Alternator replacment, cost vs time
 

After more than 10 years of driving my X5,3.0 it finally broke down and left me stranded in GA on 95. I was able to switch out a new battery and go another 225 miles closer to home in FL even though the alternator was diagnosed as toast. I am wondering why the alternator didn't give any signs. It just broke.
Granted this is an 01 with 218 K miles. SO, the question is , how much to spend on a new , not remanufactured alternator. What brand do you all reccomend ? I don't know the amps yet, 90 or 120. Or the brand Valeo or Bosch, but I see some aftermarket stuff and I am wondering if they are worth it. Be nice to get another 30-40 K out of this X5 before moving on. :dunno:
Thanks.

Well the dealer will probably be closer to 1k. Or you can replace it with a brand new OEM bosch one for 200 with a lifetime warranty and only two hours of your time.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-alternator-al0703n

Hardest part of the alternator replacement is removing the negative cable off the battery. Two hours???? Yikes, is that dealer book time???? I can replace one in under an hour.

Indy should be around 600-700 or so. Not much less than the dealer, but obviously much more than the 200 DIY price.

Reconnecting the air duct is a lot of fun too.

And not having the proper tools turns it into a 6 hour ordeal as it did for my grandfather & I when we did it.

People have had some bad experiences with non-OEM supplier alternators. I personally had to get 3 once before I found one that actually made a field. That one was an OEM supplier unit.
The job isn't that hard though, if you know how to get the clutch fan off in a couple of minutes.
Mark your bolts. They are all different lengths.

From my experience the "new" Bosch has a "made in china" sticker on it while the reman Bosch is rebuilt in Germany.

Damn Chinese garbage ruins everything

Nearly everything is made in china now. Manufacturers are "saving" money... :(
But "made in china" does not mean it is crap by default, there are big differences: there are products wich are really fine and others not...