...they're here all week, folks! Don't forget to tip your waitress...

 

Good grief. Purists? Ethics?? Your 2008 XKR is not a collectible. Get a rebuilt alternator from Rockauto for around $100 and get on with life.

 

Banter and critiques aside, I actually got helpful answers and a solution from some of this. I'll post some R&R pics and info after I get the replacement in.

 

I know of people who won't even put in a non-Jaguar battery. What I'd REALLY like to know is where they find all the OEM Jaguar gasoline.

 

BP! British Petroleum.

 

I fish mine out of the Gulf or wash some shrimp.

 

You should switch to Gulf then (please don't get me going)

It will be a Marathon.

 

It’s a VERY modern Jag, I wouldn’t worry about the ethics of an original alternator in the slightest. Alternators are one of those things that get replaced numerous times by time that the car actually gets to collectible age.

That said, it’s more than likely the voltage regulator that’s popped. Have you opened up the alternator and investigated what the issue actually is? The coil should be fine considering how new the car is, and there isn’t much more to an alternator other than the bushes and regulator, both of which are a very easy DIY fix.

 

Thanks HorseBoxGuy. This is good to hear. I did find an exact Denso replacement, but will also try to fix old one with the suggestion you supplied. Much appreciated.

 

I generally tend to get an oem from a upull yard, next choice is o’reilly , my BMW needed an alt, the Bosch remanufacter was 900.00, so I went with O’reilly , 600.00 since their unit was reman by cardone, and specifically stated that they tested the voltage regulator. Which I believe is SM bus networked. I also got word that if the cardone failed I could apply the 600 towards the Bosch unit. So two years later the cardone rebuilt magnetti is doing fine.
I got the BMW cheap because the kid previous owner installed a 165.00 eBay alternator, it failed 5 weeks later and was putting 17.8 volts to all the modules over 1300 RPM, luckily in 2004 the modules shut down to protect overvoltage, it potentially could have cooked every module in the car, 14 of them I believe.

 

No problem. As someone said earlier in this thread, almost everyone suggests going to a garage or workshop for every little thing, without even trying to diagnose or fix things. I’m in the U.K. and my alternator on my X300 went recently. A new Jag one is £679, a copy is around £150, and to get it “refurbished” was £130 plus postage. I bought a second hand one from a breakers for £60 delivered and swapped it to get my car running again, then took the cover off my alternator - brushes were fine. Replaced the voltage regulator (the most common fault on alternators) which cost me £19 inc delivery. Swapped them back over and have sold the breakers unit on eBay for £65.

it’s cost next to nothing, except a couple of hours work swapping them over. Changing the regulators is literally a few nuts and screws.

I hope yours is as simple. It’s worth a try. If it doesn’t fix yours, you’ve still got the breakers one to use anyway. (And the one that was originally on my car had a refurbished sticker on it, so like most alternators it has been played with at some point.)

 

It's such a pain in the you know what to change so get it rebuilt at a good shop. We have Mike's Alternators here in Orange, Virginia who will rebuild it as good as new for less than 1/3 of the dealer new cost. Don't waste your money on any junk Chinese knock off rebuild unless you want to change it again in the near future. That's my two cents for what it's worth..

 

If I can give my 2 cents.. I know it's not the same comparison but I had a Mercedes that I rebuilt the alternator on, but using aftermarket parts internally. After I was done everything worked normally, my charging ranged between 13.8 to 15.1 volts at the battery. The only problem was my charging light was still on. My recommendation then would be to have it rebuilt by an alternator shop, at least what you put in will be warrantied and ensured that it will work with no issues or ask them to fix it right or ask for your money back. This way you have your original alternator, a piece of mind and least out of pocket cost.
By the way I ended getting the same type alternator from a junk yard and it worked for another 50k miles before I sold the car.....

~Alan ~

 

Your comment says a lot about your character.

Why would a refurbished unit be a “Chinese” knockoff? It would be a refurbished unit off another similar vehicle. Hence the name “refurbished”. And using “Chinese” as a synonym for poor quality is a bit stupid in this day and age. Just my two cents.

And swapping an alternator is an absolute doddle. They are usually a bit awkward to get to, but it’s not a difficult task by any means.

 

I buy a lot of silly stuff from China. Half of it is junk.
That's just a fact.

 

Therefore all Chinese stuff is junk? I think there’s a word for that attitude….

 

Good thing I didn't say that. Also, good thing piper 88 didn't either. They said 'don't BUY the junk ones'. Said nothing about the good ones.

 

I've had two alternators rebuilt in my 40yrs of druving, no issues. Ave cost £70

Similarly Ive had two where I changed the brushes and or regulator myself, no issues afterwards on those either. Cost £20. In both of those (x100 and audi A6C6) I could do the work wirhout having to remove the alternator from the car, which is a plus

in both cases take some time to clean up the wiring esp the earth and seal/protect it.

Best of luck