I pulled my alternator today, regulator brushes are way worn down, and the slip rings are heavily worn as well. See the picture below.


This alternator is from my 3.0i 2001 E53 with 200k miles.


Can I just put a new regulator on (maybe clean them up with a bit of sandpaper?), or do I need to replace the rings or the whole alternator?


Yes, I know it is very dirty, I'll get it totally clean if and when I put this one back on.