Check your alternator brushes

If you have never checked your alternator brushes, it could be a smart thing to do. The brushes wear down, and at a certain point your alternator will stop charging. And that will probably happen in an inconvenient time, at an inconvenient place.

The brushes sits on the regulator, and the regulator is mounted on the alternator. The access is pretty easy. Unscrew some bolts and screws, unplug some connectors, and pull out the regulator. Just remember to disconnect the battery first, or else you may find yourself in big trouble.

A brand new regulator on the left side, and an old regulator with short brushes on the right side. The brushes should be minimum 5 mm.

Earlier and later models have different regulators, so make sure you buy the right one. If you are really into money saving, you could actually try to resolder new brushes on to the regulator. However, these regulators are not expensive. But some of the Volvo/Bosch alternators can be very expensive.

The length of the regulator brushes are never measured at services, so if your alternator is old, you could have a regulator with short time left. Just saying...