My wife drove our 06 Mazda5 to work and it died as she pulled up - power steering, brakes and total battery/electrical failure...

This morning I boosted it and within a minute it died again. I checked and all fuses are fine. Is this an alternator problem?

I called a local garage and he has an alternator for Mazda3s and 6s -- is this the same part for my 5?!? As I would have to have the car towed to the garage I want to make sure I can get it fixed properly.

Please any insights or suggestions would be great!

Cheers,
Mat

 

UPDATE-- Finally the local garage yesterday confirmed its the alternator that's dead.
Only issue is I live in Vietnam and he says it'll take 3 weeks to get one delivered here (and I pay shipping and import tax!).

I have a friend flying to Vietnam from Ottawa, Canada in two days - any suggestions on best place to get a replacement alternator for 2006 Mazda5? I e-mailed my dealer but haven't heard back.

Are OEM options available? Do they fit and work as well as official Mazda alternator?
Thanks for any quick feedback...

 

I am assuming that when you stated OEM you meant OEM specifications or maybe like dealer specs but not from the dealer?? You contrasted OEM and official Mazda alternator so I will say yes OEM options are available and I am going to say yes for the fitment and workability. This is my opinion. Do what is best for you and the situation that you are in. Good Luck.

 

Hi scurvydog,

We may be moving to Hanoi in a couple months' time and are also considering bringing a Mazda5 with us. You seem to have had trouble finding appropriate parts for the 5 -- that is probably our biggest concern as well. Given your experience as a Mazda5 owner in Hanoi, would you recommend going ahead with this plan or on choosing another mini-minivan option (like the Kia Rondo, for example) that would be better supported in Vietnam?

Right now we have a 2006 Mazda5, but we would sell it and buy a newer model in order to stay within Vietnamese shipping regulations for vehicles (they must be less than five years old). So we are currently trying to decide whether to go with a newer 5 or something more suited to Vietnamese conditions. We have two kids (3 y.o. and 6 months) and are likely to stay in Hanoi at least a couple of years.

Your advice is VERY much appreciated. Thanks!!