The forums are riddled with people who tried to save a few bucks & got what they paid for. The DME on an e90 is extremely fickle. DO NOT buy an alternator unless it\u2019s a Bosch.
Volvo tech here, Bosch. Just replace the whole thing, it's not worth doing the brush job only to find that you should've just done the whole thing first.
I ordered the genuine Bosch alternator for not even 300 bucks and installed it myself for him still good a year or so later and it was a very easy job
Get the Bosch, including the warranty from them, and be done.
Bosch has a support site that shows what alternators they recommend for your VIN number. AL20X (65A) and AL172X (65A) are the two Bosch shows. However most of us know the original was a 90A unit AL30X.
After getting mine rebuilt 3 times and still having the same problem, I ended up getting a Bosch factory rebuilt one. Cost-wise I don’t think it was significantly more than one rebuilt by a shonky auto electrician and in the long run would have been cheaper.
I used to have an alternator that required me to rev to 5k before the light would go out! My current one needs a slight blip to 1200 to make the light go out. I just ordered a new Bosch rebuilt alternator to replace.
I want to replace the alternator myself, but I can't find where to get OEM parts for a reasonable price. The dealership is charging $340 for the part and the best I can find is this [Bosch alternator](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001C64QHE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=TXMF4LHVIWCE&coliid=IN63F3OG0M77W) on Amazon which they state is new, but it seems like all Bosch alternators are remanufactured. Why is it so damn complicated to find high-quality replacement alternators?!
ended up going with a Bosch remanufactured alternator. Installed it today, went super smooth, charged up the battery as I was installing it, got everything buttoned up and started it up. Battery light still on, voltage is at around 11.9 and dropping. Will randomly jump up to 14.4 volts, no correlation with revving the engine or putting a load on the electrical system.
So I bought a new alternator off of Rock Auto that I was amazed that I had to re-use my old pulley? But when I went to put the pulley on, the nut stripped on the new alternator like instantly. The whole ordeal is trash
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