PeterG

Hi,

e60 523 - I have been getting a high battery drain message from time to time. Car always starts and the only other gremlins seem to be that I lose my phone connnection and the radio/cd intermittently cuts out for a few seconds at a time after driving for about 40 minutes or so. I took the car to a bmw mechanic here who ran a diagnostic check and said that I need a new alternator even though the battery was showing a charge of 13V or so. When running the diagnostic check the voltage fluctuated slightly. The alternator is over 600 pounds and I was wondering whether this is a just a rip off attempt and after reading up on this site a software update is the actual fix?

Would really appreciate any advice.

Thanks in advance.

P

skylolow

If a BMW mechanic says its the alt. then I'd have to take his word for it. I know this problem has come up in some 5 series and I've heard of batteries being replaced and alternators. So if the battery is holding a solid charge and test out fine then I'd say its the alternator.

You can get the alternator for alot less then that and change it yourself or have a small shop do it (Very simple procedure). BMW use Bosch alternators and there is many equals out there for even less. You should find them between $150 to $300 tops in US dollars (at least that is what they go here for various models). Check your local auto part stores. The dealer is going to take you to the cleaners on this.