Heavy Duty Alternator

Reman vs. Imitation

Reman Offers Advantages over Imitations & Local Rebuilt Units

Sometimes fleets try to find cost-savings through imitations or local rebuilt starters and alternators that are less expensive and touted as a better "deal." But the savings from a cheaper product is often lost before you know it—making it no deal after all.

"There’s a significant difference between a truly re-manufactured product and one that is an imitation or has been rebuilt," explains Otto Szalavari, Director Remanufacturing & International Programs. "An imitation is just that—and it doesn’t adhere to the same quality standards. Likewise, a rebuilt product is simply cleaned up with only a few parts replaced. Neither lasts as long because they aren’t made to the same quality as one of our reman products." 

What happens at Remy’s remanufacturing site is quite different—and so is the result. In a dedicated facility, we remanufacture a high volume of alternators and starters each year in a process that’s as methodical as our OE plants.

In fact, the link to OE is something that can’t be found in an imitation or simple rebuild. At Remy, our OE engineers are involved in the remanufacturing process. This ensures that any changes or upgrades made on the OE side are also incorporated on the reman side.

"The tie between reman and OE at Remy is a huge advantage to our customers," says Szalavari. "The reman lines use our OE production lines as a benchmark. We remanufacture to OE specs and use OE-quality components that provide long-term life."

Even more, any component that fails during the reclaim inspection test is replaced by one of the following:

  • Genuine OE component
  • New component that meets Remy specs
  • Component remanufactured to Remy specs

The Delco Remy reman product is the real deal. The quality workmanship and attention to detail put into our remanufactured products give you a savings where it really counts: longer product life, fewer failures, less warranty issues and, most of all, more time on the road.

Reman vs. Imitation

The cheaper imitation or rebuilt starter or alternator may seem like a deal… until it quits in half the time of a quality remanufactured one. Remy has done competitive analyses comparing Delco Remy remanufactured starters to imitation and rebuilt ones. The result was eye-opening.

"Bottom line—the cheap cost is reflected in the quality of product," says Otto Szalavari, Director Remanufacturing & International Programs. "The parts were not made of proper materials and were out of spec. A fleet that purchases an imitation or rebuilt unit will likely be replacing it in six months or so, rather than every few years with a Delco Remy remanufactured starter or alternator."

Not only will the fleet pay more in the long run for the alternator or starter, they’ll also lose money if their trucks are down more often for maintenance and repairs. And, in this industry, we all know that down time is a negative on the balance sheet.

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