Got some faulty alternators from autozone that were overcharging or undercharging. I just bought an oem reman from mazdaswag, (or any mazda dealership store online). Works fine now.
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.
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?!
B5/5.5 alternators come from two vendors, Bosch and Valeo. I've heard they're not interchangeable because of different pulleys.
FWIW I bought an oreilly\u2019s remanufactured for my e34 a few years ago. It failed and was replaced twice in two years until I just bought the Bosch from FCP. No issues since.
Alternator and the battery are overpriced 2x (google replacement Varta battery and smth like Bosch alternator for your car on pkwteile or idealo).
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