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Car Forum / BMW Cars / January 2005Noisey Alternator.
I have been told my alternator is noisy. Presumably bearings, I really do not know. My mechanic cannot do it reasonably as it would mean having the car off the road for days while the alternator was repaired. Is this a known problem with 1998 535i's and how much is it going to cost me to get it fixed please? pete Days? Repaired? It takes an hour to take it off and put a new one on. Assuming I used the correct engine for your car, the alternator will cost you about $250 if you go to the parts store yourself and get it. I can't tell what the price will be if your mechanic buys it and passes it along to you, but $300 sounds about the right ballpark. I haven't looked at the specific application, but alternators are usually pretty straight forward. They have a belt, sometimes two, and two or three bolts and a connector. Loosen the bolts and remove the belts, unplug and remove the bolts the rest of the way, install the new part in the reverse order. > I have been told my alternator is noisy. Presumably bearings, I really > do not know. My mechanic cannot do it reasonably as it would mean > having the car off the road for days while the alternator was > repaired. Is this a known problem with 1998 535i's and how much is it > going to cost me to get it fixed please? > pete Oops, I looked up the price of an '88 5 Series, not a '98. Sorry. I can't see that this would change the price range significantly. Go to www.napaonline.com and plug in your car's data, and see what comes back. I am not suggesting that Napa will have the best price, but they have a pretty good look-up engine that will give you a good idea of the price you will find. Frankly, you can drive down the corner and ask the guys at the autoparts store in you neighborhood, and they will probably have it in stock. Write down the part numbers from napaonline (print the page) because the guy on the corner can use them as a cross reference. > Days? Repaired? > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > going to cost me to get it fixed please? > > pete > Oops, I looked up the price of an '88 5 Series, not a '98. Sorry. I can't > see that this would change the price range significantly. Go to > www.napaonline.com and plug in your car's data, and see what comes back. I Alternators can also be rebuilt and do very well like that if it's a good shop, for much less money. But often, more downtime. -Russ. >> Oops, I looked up the price of an '88 5 Series, not a '98. Sorry. I can't >> see that this would change the price range significantly. Go to >> www.napaonline.com and plug in your car's data, and see what comes back. I > >Alternators can also be rebuilt and do very well like that if it's a good >shop, for much less money. But often, more downtime. That is the position exactly;-) pete >>Alternators can also be rebuilt and do very well like that if it's a good >>shop, for much less money. But often, more downtime. > > That is the position exactly;-) > pete Got the bearings replaced on my '95 328 5 years / 100k miles ago by auto electric specialist. Cost <?50 (say $80) no problems since. Dealers wouldn't bother with a repair - too much hassle and not enough profit I guess. > Got the bearings replaced on my '95 328 5 years / 100k miles ago by auto > electric specialist. Cost <£50 (say $80) no problems since. Dealers > wouldn't bother with a repair - too much hassle and not enough profit I > guess. In the UK, their labour rates would make it cost more than an exchange unit. Assuming they had someone who could actually do it. ;-(  Signature*No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver,purple Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. >Got the bearings replaced on my '95 328 5 years / 100k miles ago by auto >electric specialist. Cost <£50 (say $80) no problems since. Dealers wouldn't >bother with a repair - too much hassle and not enough profit I guess. Yes that is the direction I was going to go but I have now discovered it isn't the alternator at all but the tension pulley beside it on top of the belt thanks;-) pete > > Oops, I looked up the price of an '88 5 Series, not a '98. Sorry. I can't > > see that this would change the price range significantly. Go to [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > -Russ. That is completely true, but downtime is a concern of the original poster. > > > Oops, I looked up the price of an '88 5 Series, not a '98. Sorry. I > can't [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > That is completely true, but downtime is a concern of the original poster. Of course. I suggest it because my dad opened mine because it was noisy, with 335,000km on it. He replaced the bearings for about $5 from his industrial supplier, and the brushes for about $8 at the local alternator store. Couple hours later it was back on the car running perfectly. -Russ. >> > > Oops, I looked up the price of an '88 5 Series, not a '98. Sorry. I >> can't [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > -Russ. Again, this is beyond the scope of the OP's expertise. His mechanic has to take the car home, remove the alternator and take it apart, return back to town on another day to procure the bearings, then return home and rebuild the alternator during his off hours. Something that will take just an hour or two, maybe three, for you and I will take at least three days for the OP. And, it turns out the idler pulley has smoked its bearing anyway, so the alternator is OK. >Oops, I looked up the price of an '88 5 Series, not a '98. Sorry. I can't >see that this would change the price range significantly. Go to [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >stock. Write down the part numbers from napaonline (print the page) because >the guy on the corner can use them as a cross reference. Well if the bearings just need replacing I do not want to buy a new alternator especially at those prices + 17.5% VAT (Tax). pete >> Days? Repaired? >> [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >> > going to cost me to get it fixed please? >> > pete > Days? Repaired? > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >> going to cost me to get it fixed please? >> pete You can get a rebuilt one for usually $200 or less. Its easy to do yourself if you can work a wrench. If not, it shouldn't take a repair shop longer than a hour, hour and a half tops to do it. I had never done one before and did the one in my 97 M3 in just over an hour. Kyle. >> Days? Repaired? >> [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] >than a hour, hour and a half tops to do it. I had never done one before and >did the one in my 97 M3 in just over an hour. That is begining to seem like the only option open to me atm. I have a place in mind and I was just checking out figures really. Thanks. pete >Days? Repaired? > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >remove the bolts the rest of the way, install the new part in the reverse >order. My mechanic would take the car to his home 30 miles away after he left work on a Saturday. He would then take the alternator off and bring it back into town on Monday to be repaired. Pick it up on his way home and refit it that night and bring the car back on Tuesday so I would be without the car for a few days. I cannot do the job these days as I am just too old to get underneath it. pete > On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 13:18:58 -0800, "Jeff Strickland" > My mechanic would take the car to his home 30 miles away after he left [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > am just too old to get underneath it. > pete That is why he will take so long to do such an easy job. Once upon a time I owned a 1981 Chevrolet pickup. It took me an hour to replace the alternator, and that time included getting the rebuilt unit. You might find that finding a rebuilt alternator for a BMW not quite so easy. The rebuilt units for the pickup cost about $40 exchange; a new alternator cost $200. That is reason enough to get a rebuilt alternator. Jim >> On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 13:18:58 -0800, "Jeff Strickland" >> My mechanic would take the car to his home 30 miles away after he left [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >The rebuilt units for the pickup cost about $40 exchange; a new alternator >cost $200. That is reason enough to get a rebuilt alternator. A twist to the saga. My drive belts started screeching today while I was 40 miles out and I nursed the car back to an auto electrician and asked him what he could do about the alternator (that I thought had packed up) and it turned out there is nothing wrong with the alternator at all. The pully on top of the belt just beside the alternator was in the process of disintegrating. The car is now off the road awaiting a new pulley which is much cheaper than an alternator but I have to wait some time for the item to be ordered by BMW. I am not a happy bunny at all. pete > >> On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 13:18:58 -0800, "Jeff Strickland" > >> My mechanic would take the car to his home 30 miles away after he left [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > BMW. I am not a happy bunny at all. > pete One more time, go to www.napaonline.com and plug in your car's specifics. You can find out the availability of pretty much anything your car might ever need. Many of the parts you will need from time to time can be purchased from the aftermarket and they will work as good as the original. Yes, there are parts that you will want to get only from BMW, and some parts that you must get from BMW. Of these two, I only get the ones that are only available from BMW. This includes stuff like the fender liners and shift knobs, and parts that are specific to my BMW. Parts that are common among all cars - serpentine belt tensioners, water pumps, etc. - are available in the aftermarket, often at a fraction of the price. >> >> On Thu, 6 Jan 2005 13:18:58 -0800, "Jeff Strickland" >> >> My mechanic would take the car to his home 30 miles away after he left [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > in > the aftermarket, often at a fraction of the price. wasn't this guy in the UK? I don't think they have NAPA there... ;-) MaltHound >One more time, go to www.napaonline.com and plug in your car's specifics. >You can find out the availability of pretty much anything your car might [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >all cars - serpentine belt tensioners, water pumps, etc. - are available in >the aftermarket, often at a fraction of the price. Thanks Jeff but I am closer to Germany than I am to your link. I am in the UK but thanks;-) pete >>One more time, go to www.napaonline.com and plug in your car's specifics. >>You can find out the availability of pretty much anything your car might [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > the UK but thanks;-) > pete I understand Pete, but there are auto parts stores in Europe. You can still find the parts you need in the aftermarket. And Napa sells Bosch, Beck Arnely, and other European parts maker's products. So, if you find your part at napaonline, you will have enough information to cross reference the parts locally. And, if you know that the Framis Valve you need costs $25.00, then you will know that the mechanic is taking advantage of you when he lists it on the repair bill at $150.00. (You can make the conversion to euros ...) Knowledge is power. >I understand Pete, but there are auto parts stores in Europe. You can still >find the parts you need in the aftermarket. And Napa sells Bosch, Beck [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >on the repair bill at $150.00. (You can make the conversion to euros ...) >Knowledge is power. Yes thanks Jeff, that is a good point. pete |
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