[ImtheKing]

2006 BMW 325I
129,000 miles

Hello All!

Was gifted a BMW by my sister that needs a little work. The car cut off on her and the ABS and DTC lights came on- she was also unable to put the car in drive- only went to reverse. She had the car towed to the dealer (why sis?) and they said they pulled fault codes for the alternator

My sister said the alternator was replaced 3 years ago (Denso part) so she's not sure why it would go bad so soon. I'm reading these cars only love Bosch/Valeo alternators so could that be the reason?

The car was pulled into the driveway yesterday and needed a jump to turn on once off the tow truck. I have yet to investigate the issues myself but from what I know so far, the tow truck guy said the battery is showing 12 volts when the multimeter was attached.

A few questions- again, I'm reading Bosch or Valeo is the way to go. FCP has a Bosch remanufactured kit for $432 and a new Valeo for $362- which should I go with?

I'm also reading that it could be the voltage regulator causing the car to act wonky. It's a cheap part and would be a easy fix. Should I replace the Denso altogether or start with the voltage regulator?

*sorry* moved to new forum

[StradaRedlands]

This is stepping away from my knowledge base, so be wary of all I say, but my answer the alternator question is Bosch. Throw that on and see. Still a cheap car, right!

ABS/DTC sounds like it could be ABS sensors which are a known thing. Fingers crossed that's an easy fix, but the dealer should have been able to diagnose that in seconds if it was...