The alternator on my 330 is playing up, so time to repair or replace. A friend would open it up and do the necessary ( he loves tinkering being an electronics engineer) but I don't like to take advantage.
Out of curiosity I rang my two local main dealers. Dealer 1 quoted £542 fitted, with labour at £112 + vat per hour. That included discount because it's an older BMW! Dealer 2 quoted £399 + vat for the alternator alone.
It's about to go for its annual ( ish) service and general fitness check pre winter, air con ( climate control actually) regassing and I shall look around motor factors and get my friendly mechanic to fit the new alternator. Sod's law just when I was about to advertise and hopefully sell the darned thing, but unless it was going to auction needs must.
I can understand the 3 year option of fixed price servicing now.
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Fix the beemer and keep it. You'd only miss it come the Summer.
Buy an old, cheap but serviceable crumbly wagon for supermarket duties. Focus estate or something similar. Set a miserly budget and stick to it. Surprising what's out there if you're prepared to drive around with a bag on your head. Lancer estates are cheap for example and old people seem to like them...
;-))
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>> The alternator on my 330 is playing up, so time to repair or replace. A
>> friend would open it up and do the necessary ( he loves tinkering being an
>> electronics engineer) but I don't like to take advantage.
If he's that sort of chap, he'll probably be grateful for the chance to do a bit fiddling about in the shed.
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You can't get into his shed. It's full of stuff. Same goes for his double garage. Full of reconditioned washers, mowers, vacuums and even a few rebuilt old 26'' TVs.
A solicitor friend of mine asked me to clear out furniture from a couple of offices. Guess where it ended up? It set off to the tip but didn't get there. In fairness it was too good to chuck in the local tip, and I admire his repair and recycle ethics. But if it were my garage .....it would be used for its intended purpose.
And I'm not going to buy a second car. Even a Lancer. I've only driven 6k mikes since May 2014, I used to walk to work, now taking ' time out' and my future plans are mostly overseas. Again. Beginning next month.
Didn't someone have an old 406 estate? Going cheep. Perfect for my oldies I would have thought. And anyway my friendly mechanic has just rung to say he has sourced a half decent alternator which will be fitted tomorrow. The 330 has been checked over today. Oil changed, brakes fine, no problemos. Ready for winter. And lots of tread on the Michelin Alpins still, which is very reassuring when I'm in Spain for a few months.
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Wheeler Dealers had an article on a BMW with a failing alternator - bearings...
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is there a place where they take your old alternator and replace it for a recondition one, i fix the beemer after all if something else needs replacing then change it for lower costs
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>> is there a place where they take your old alternator and replace it for a recondition one
Yes there is (or was), somewhere north of the North Circular Road, Cricklewood perhaps. The back door of the place opened into a huge empty car park. I used to drive up there, get the component out (they did starters too) and hand it over to the geezers, who then reconditioned it while I waited. Then I would pay them and put the component back in. It was an ace place and did a good job.
This saved me a lot of money but was pretty heavy going I must say, hard on the clothes, hair etc. Had I been richer I could have let the geezers do all that, but I was too poor or stingy.
The geezers were as dirty as I was, dirtier actually, with black grimy powder stuff all over their faces.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Wed 25 Nov 15 at 19:43
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Agree with Sooty, let your mate do the job and buy him a case of his favourite tipple to say thanks.
You're not taking advantage - it's what mates are for (wouldn't you do it for him ?)
I serviced my own 5 series a few years ago, (using BMW parts - not pattern), proper intelligent common sense design made it an absolute pleasure, your only worry should be that he will want to take it all to pieces and put it together again just for his enjoyment !
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Reminds me of an old trade stores habit. When any new gizmo along we had to order three. One for the engineer, one for his mate and one for them to take to bits to see how it worked........
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An exchange alternator from a reputable source with your man fitting it for cash / beer / biscuits is the most sensible way to do this.
I would be very surprised if the alternator cost you more than £200 once the exchange surcharge has been refunded.
It's disappointing that main dealers continue to price older vehicles out of their workshops, but this business model clearly works for them.
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I think you will find that most main dealers,including Bmw,will offer reduced rates for older cars,but only for regular service items,like oils,filters ,plugs and brakes where their profit margin is usually excessive.(£14 for a litre of oil?)
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Certainly got lower labour rates on my old Volvo, but for anything (such as its new intercooler) and not just for regular service items. If a BMW dealer didn't offer it on a comparable car, I'd ask - then ask some others, and pick that one that offered the best deal.
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I recently got my 330Ci back from my pal, an ex BMW 'technician' who now works at an independent. He has use of all their facilities out of hours, so completed a minor service, thorough check over pre winter, regassed the air con, adjusted handbrake, fitted replacement alternator. Clean bill of health and no potential problems spotted.
Cost me £230 but I can now sell with confidence.
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...I can now sell...
A likely story!
};---)
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>> Cost me £230 but I can now sell with confidence.
>>
Compare that with the lady from N Devon who bought a van from me when I was trading.
Her and hubby turned up in a nice looking 530d Tourer, '06' plate, good colour combination, sat nav, leather, auto, M Sport stuff inc big BMW wheels... looked the dog's danglies.
I immed and ammed about taking it as a trade in and eventually declined, because although it had a good history, the 120k mileage put me off a bit..
... whislt doing the paperwork for the van she said "Oh well, if you're not having the BMW, you might as well know the wheels are porous and all need changing".
That would have cost me most of my profit margin, because you couldn't put anything but decent BMW wheels on that.
I wasn't surprised there was a fault with the car, you expect that... it was her brazen attitude that got me.
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>> I immed and ammed
I Er and Um mostly, my wife though Ums and Ahs, not sure either of us have ever Immed or Ammed. Is that something to do with the effects of home made cider abuse?
;-)
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>> Is that something to do with the effects of
>> home made cider abuse?
Something along those lines... but red wine and occasionally port.
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I can see how that would make you Im
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BMW 3-Series E46 - Dealer service costs - Runfer D'Hills
