Best place for a replacement Civic alternator?

[user removed]

Make sure the battery is good and fully charged. If the lights are still flickering with a good battery then I don't think the alternator will solve that problem. You can check the grounds with a volt meter but a visual inspection and no ground cleaning is a recipe for a later post "Well I replaced the alternator (or regulator) and it still has flickering lights".
Replacing only the regulator leaves you with an alternator that has seen many miles and is still a potential failure.

regards
Mech

[Xist]

Originally Posted by nemo

While a visual check is better than none it is best to use a volt meter. Just as easy to clean without checking and take very little time. I recommend you clean the ground using a small rotatory tool with with a brass brush, less likely to remove the coating protective coating from the connectors.

Brass is better than sandpaper or a normal wire wheel?

I do not think that I mentioned this:

[nemo]

Originally Posted by Xist

Brass is better than sandpaper or a normal wire wheel?

My preference. Sandpaper would be my last choice, not say I haven't used it.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

A remanufactured alternator, even if it's not OEM, might still be a good cost-effective option. Anyway, nowadays it can often be cheaper to buy the stock item quoting by the part number (issued by the supplier, not by the automaker) instead of buying for a specific car.