Alternator: new or remanufactured

[mcfreid]

I went to an alternator shop and had them rebuild it, forgot the cost but it was cheaper than buying a new unit and I didn't have to worry about all the stories regarding poor quality control in the latest units.

[PetrolM3]

I recently got a brand new (not reman) Bosch unit for my non-M e46. The thing had whining noise right out of the box. Replaced the regulator on my original (made by Bosch) and re-installed it - dead quiet.

Apparently it’s not just reman Bosch that are crappy, even their brand new part quality has gone downhill.

[ramzM3]

Get a brand new one from Valeo on FCP. My alternator went out a year ago, I replaced it with a manufactured Bosch, and it went out taking my battery with it.

I bought a new 120 amp Valeo unit. Thank you!

[ramzM3]

Weird, this topic has been discussed ad nauseam. Found this in 1.2 seconds you sure you searched?

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/m...rnator-options

Thank you for this information.

[jet_dogg]

Weird, this topic has been discussed ad nauseam. Found this in 1.2 seconds you sure you searched?

https://nam3forum.com/forums/forum/main-forum/e46-2001-2006/176736-alternator-options

[Notan_S54]

Stay away from Bosch reman alternators, they have a very high failure rate.

What he said x100000000

[Notan_S54]

Get a brand new one from Valeo on FCP. My alternator went out a year ago, I replaced it with a manufactured Bosch, and it went out taking my battery with it.

[jayjaya29]

Stay away from Bosch reman alternators, they have a very high failure rate.

[ramzM3]

Ok, so the alternator died in my driveway the other day. The smell of the burnt electrical-type of burning and the red battery light told me that it was most likely the culprit. After looking through the forum, I couldn't find an answer to a question I had. Which is, is it better to get a new alternator or just buy the remanufactured unit from someone like FCP Euro? There is a significant price difference, but I'm not sure about the performance/longevity differences, if any. Any thoughts, recommendations are much appreciated!