Actively replacing our alternator now, I used this video to confirm that it was the same sound.
My first car was a E46 316i, under 100tkm on odo, had it for 3 years, literally gave no problems.
Sold the E46 and got a E39 530D because I love them. Has been reliable so far, I've had it as daily for almost a year now and the only critical problems it has had are that the alternator gave out after a couple of weeks owning and EGR thermostat was bad.
Fords can be really picky about which alternator you use! Even if it’s a remanufactured Motorcraft, it’s worth it. Had a friend with an 11 Edge 3.5 that we put a aftermarket alternator in and it complained errors etc… for months till we finally swapped it out and it worked fine with the Ford part!
I've replaced the alternator (failed on me), done waterpump & thermostat (180,000km done as a precaution).
I just replaced mine with a motorcraft one from rock auto. Yeah it's pricier than reman or other brands but if it lasted 20 years and 190k, I figured that this would last just as long. Get what you pay for
I went through 3, iirc on my 2006 mustang. Wound up with a used motorcraft (OEM) that I bought off eBay.
Dead battery within months, and car completely shutting off, your car SCREAMS alternator issue. Get it checked out.
This was the only non oe product in my car. When mine went it went . There weren\u2019t any bmw ones available for love nor money at the time. I get 13.8 out of mine as well. Can been fine for 12 months.
My friend’s BMW X5 had an alternator fail at 50k, she does a lot of city driving so lots of start/stops.
We were on our way back from a daytrip when the M3's alternator decided to give up the ghost about 1.5 hours from home.
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If choosing alternator across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare alternator across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator Motorcraft were overall better than OEM BMW.
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator OEM BMW were overall more popular than OEM BMW.
By vote balance, alternator Motorcraft surpassed OEM BMW:
By number of reviews, the manufacturers are equal:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, alternator Motorcraft led more car-specific ratings than OEM BMW:
Motorcraft are chosen by owners of cars such as: Ford Mustang, and others.
Alternator OEM BMW have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of alternator Motorcraft with: Denso, Bosch, Duralast, OEM Toyota, VALEO, OEM Honda, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi.
Also available: comparisons of alternator OEM BMW with: Denso, Bosch, Duralast, OEM Toyota, VALEO, OEM Honda, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi.
You can also see who is better among other alternator manufacturers: Bosch or Denso, Denso or Duralast, OEM Toyota or Denso, Bosch or Duralast, Denso or VALEO.
