I upgraded my alternator a little over a month ago the BNR eBay special claiming to put out 180amps. I installed it and was very happy until a cruise where the regulator completely failed. At first my stereo was turning on and off (protection mode preventing high voltage) then I looked at my SAFC to see the voltage jump around from 17v - 12v until I was left with a dead alt. Luckily I have a big battery for my stereo which allowed me to finish the 50mile journey with volts to spare.
I contacted BNR, they asked me to ship it back, they refunded my shipping, installed a "new" regulator, and so far I am once again happy.
So with all this alternator swapping I am very thankful to have ample ground clearance to avoid jacking the van up and replace alts in less than 20 minutes! I have been lowering those times consistently, but I will be happy if I never have to change it again.
Anyhow, I made a small video of the experience. Enjoy!
