Alternator

[Bounce]

Im waiting for my alternator to pack up,as I'm still on the original one at over 70k miles.I had to have a new one in my stock M3 at 35k miles and knowing what a problem they are on the E46 M3 it's only a matter of time:(.So I was wondering how many of you have new ones and how many are still running with the original.

[monkeycsl]

New one at 30k new water pump 33k not good really my old e36 evo was on 137k and on original pump and alternator! Seems bmw wanted them to not last on the e46.I paid 850 for my water pump fitted what a rip off.

[outnumbered]

Just had mine changed last week under warranty - about 56K miles (same mileage it went in my old E46), intermittent red battery light of doom.

If you're fixing it yourself, googling suggests it's usually the voltage regulator that fails, so that would be a much cheaper fix either DIY or via a good indy.

But if BMW want to rinse their warranty company for £6-700 a pop, I guess I don't care that much !

[shimmy]

mine went around 60k i thiink

[3wheels3]

Mine @ 40k iirc. Is a horrible but easily fixable breakdown. Can take your battery with it aswell which may trigger numerous warning lights after alternator is sorted out.

[shane@mbtech]

Im keeping used spare, you never know. Ill be taking it to Germany/spa with me :partyman:

[Bounce]

Mine @ 40k iirc. Is a horrible but easily fixable breakdown. Can take your battery with it aswell which may trigger numerous warning lights after alternator is sorted out.
This is the trouble Wheels,do I get it changed,or wait for it to go(probably when I'm off on a trackday) and get it under warranty but will balls the day up:banghead:

[shimmy]

Im keeping used spare, you never know. Ill be taking it to Germany/spa with me :partyman:

thanks :)

ill bring a spare break disc and some vaseline

[shimmy]

mine went around 60k i thiink

ive just remembered, mine didnt go wrong, it was just a pre-emptive strike :)

[3wheels3]

I had next to no warning it was going and it seems to be a 40k-60k life time. Add to that the £100 excess warranty option, likely busted battery and new one at local indy looks attractive. You may get a buzz from Russian Roulette game with it but odds are one time it will not be empty chamber...

[rstoughy]

70k for me and as far as i'm aware its the original.
Nothing in the paperwork to suggest otherwise and it looks just a manky as the rest of the engine :bigcry:

[shimmy]

70k for me and as far as i'm aware its the original.
Nothing in the paperwork to suggest otherwise and it looks just a manky as the rest of the engine :bigcry:

Mine looked mankier than the engine :)

[shane@mbtech]

Mine looked mankier than the engine :)

Not surprised:partyman:, Lucky fucker.

[azrael]

Mine went on the way back from Murketts having collected the car. Was in the 40k's mileage wise. It had been there six weeks though

[Bounce]

Mine went on the way back from Murketts having collected the car. Was in the 40k's mileage wise. It had been there six weeks thoughWas that lucky,or unlucky :hahaha:

[CraigMillwardCroft]

Mine went on the way back from Murketts having collected the car. Was in the 40k's mileage wise. It had been there six weeks though
What were they doing for six weeks :)

[azrael]

What were they doing for six weeks :)

Taking their bloody time :moan:

[DuncanR]

New alternator under BWM warranty fitted @ 66000

[glendog74]

http://www.cslregister.com/forum/showthread.php?t=885

My car had around 45k miles on it then. :banghead:

[Bounce]

Is there any way of telling if your alternator has been changed,as in build date or the like,on the alternator it's self.Who was the oem of the original.

[shimmy]

Is there any way of telling if your alternator has been changed,as in build date or the like,on the alternator it's self.Who was the oem of the original.

Technically I'd say 'check if it's shiney'

[Bounce]

Technically I'd say 'check if it's shiney'Tried that,all my engine bay is shiney:gayfight:

[shimmy]

Tried that,all my engine bay is shiney:gayfight:

It's all that polishing I've heard you do when alone at night :hahaha:

[Bounce]

It's all that polishing I've heard you do when alone at night :hahaha:I get great satisfaction from polishing my switches and knobs out in the garage:;)

[Mark CSL]

Have a look at the new post in the mens room and you will be back out in the garage Tonight :hahaha::hahaha:

[Bounce]

Have a look at the new post in the mens room and you will be back out in the garage Tonight :hahaha::hahaha:I'll save them for tomorrow as I've only just come in :hahaha::hahaha:

[niall1]

Mine went two weeks ago @ 49k. Replaced under the insured warranty with €330 excess. When I got the car back they had given it a good clean (thank you) but also a good ragging :moan: (MPG was 23 before and 9 after). Not happy..

100 miles later the replacement packed in leaving me stranded half way to Dublin airport! Had to abandon the car and get a taxi..

Picked car back up today (they had it for all of last week to 'put up some test miles'). Fingers crossed..

[rstoughy]

Wouldnt worry about the ragging,
its probably because battery was disconnected or something and thats just the reading from sitting running while checking the finished job.

[niall1]

Wouldnt worry about the ragging,
its probably because battery was disconnected or something and thats just the reading from sitting running while checking the finished job.

Oopps :smt053
Had a go at the service staff for going on a joyride.. Other evidence was an empty petrol tank (was full) and gear shift speed set to max (was 2 bars). Anyway the stress of abandoning my baby at the side of the road to catch my flight after a faulty repair job was more than I want to go through again any time soon!

[sfh3l]

Just had mine replaced under warranty.
The light flickered a couple of times when I had potential buyers out with me in the car :mad:

Booked the car into Elms and on the drive there the light came on every time the revs were above 3500 or so. All sorted now, under warranty.

I suspect that was a regulator failure and my hunch as to why m3 eats this item worse than other cars is the speed with which the revs rise on our cars. Perhaps the free revving nature of the engine is just too much for a normal regulator to cope with - as the charge builds and breaches the 13v or whatever the reg is set at then presumably it is required to trip out or bleed away the excess? Clearly that is going to happen much faster and more repeatedly than in say a diesel car. I don't know, just a bollox theory really :-D

Oh, forgot to say this was at precisely 49k miles - how predictable!