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Actively replacing our alternator now, I used this video to confirm that it was the same sound.
My first car was a E46 316i, under 100tkm on odo, had it for 3 years, literally gave no problems.
Sold the E46 and got a E39 530D because I love them. Has been reliable so far, I've had it as daily for almost a year now and the only critical problems it has had are that the alternator gave out after a couple of weeks owning and EGR thermostat was bad.
I've replaced the alternator (failed on me), done waterpump & thermostat (180,000km done as a precaution).
Dead battery within months, and car completely shutting off, your car SCREAMS alternator issue. Get it checked out.
Alternator stopped charging while driving and it slung grease all over the engine bay and hood.
This was the only non oe product in my car. When mine went it went . There weren\u2019t any bmw ones available for love nor money at the time. I get 13.8 out of mine as well. Can been fine for 12 months.
4 aftermarket alternators in a Volkswagen Vanagon… after the last shit the bed i insisted on a factory one. That solved the charging system issue.
My friend’s BMW X5 had an alternator fail at 50k, she does a lot of city driving so lots of start/stops.
When I finally bought another car and started preparing the Bora for sale, the alternator failed. The only real issue it ever gave me.
I just put a new alternator and the batty is dead again but when I jump it the car run fine until the next .morning I am going Crazy trying to figure this.
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If choosing alternator across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare alternator across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator OEM BMW were overall better than OEM Volkswagen.
In March 2026 on PartReview, alternator OEM BMW were overall more popular than OEM BMW.
The brands are equal by vote balance:
By number of reviews, alternator OEM Volkswagen surpassed OEM BMW:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, alternator OEM Volkswagen and OEM BMW have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of alternator OEM Volkswagen with: Denso, Bosch, Duralast, OEM Toyota, VALEO, OEM Honda, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi, OEM Nissan.
Also available: comparisons of alternator OEM BMW with: Denso, Bosch, Duralast, OEM Toyota, VALEO, OEM Honda, AC DELCO, OEM FORD, OEM Audi, OEM Nissan.
You can also see who is better among other alternator manufacturers: Bosch or Denso, Denso or Duralast, OEM Toyota or Denso, Bosch or Duralast, Denso or VALEO.