Alternator Bosch or VALEO

I thought Valeo was OEM? Cost me like $250 and was a perfect match.

The forums are riddled with people who tried to save a few bucks & got what they paid for. The DME on an e90 is extremely fickle. DO NOT buy an alternator unless it\u2019s a Bosch.

Volvo tech here, Bosch. Just replace the whole thing, it's not worth doing the brush job only to find that you should've just done the whole thing first.

I ordered the genuine Bosch alternator for not even 300 bucks and installed it myself for him still good a year or so later and it was a very easy job

I replaced my alternator with a Valeo unit. They manufacture the OEM part. Think it was 300$ or so, while OEM was almost double. Just a heads up, there’s almost zero clearance to remove the alternator. Really tight fit.

Get the Bosch, including the warranty from them, and be done.

I used to have an alternator that required me to rev to 5k before the light would go out! My current one needs a slight blip to 1200 to make the light go out. I just ordered a new Bosch rebuilt alternator to replace.

I want to replace the alternator myself, but I can't find where to get OEM parts for a reasonable price. The dealership is charging $340 for the part and the best I can find is this [Bosch alternator](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001C64QHE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=TXMF4LHVIWCE&coliid=IN63F3OG0M77W) on Amazon which they state is new, but it seems like all Bosch alternators are remanufactured. Why is it so damn complicated to find high-quality replacement alternators?!

I when my original alternator failed in my 540i/6, the replacement rebuilt Bosch unit would produce 13.5-13.7v for a while after the car had warmed up, then would gradually fall to less than battery voltage. Running the A/C and revving the engine at stoplights would keep the battery light from flickering, but eventually, it would show full symptoms of a dead charging system.

ended up going with a Bosch remanufactured alternator. Installed it today, went super smooth, charged up the battery as I was installing it, got everything buttoned up and started it up. Battery light still on, voltage is at around 11.9 and dropping. Will randomly jump up to 14.4 volts, no correlation with revving the engine or putting a load on the electrical system.