vs
Alternator OEM BMW or GENERAL MOTORS
Reviews
Actively replacing our alternator now, I used this video to confirm that it was the same sound.
Vehicle:
BMW
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.
Pros: reliable, no critical problems
Cons: alternator gave out, EGR thermostat bad
Vehicle:
BMW
Mileage: 100000 km
I've replaced the alternator (failed on me), done waterpump & thermostat (180,000km done as a precaution).
Pros: done as a precaution
Cons: alternator failed
Vehicle:
BMW
Mileage: 190000 km
I will always vote for a 10SI or 12SI GM alternator swap on an L-series engine. Affordable conversion bracket. 1-wire GM alternators are simple, reliable, cheap and readily available online but not easy to find in parts stores. 3 wire GM alternators are are easy enough to wire up and are absolutely everywhere in parts stores if you’re more concerned about parts availability and potential breakdowns on long adventures.
Pros: simple, reliable, cheap, readily available
Cons: 1-wire not easy to find
Dead battery within months, and car completely shutting off, your car SCREAMS alternator issue. Get it checked out.
Cons: alternator issue
Vehicle:
BMW X1
My shitbox, I replaced my alternator just for my window motor to go bad, I replaced the window motor just for the thermostat to go bad the next day, it’s inevitable.
My friend’s BMW X5 had an alternator fail at 50k, she does a lot of city driving so lots of start/stops.
Cons: alternator failed
Vehicle:
BMW X5
Mileage: 80467 km
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.
Cons: alternator give up
Vehicle:
BMW
I ended up getting a new one from BMW after two remans failed with once catastrophically failing and catching fire almost burning up my car.
Cons: catastrophically failing, catching fire
Vehicle:
BMW
three alternators in a Cadillac, even "new GM" are remans, only way to get a new one (never installed, made of new parts, new for you) is to buy a new car.
Cons: multiple failures, poor reliability
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Which alternator to choose — OEM BMW or GENERAL MOTORS?
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:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which alternator are better — GENERAL MOTORS or OEM BMW?
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator OEM BMW were overall better than GENERAL MOTORS.
- OEM BMW received a PR Score of 62 out of 100, and GENERAL MOTORS scored 50 points.
- OEM BMW ranked 12 in the overall ranking, and GENERAL MOTORS ranked 16.
- The average rating is higher for OEM BMW (3.2) than for GENERAL MOTORS (3).
-
Alternator OEM BMW have better feature ratings than GENERAL MOTORS:
- Warning light - owners believe, that this property for GENERAL MOTORS is better than OEM BMW.
- Lights - drivers claim, that this property for GENERAL MOTORS is outperforms OEM BMW.
- Noise - reviews suggest, that this property for OEM BMW is preferred to GENERAL MOTORS.
Which alternator are more popular — OEM BMW or GENERAL MOTORS?
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator OEM BMW were overall more popular than GENERAL MOTORS.
By vote balance, alternator OEM BMW surpassed GENERAL MOTORS:
- For OEM BMW, the ratio of positive (30) to negative (18) votes is 12 votes.
- For GENERAL MOTORS, the ratio of positive (17) to negative (17) votes is 0 votes.
By number of reviews, alternator OEM BMW surpassed GENERAL MOTORS:
- For alternator OEM BMW there are 15 reviews: 8 positive, 3 neutral, 4 negative.
- For alternator GENERAL MOTORS there are 11 reviews: 5 positive, 1 neutral, 5 negative.
Which alternator do car owners prefer — OEM BMW or GENERAL MOTORS?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, alternator OEM BMW and GENERAL MOTORS have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.
Other comparisons of alternator
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of alternator OEM BMW with: Denso, Bosch, Duralast, OEM Toyota, VALEO, OEM Honda, OEM Volkswagen, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi.
Also available: comparisons of alternator GENERAL MOTORS 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.