About to buy a replacement alternator. In Canada Auto Parts way sells new Reliance brand for $160 Canadian.

https://www.autopartsway.ca/partdeta...nts/alternator

Any one have experience with this or other cheap brands (not bosch or Valeo OEM)

thanks

Don't do it.
Pull the Brushes/ Voltage regulator from the alternator, take it to an autp electrics shop,
have new brushes soldered in, and you're done for like 20 bucks.
Otherwise pull the stock Alt, and have it rebuilt by said auto electrics shop.
They disassemble, clean, replace the bearings, but new regulator brushes, and diodes.
$200.

yeah you may have been right, finding a local shop, driving to it and back twice.. etc all costs time and money. But the job was done the day I posted this.

Thanks for your suggestion. Next car!