Alternator Bosch or VALEO

A brand new Valeo (439317) alternator is $209 on Rockauto and they can be swapped in an hour or two.

I only trust OEM, Denso, Valero, and Hitachi. Bosch isn't too bad.

I have one. I replaced a Bosch with it. Hasn't had an issue and had a lifetime warranty.

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.

Yes. I had one on my e39 (M54) for a long time. Probably put close to 75k miles on it before I sold it. It was the Bosch variant. No issues with it at all. In fact, it appeared to be a Bosch reman in an Autozone box. Hard to tell what the internals were but they looked exactly the same.

If anyone is curious, the 120a Bosch and Valeo alternators (rectangle ground connection) are completely interchangeable despite the statements online saying they have different pullies and mounting points. They are slightly different but everything lines/bolts up the same. The Bosch (left) is a decent amount larger in size, not sure why, but it fits perfectly with no clearance issues.

13V is normal for a stock Bosch alternator. There are 14V or adjustable voltage regulator available as a replacement.

Im having the same issue with my 08 jetta 2.5, replaced the alternator and voltage regulator because the car battery wasnt charging anymore. Anyways replaced the alternator and then I had a high voltage issue with the regulator

I had a bosch alternator in my Mark 2.. 8valve motor. I noticed the battery was not being charged. so instead of dealing with the voltage regulator or brushes etc, b/c the unit was old I decided to go with a brand new one. making me think i should have ponied up to the Bosch.

I had a bosch alternator in my Mark 2.. 8valve motor. I noticed the battery was not being charged. so instead of dealing with the voltage regulator or brushes etc, b/c the unit was old I decided to go with a brand new one.