Quote:
Originally Posted by heticor
Hi
Last week driving close home , an alarm showed off on the screen .
"Charging malfunction
Battery is not recharging. Stop Carefully. Consult nearest service center."
I went to a BMW workshop , they concluded that the alternator must be replaced and that those alternator are not serviceable. I have my doubts about it.
this the first time I have an alternator failure on a car. they car has 120.000 km (74,000 miles)
Check with BMW dealer they quote $1,600 Cad ( $1,240 US), but they don't have it on stock and could be months to get one.
this is the part number :
BMW Alternator - Denso 12317605479 , 14V, 210 Amp
searching online there are all kinds of prices from $ 350 to $1200... no easy to decide which option with that large difference.
so I went to a reputable online stores
I looked on ECS tuning $ 842
Fcp Euro $351...
the part number are the same.. so I order from FCP Ero.. the alternator is installed and working.. it is the same brand looks identical , looks new.
Really I don't know what would be the difference between the BMW original part ( that is also Denso) and the others suppliers to justify that large difference in price.
Anybody know if this alternators can be repaired?
|
I doubt the two from ECS and FCP are exactly the same - they are usually priced similarly. But what you just discovered is true of every part on your car. Dealers sell only BMW branded parts, AND they mark them up a lot. I am right now waiting on a front driveshaft to arrive. If I went to my local dealer it would be at about $1,300. I got it online from a BMW dealer in PA that sells online for $930. That's a huge difference. Also less than ECS and FCP sold it for. But the second issue is that often non-BMW parts are the same as BMW parts, but way cheaper. You can buy BMW suspension parts, or Lemforder suspension parts. Lemforder makes them for BMW, so the only difference is the BMW stamp at half the price. I can't answer your rebuilt question, but most alternators are. You could search to see if rebuilt ones are for sale online. But I would not be surprised that they are not rebuilt by local shops for an individual such as yourself. It would be a commercial scale operation for resale.