France in Focus

I needed a new alternator for my old van, which is worth nothing but still drives A1.
It did get a second hand one fitted earlier this year but that failed on Friday.
Went into a local car parts center who are normally fairly cheap and can get anything for the following day.
270 euros.
Had a look on ebay FR then ebay UK
£58 plus taxes which took it up to 112 euros for a fully reconditioned unit.
It gets here in about 10 days.
How can the UK still be cheaper than France is the French one better quality

Mayhem just to get to the alternator.

What's the problem, faulty voltage regulator, bearings or brushes years back with my Citroen ax gt it was 6 Euros for new carbon brushes which I soldered on it lasted over 10 more years

mysty "How can the UK still be cheaper than France is the French one better quality?"

More than likely made in the same components factory. The French one is more expensive because it is in France, where far fewer people fix their own cars and look online for the best prices.

basquesteve wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:04 am What's the problem, faulty voltage regulator, bearings or brushes years back with my Citroen ax gt it was 6 Euros for new carbon brushes which I soldered on it lasted over 10 more years

I can replace but not diagnose a fault inside something.

mysty wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 10:50 pm

basquesteve wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 12:04 am What's the problem, faulty voltage regulator, bearings or brushes years back with my Citroen ax gt it was 6 Euros for new carbon brushes which I soldered on it lasted over 10 more years

I can replace but not diagnose a fault inside something.

I am with you there, For a period of two years I tried to make a living repairing antique clocks, barometers and optical instruments Victorian engineering is quite simple to replicate at first in the 60's cars where also simple to repair but after the late 90's I gave up repairing modern cars. My old Series 3 Land Rover… long base was a a bit tricky I spent most of the time welding up new chassis pieces The good old days long gone

basquesteve wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 11:44 pm My old Series 3 Land Rover… long base was a a bit tricky I spent most of the time welding up new chassis pieces The good old days long gone

Not for Land Rover - later models also need welding up chassis pieces.

I'm getting the message that it wasn't just Transits that had big rust problems. We used to say it was a built in plan. As bits of metal turned to rust and dropped off the van got lighter and therefore steadily gained performance thoughout its lifespan.

Land Rover had the idea of not painting chassis to save money - just put in drain holes so water runs out.

Like with early noughties Mercedes, the accountants undid the good work of the engineers.