I had to buy a replacement remanufactured alternator (Valeo 120A one) and it was a straight replacement that solved the problem.
you dont even need ISTA to figure out the alternator is dead. A fresh and charged batter will sit at 13v, used should always be around 12v. while charging it should be 13v. the fact this is dropping while the car is running suggests a shot alternator right off the bat
I installed the Valeo alternator that I got from FCP Euro and everything works now. The rebuilt Valeo was $200 less expensive than the Valeo that O’Reilly’s had in their computer but couldn’t order themselves. Also it was immaculate. It was a true rebuild and looked brand new in every way. It was $400.
Paid $1,214 out the door. Alternator... No experience with cars and don\u2019t feel comfortable installing myself. Based off local availability, I can\u2019t imagine an option I would\u2019ve been happier with. Of course it\u2019s overpriced, but I can justify the spend based off how seamless the experience was.
A brand new Valeo (439317) alternator is $209 on Rockauto and they can be swapped in an hour or two.
I then ordered a Valeo from Bimmerworld which arrived seized. Finally ordered the same Valeo from RockAuto (for less money, too) which has been working great so far.
A bearing went in our original alternator so I replaced it with a Valeo brand and it's pretty loud when it clicks on. It is loud enough that I'm wondering if I got a bad alternator --or is this normal??
It's the typical whirl or whurr noise --it's silent, and then you can hear the whirl or whurr noise when the alternator clicks on. It seems mechanically and electrically fine: It's doing what it should be doing electrically (charging, correct voltage, the battery is happy, the car runs better with this new alternator, etc.). It's just loud.
mine is a Valeo alternator and though you are probably correct, this is the original alternator (22 years old) and it will probably get me through another few years at least.
It's probably a crap reman one. The aftermarket reman ones that aren't Valeo, Bosch, or Delphi seem to last a year tops before they die.
My 540i at 141k started eating me alive, Alternator blew up
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