HELP!! Bad Voltage Regulator?

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by e30cabrio

Sarcasm.

One man Sarcasm is another man Humor.

[bcredliner]

Too small a sample and could be many reasons that caused business increase.

IMO retrofitting to non-cooled alternator will not be worth the cost/benefit, even it works
as planned.

May make it harder to sell.

I recall posts about the high replacement cost of coolant cooled alternator and that it is a pain to replace but don't recall a heat related post (maybe others have).

Might be worthwhile to start a thread asking--Has your coolant cooled alternator failed? Then request mileage, low/high average number of days per year to see what worldwide info come in.

How many miles on your alternator?

[e30cabrio]

My car has 39k. I have never seen an alternator fail that early. My 1990 325iC with 72k has it's original alternator.

[bcredliner]

Originally Posted by e30cabrio

My car has 39k. I have never seen an alternator fail that early. My 1990 325iC with 72k has it's original alternator.

That is well short of normal lifespan. With only 39K on an 03 X (I assume that is what we are talking about from your signature) it must sit for extended periods or you normally drive very short distances--both can cause premature failure on many parts, including an alternator.

All alternators are not created equal, the next one might go 200,000K.

I'd have the existing one rebuilt.

[e30cabrio]

I went to the dealer that sold the car and got it's history (and the hoses) that will be removed to do the alternator. BMWCCA discount took just shy of 20 bucks off the 90.xx retail marked up price so I paid 72.78.

The driver axle was replaced at 20k in 2010 otherwise just normal maintenance. I asked about the trans fluid and they said BMW considers it truly lifetime.

[bcredliner]

There are strong feeling on both sides of whether or not to replace trans fluid. Some have solved tranny issues by changing fluid, some think the change was the reason the tranny failed sometime later.

I am in the camp that changes the fluid for no other reason than petroleum products break done over time. I have changed fluid every 50,000 miles and have around 108,000 miles on original transmission--and I drive hard.

It is good advice to change all fluids if a vehicle has has spent a lot of time sitting but even with the camp I am in I wouldn't change your the transmission fluid unless it is acting up now and in a manner that others say has been corrected by changing the fluid.

Great to have the history!

[e30cabrio]

I agree fluids should be changed. Lifetime fluid is a silly claim imho. I am torn.

My kneejerk reaction is fluids need changing. My fear of possibly harming the transmission says leave it alone.

Gaaaaaaa.

[bcredliner]

The key for me is BMW says you don't need to, rather than do not change the fluid. My justification is the worst I am doing, as long as I use OE fluid, is replacing good fluid with good fluid with a new filter and I feel I am doing a good thing.

[upallnight]

Strange that BMW will say that the fluid is life time but only gives a 4 year, 50,000 miles power train warranty. Why not just say the fluid is good for 50,000 miles, about the same time the power train warranty expires.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by bcredliner

The key for me is BMW says you don't need to, rather than do not change the fluid. My justification is the worst I am doing, as long as I use OE fluid, is replacing good fluid with good fluid with a new filter and I feel I am doing a good thing.

I think they go further than that in their shop service instructions. I read the tech instruction that told dealers to drain the fluid and replace the same fluid, not use new fluid, if they had to drop the pan to replace a minor transmission part. That is a lot more trouble than just putting new fluid in. They wanted the old fluid back in there. That says something, that they were willing to pay shop labour costs to catch the fluid and put it back.

Agree that as long as you are using OE fluid, and doing it frequently enough, the worst you are doing is replacing good fluid with similarly good fluid. And the new filter can't hurt.