Starting a new thread from my recent post “Thermostat”

After replacing the thermostat, immediately upon starting the engine, the battery icon stayed illuminated and I measured 11.8v, so it appears it is not charging. In retrospect, I have seen some dimming of dash lights the last few weeks, but I always use a trickle charge so I may have prolonged the inevitable but also saved myself from being stranded somewhere. My alternator is not noisy. I looked at some of the posts on water cooled alternators and voltage regulators and checked some of the usual online parts outlets. Some folks have had some issues like a bad alternator right out of the box. Appears all that is available now are remanufactured alternators, some require a core sent back, but the surprising part is the price spread- $300-$1000. Looks straightforward to replace, not sure it’s worth it to mess with just changing the voltage regulator given the mileage I have.

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'03 4.4 M62
Original Owner 107k on the clock
Alpine White/Beige Leather

Others:
2013 M-B E350 S4 Touring
2016 M-B E350 S4 Touring
2004 Porsche 911 C4S Track Duty