Quote:
Originally Posted by JHZR2
My 82 300CD had less than 162k on it when one of the brushes broke and the alternator stopped working.
Parents' 94 toyota previa with 230k still charges perfect... As did my 83 300D at 228k. And the parents' 96 E300D which has 210k.
These things seem to be all over the map...
What I recommend is to get a good baseline of alternator voltage, and then keep track (you can get a voltmeter that sticks into the cigarette lighter, for example), so you can see if there is degradation in time.
I like the dont fix if it ain't broke, except that Ive also had a diode go bad on me and discharge my battery as a result...
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The way things are built these days (bottom cost, minimal quality even when you pay for quality) you could very easily swap out a 200K mile alternator that worked perfectly to "prevent" brush failure and install a brand new one that failed in 30K. Best to just let stuff last as long as it will, because Murphy's Law says that only those parts which were not preventatively replaced, should have been.