KEYPART Freight Free if ordered online

One thing I was going to say about Keypart - they now put the word "genuine" in the description if it's a VP OEM part.
If not, then usually it's a copy (cheaper).

Buyer chooses!

Good point David, they have a good number of items that have both as an option so you can choose genuine or copy
 
I've used keypart for many years. They have always been very helpful, great value and fast delivery. I personally wouldn't bother looking elsewhere.
 
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Thanks for the clarification, it was somewhat confused.

If the voltage was low, then the unit was faulty. I don't understand why Keypart would say otherwise. I guess it depends on the time after purchase that this was reported, and if the unit had changed hands in the meantime.

However, if Keypart were simply told that the tachometer was reading low (as we were also told in this forum), this does not imply a faulty alternator, as it may simply have the wrong number of poles. If you need me to explain this, I will be happy to do so.

As mentioned above, Keypart often have a choice of genuine VP parts, or replacements. Nothing wrong with that, the motor industry have been doing it for years, and the replacement parts are often as good or better. One thing to watch though, the replacement anodes are 10% lighter, so not as much of a saving as you think. If you always replace at 50% then of course this is no problem.
 
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If you are supplying a "compatible" part, then it should be compatible with the standard VP electrical systems, including the tacho.
The tacho is actually quite flexible, and can be easily re-programmed with a paperclip.
If there is no setting that gets you an accurate tacho reading, then that alternator is not entirely compatible, is it?

If the alternator had been chucking out the correct voltage, and the tacho could be made to work with a bit of button pressing, I would agree with you.

But it didn't.
 
The tacho is actually quite flexible, and can be easily re-programmed with a paperclip...
Assuming the bloody display hasn't died!

I didn't intend to get into an argument over this, but what we were being told was not conclusive of a faulty alternator. Now we have some clarification, it is quite possible that it was. This being the case, I don't understand why the problem was not rectified, unless Keypart were only given the same information that we were.

Do remember that over time manufacturers fit different parts, it is quite possible that the unit supplied was identical to that fitted in the same engine on other boats. When I first bought my boat the VP dealer could not predict with 100% certainty what fuel filter I needed!
 
it is quite possible that the unit supplied was identical to that fitted in the same engine on other boats.

Going up the Huanpu river, with a low voltage alarm sounding, and a tacho that reads 500rpm out, maybe.
In this case, there are other ways of getting hold of the correct Valeo unit.

.
 
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I get 15% off Volvo genuine parts from the authorised Volvo firm i use to service my outdrives and engines. No mail order just pop in
and see them and i get all the advice i require ( and i need a lot !! ).

Yep, I get good prices from my local VP dealer too. In fact it's been very interesting this week to source the service consumables needed for the forthcoming service of my d6-350's on outdrives - buying the parts in the UK plus the cost of fuel, ferry and tolls was still less than buying exactly the same parts at the local VP dealer here in France...

Cheers
Jimmy
 
It means that with a bit of rooting around, you can find the correct part numbers for the alternator, but not supplied by VP?
You said "good luck with that", as if it were an impossitask.
 
Yep, I get good prices from my local VP dealer too. In fact it's been very interesting this week to source the service consumables needed for the forthcoming service of my d6-350's on outdrives - buying the parts in the UK plus the cost of fuel, ferry and tolls was still less than buying exactly the same parts at the local VP dealer here in France...

Cheers
Jimmy


...and if you add in the medical fees with the added stress is it still cheaper? ( ;) I can see you did it for the adventure though

(plus the stress will shorten your life, so what you spend in medical bills now you won't need to later)
 
If you are supplying a "compatible" part, then it should be compatible with the standard VP electrical systems, including the tacho.
The tacho is actually quite flexible, and can be easily re-programmed with a paperclip.
If there is no setting that gets you an accurate tacho reading, then that alternator is not entirely compatible, is it?

If the alternator had been chucking out the correct voltage, and the tacho could be made to work with a bit of button pressing, I would agree with you.

But it didn't.

Exactly David, what kp have done is advertise and sell an alternator that looks like the genuine part, outputs voltage but not made it sense correctly which in my book isn't the right part, and based on that and phone calls to them by two separate people they should have taken it back based on explanation related on these posts by people who obviously know far more about the product and how it should work than key part, otherwise why would they argue over it. What nots been mentioned is that they would not refund unless t was proved faulty which would mean testing it against a tacho and under load on a tester, as there reputation is now clearly shown here its too late.
I don't get treated like this by my genuine vp suppliers or after market companies either. One company I use for filters go the extra mile to send various filters matched against one vp part number, I get there in the end with the correct application, there more than happy to take back what's wrong. Unlike some.
 
Yep, I get good prices from my local VP dealer too. In fact it's been very interesting this week to source the service consumables needed for the forthcoming service of my d6-350's on outdrives - buying the parts in the UK plus the cost of fuel, ferry and tolls was still less than buying exactly the same parts at the local VP dealer here in France...

Cheers

Jimmy

And yet Volvo say there prices are uniform throughout Europe, all bollox
 
Paul, alternators aside what I don't quite get is you're rubbishing KP on a single experience. Does that mean KP's a bad company as a whole for their wide range of competitively priced products, many of which are passive devices that simply cannot go wrong?.

It's simple really, if they are cheaper and they can get me the part quickly, genuine or otherwise, why would I want to go elsewhere?
 
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