Autoelectro has consistently focused on starter motors and alternators. Its dedication to specialisation fills niche gaps in the market and allows the remanufacturer to consistently deliver high-quality parts – but what other advantages does this philosophy bring to motor factors and garages?
Sourcing reliable and high-quality parts at a competitive price point, creating a healthy margin, and keeping customers happy is the holy grail. Whether the product is brand new or remanufactured, the thinking is the same.
Some businesses diversify and look at alternative product categories to unearth new growth; for Autoelectro, celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026, it has never deviated from remanufacturing starter motors and alternators.
Autoelectro’s Harnek Bhogal explained: “By focusing on just two core products, we have honed our technical expertise and developed a comprehensive understanding of our market. This specialisation allows us to concentrate on four key pillars: offering a wide range, ensuring strong availability from stock, providing outstanding technical support, and maintaining complete oversight over our remanufacturing procedures.”
Availability strongest attribute
By concentrating on two products, Autoelectro has identified and filled gaps in the car parc that either are too niche or too complex for wholesale distributors to stock, such as 48V MHEV or PHEV components. This focus gives the remanufacturer a significant advantage, as it is often one of a few or the only supplier of certain parts.
Harnek continued: “Having the right product at the right time is crucial, and our ability to maintain availability from stock is testament to our remanufacturing expertise.”
Technical ability shines through – Autoelectro proves it!
It is no secret that access to technical knowledge is vital – and Autoelectro provides support, not just for newer models but for classic applications too. Within the majority of red Autoelectro product boxes, there is a technical note that pinpoints known issues about the vehicle in question, offers fitting advice or best practice information to protect potential warranty issues.
For example, on a 2023 Ford Puma 1.0 48V hybrid, which is just entering the aftermarket, Autoelectro has observed examples of alternators returning for surcharge credit that show signs of a broken or damaged plug.
Autoelectro has also received reports of a 2010-2015 Vauxhall Corsa starter motor burning out and failing prematurely. This fault is often misdiagnosed as a faulty motor or solenoid, but the remanufacturer believes it is usually the result of an underlying vehicle fault, causing the starter motor to burn out, especially given a starter motor does not generate any power by itself.
The following defects are indicative of a vehicle issue that has caused the failure of the starter motor:
Blue colour on the gear shaft and pinion areaRattling inside the starter motor when shaken, indicating components have explodedBurnt smell from the starter motor/varnish or an insulation leakDamaged pinion teeth/broken nose coneBurnt/discoloured/melted broken wire from solenoid to starter bodyShrivelled/burnt label
At the other end of the spectrum – and while independent workshops are unlikely to receive a booking from a customer with a 1976 Triumph Dolomite 1.5 – Autoelectro can supply information according to the part number in question. Before fitting a replacement alternator, Autoelectro advises that the terminals are checked. This is because burnt terminals suggest there is an issue with the connections. The B+ connection to the battery must be joined securely; otherwise, this can damage the replacement alternator. If it is to be run without the B+, then the D+ terminal should also be disconnected. It is vital that the alternator has a good ground via the engine, transmission and chassis to the negative battery terminal.
Harnek said: “These are three great examples of how specialising in a product area has given us the expertise we have. Developing deep product and application knowledge – covering the likes of mounting points, pulley types, terminals, plug layouts and software-related requirements – means motor factors and garages can talk to us with confidence.”
Take advantage of 40 years of technical knowhow
Autoelectro advises professionals to sign up to the 1986 Dashboard. Free to the trade, it provides users with a comprehensive vehicle search to locate specific starter motor and alternator types and information for vehicles from the 1970s to the present day.
On an alternator, the number of amps and connections, the fan and pulley type, and the number of fixing points are all listed; whereas, on a starter motor, the number of teeth, volts and fixing points, plus power in kW, are all included.
Harnek added: “This also ties into our focus on product quality. Remanufacturing, by definition, gives us direct oversight over how each starter motor and alternator can fail.
“When parts are stripped and assessed as old cores, our engineers conduct analysis and inspection to determine why these old cores failed. Our remanufacturing process also allows us to engineer out inherent issues to prevent the same failures on remanufactured parts.”
Conclusion
Autoelectro has stood by its philosophy of specialisation for four decades, building a reputation that is built on supporting both motor factors and garages with technical support, strong availability, in-depth range and excellent aftersales support. While technology is evolving, the remanufacturer is evolving with it – by sticking to its roots.
