logo
Brand NAPA Alternators

Browse our NAPA
Alternators

View All
All Opie Alternators

Browse our whole range of
Alternators

View All

Alternator FAQ's:

What is an Alternator?

The basic principle of an alternator is to recharge the battery in your vehicle. The battery must cope with a lot, from the combustion process itself to simply powering your vehicle radio or using your lights. All the electrical power in your car comes from the battery. You wouldn’t be able to do much or get very far without a quality alternator recharging your battery and should anything start to go wrong with your alternator, it wouldn’t be long before your vehicle crawls to a standstill. Alternators are essential to keeping your vehicle working and your battery charged as you drive.

Where is an Alternator Located?

Usually, you’ll find your alternator hanging from a bracket on the engine block on your vehicle. This is because the alternator is driven by the auxiliary or drive belt.

How Does an Alternator Work?

Alternators essentially work in a similar way to generators, taking your vehicle’s mechanical energy from the moving parts of the engine and converting it to electrical energy, and then diverting this to the battery so it remains charged and full of the necessary energy that powers all your vehicle’s vital functions. In many ways, it is the electrical heart of your vehicle.

Signs Your Alternator is Faulty

As the alternator is so important to maintaining the power in your car, a problem in this area can lead to significant issues. If the alternator isn’t working as well as it should be, whether due to a major fault or general wear-and-tear over time, this can cause problematic knock-on effects.

Common signs to look out for include:

  • Headlights not working as they should be, whether that’s flickering or a noticeable loss of brightness
  • The vehicle keeps stalling
  • Strange, clicking noise coming from within your vehicle
  • Electrical components failing, such as your heating or radio not working

Why Does an Alternator Stop Working?

The most common death of an alternator is a problem with its needle bearings, and this can be result of heat and dirt around the engine bay interfering and obstructing the clean spinning movement the alternator, reducing its ability to generate electrical energy. But it could also be the simple fact of being old and worn out as car parts don’t last forever and eventually something needs repairing or replacing.

An alternator typically lasts for five to eight years or anywhere between 80,000 to 150,000 miles. But if any of the wires of the alternator become damaged, or the belt wears out due to overheating or time, this can lead to a dead alternator too.

It’s important to purchase a high-quality, reliable alternator and pay attention to any of the warning signs that indicate you may need to replace the one you currently have.