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gmcjetpilot(at)yahoo.com
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 Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:06 pm Post subject: Alternator failure. Info provided (B&C value, reliability?) |
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I am sure B&C sells a nice product.
I think B&C might(?) achieve better reliability,
but........
There is NO DATA to back that up any claim
that B&C has superior reliability. I know B&C
and Bob N. have a strong opinions but no
real data.
To say ZERO failures is disingenuous at best,
with all do respect to B&C, but when you sell
a product that cost 3 or 4 times as much I
guess you have to distinguish yourself.
However you have to be intellectually
honest and admit that things fail and there
is NO guarantee, regardless of the price
paid.
I know of several B&C products to fail both
first hand and second hand, just check the
archives.
There are many B&C failures that don't make
news, web fourms or even get reported to B&C.
They are experimental and these is no tracking
of reliability. I am sure B&C is aware of failures
and Bob N. has been somewhat forthright with
problems regarding the voltage regulator that
has lead to improvements. There are still issues.
You have to include the alternator and regulator
as a whole system when comparing it to a ND unit
with integral Voltage regulator.
B&C alternators are made 98% from ND parts
or clone aftermarket ND parts. They DO anodize
and claim to balance it within a hair on Nat's
bee-hind, but the benifit of this blue printing is a
raging debate to be had another time. I can imagine
there's a positive, but how much affect on reliability
I don't know.
I can say if any alternator is bolted to a wild shaking
Lycoming, producing endless vibrations and 50 G
shaking at start and shut down like a wet dog, it's
going for a WILD RIDE anyway. It is like measuring
it with a microscope and cutting with an AX. Same
with balance, does it matter? May Be?
Stock alternators are NOT without some balance.
There are million and millions of ND alternators
(stock) running 24 hours, 7 days, year after year
WORLD wide in cars and industrial equip with
extreme reliability under demanding conditons.
Both my Acura's have ND alternators. One is at
130K with no issue and the other 185K, with a
combined +24 years of combined use.
The issue with many ND alternators builders use is
the fact they came from a supplier selling less than
great aftermarket NON nippondenso units. As this
15-18 year old design gets older, you will only
find aftermarket alternators. The good news is
there are good aftermarket parts. The bad news is
there are BAD ones as well. Aftermarket ND parts
are make in Taiwan and China by 4 or more big
companies. Not all are of the same quality.
Not all aftermarket parts are the same. The same
applies to re-builds at the Auto Zone or Pep-Boys.
At least many offer a good warranty. The bad news
is that chain of auto parts store may not be in your
area when doing a cross country and it fails. If
you can't go to the same store, you can't take
advantage of the warranty replacement. I suspect
if Auto-Parts-R-Us gets wind its on a plane, they
may protest and deny your warranty claim anyway.
If a B&C regulator or alternator fails, it is a custom
alternator that only B&C can really work on. There
is something to be said with over the counter auto
parts.
I am sure B&C is good, but not as great as their hype.
If you read B&C's web site it is full of hyperbole and
rhetoric. I read the B&C sales pitch and it is so
strongly worded, like a novel, One dark and stormy
night stories, they just turn me off. It plays on
emotion not facts. I got a cold sweat and thought I
was going to die of an electrical failure sitting in my
office in front to my PC. It's a great sales pitch but
it's overstated. The owner or B&C is a super nice
guy and think he believes in his product. This is
just my opinion about what I think of sale's pitches
that play on emotion not the product.
On a cost to benefit analysis I doubt you will see
a cost benifit from the B&C in your or anyone's
lifetime. My only gripe with B&C is the outrageous
price they charge. If you want an alternator kit
check out Plane Power.
I think if you buy a good quality after-market stock
ND alternator and install and operate it properly,
you can achieve the same reliability as any DESIGNER
brand alternator. Proper operation is don't
cycle the ALT switch with the engine turning and
don't overload it. Proper installation is install the
warning light and provide heat shield and cooling air.
Both Plane Power and B&C offer value but I think of
the two, Plane Power has the value edge:
- High Altitude brushes
- Proper Fan cooling direction
- Additional O/V protection (elegant**)
- High Quality installation hardware ($375)
(** additional OV is integrated not an ADD on B-lead relay)
>From: Brian Lloyd <brian-yak(at)lloyd.com (brian-yak(at)lloyd.com)>
>If Bill Bainbridge of B&C is to be believed, the failure
| Quote: | rate of B&C alternators is very close to zero.
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khorton01(at)rogers.com
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 5:21 pm Post subject: Alternator failure. Info provided (B&C value, reliability?) |
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On 30 Jun 2006, at 20:00, <gmcjetpilot(at)yahoo.com> wrote:
| Quote: | I am sure B&C sells a nice product.
I think B&C might(?) achieve better reliability,
but........
There is NO DATA to back that up any claim
that B&C has superior reliability. I know B&C
and Bob N. have a strong opinions but no
real data.
|
We've read about a number of failures of converted automotive
alternators on this list. But I don't recall reading about any
failures of B&C alternators. That seems to suggest that the failure
rate must be fairly low. I have seen a number of posts from people
who are using B&C main alternators, so I know they are selling a few.
Kevin Horton
Ottawa, Canada
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Terry Watson
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 290
Location: Seattle, WA USA
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| Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 6:08 pm Post subject: Alternator failure. Info provided (B&C value, reliability?) |
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George, you could save us a lot of time and yourself a lot of words by just coming up with the name and circumstances of someone who has had a B&C alternator failure. Could it be that NO DATA really means no failures?
Terry
There is NO DATA to back that up any claim
that B&C has superior reliability. I know B&C
and Bob N. have a strong opinions but no
real data.
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