So the wife's ES350 started having electrical problems earlier this week. It was determined (via reputable shop we use) that the alternator had gone bad.
Fine. Replaced (Remanned Denso. I insisted on Denso instead of the "Made in Mexico" one from Napa which is all he could get- so I looked on Amazon & in 2 minutes was sending to his shop-next day delivery- and was STILL less than the Napa one) and all is good.

Told the shop I wanted the old alternator back-
Knowing that it was/is most likely just the voltage regulator gone bad, (only 145k on the car) I went in search of a replacement one so we can have a spare as we plan on keeping this car until it nearly completely dies.

Problem is- I cannot find/get one! Really?? It's just a voltage regulator..
Guy at Napa I spoke to earlier tonight said that for the most part now- you can't get alternator parts any longer. He made it sound like it has been that way for awhile.
I noticed an older thread here where a guy said that he bought one for $55- (a lot less than buying a whole new alternator which is totally unnecessary) but unfortunately he did not say where.
Thought I would post up here and see if anyone knows where I might get a new one (not going to waste time & $$ with a used one as i hear it is quite a job getting to the alt)
Google-ing turned up surprisingly little.

-Feeling irritated.

 

out of boredom i googled alternator repair kits and got this. there are some voltage regulators there

http://www.aspwholesale.com/index.ph...ry&cat_id=1023

 

There's another piece that fails on the alternators - some form of clutch mechanism in the front. Are you positive that it was the regulator on yours?