M3_E46 3 Report post Posted September 18, 2012 Hi guys, So this morning my drive to work went completely fine, but after jumping back in the car about an hour since parking it the battery light on the dash started flickering and blinking very sporadically, but worse after around 4,000rpm. Which i though was strange so had a look on some other forums and got pointed in the direction of an alternator, so took it to our workshop and it turned out that the alternator just wasn't charging at all. Thankfully I did get on to it ASAP because the car just died not long after driving in. It turns out this is a fairly common problem with these after a bit more research, so just wondering what your guys opinion is? I've been told by the mechanics which we have a very good relationship with, that it will be around $250 to recondition the current one and about $600-650 for a new one. Obviously the cheaper option is more appealing but does reconditioning really fix them or is it going be become a recurring problem unless I buy a new one? Also if reconditioning is the way to go, do you guys know any good and/or cheap places to get them done? The mechanics have recommended Auto Electrical Spares in Henderson? Cheers guys, any help would be much appreciated! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted September 18, 2012 . The mechanics have recommended Auto Electrical Spares in Henderson? . Thats who we use. The other thing to consider is the age of the battery as well. If it's over 3 years old I'd bif it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted September 18, 2012 (edited) Could well be just the regulator inside the alt. If so - definitely worth repairing. Replace with a new OEM reg. Most auto sparkys have access to. They are electronic & like anything electronic - can last 5 mins or forever. Glenn, regarding batteries - the OEM Varta batteries are usually good for 10yrs & sometimes more from my experience with many. Agreed though, the local market units have a lot less longivity Edit: Auto Electrical Spares have a lot of unknown brand Asian sourced units, some I have had issues with over the years. Edited September 18, 2012 by hotwire Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
