shaanaleem92 Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 (edited) So I was driving in the early hours of the morning today... as you would on the country roads have main beam on appropriately... but as soon as I did this... the battery light which is next to the main beam light on the dash came on... it wasn't constantly on... just on and off like it couldn't decide. Tbh within 10 seconds of seeing the battery light I turned main beam off... which got rid of the battery light... but then it came on again briefly not long after. The whole thing above lasted about 2 to 3 mins i want to know is my battery screwed? Does it need charging or replaced... will i be able to start the car later today to go home. Or is it just a false signal. Edited October 8, 2015 by shaanaleem92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkynut Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 (edited) Could be battery or alternator. Check the amps and voltage of the battery with the engine on and off. Off it should be 12.4v ish or more, on it should be 14.3v ish. I think Halfords do a free battery test and they sell Bosch batteries if it's duff, which is my choice of battery on a car that's a keeper. Kirkynut Edited October 8, 2015 by kirkynut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R11CH Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Sounds like the alternator is on its way out and its not recharging the battery which will throw up the battery light. mine was was on and off but when testing it I turned everything elctrical on the car on and it soon chucked the light on and the volts dropped dramatically. Easy check with a multimeter on the battery, check the volts before starting the car then check with it running. you can via the obc hidden features as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasa Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 ditto alternator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaanaleem92 Posted October 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Right ok... will check when i get home. What if i never see the light again... just assume it's fine i guess How much does a new alternator cost and is it an easy or hard Job to replace? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dontpannic Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 Alternators aren't difficult to replace. Costs vary, not a huge amount though - depends on the car. Even if you never see the light again - never assume it's fine. It will fail at some stage. Depends on whether you want to replace it before it fails, or let it fail. Problem being, it'll fail in the dark in the pouring rain, probably by the side of a motorway. For peace of mind, just do it sooner rather than later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R11CH Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 I had a garage fit mine as it failed on a Thursday night and i was due to go away the Friday night and had work on the Friday so paid a garage to fit one, cost me £300 in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R11CH Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 I had a garage fit mine as it failed on a Thursday night and i was due to go away the Friday night and had work on the Friday so paid a garage to fit one, cost me £300 in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaanaleem92 Posted October 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 300 quid... that's hefty Can't afford that lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaanaleem92 Posted October 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 I'm looking to fit it myself tho so should just cost me the parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rasa Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 yeh you will egt it cheaper with a refurb one,wheer a surcharge will be included,ie you gave old one for refurb one.last one i got that way was £70. not for bmw though,its the labour depending on what they got to take off to get to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted October 8, 2015 Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 (edited) I think I paid £260 (non exchange basis) for my BOSCH one. I saw even bad reviews of the cheaper units to make me steer clear. Still not fitted it yet, I'm going to see if I can brave another winter with the old one... (Watch this come back to bite me!) Edited October 8, 2015 by TriggerFish shaanaleem92 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaanaleem92 Posted October 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2015 I think I paid £260 (non exchange basis) for my BOSCH one. I saw even bad reviews of the cheaper units to make me steer clear. Still not fitted it yet, I'm going to see if I can brave another winter with the old one... (Watch this come back to bite me!) Haha I think I'm going to brave it out as well. Well check the battery tomorrow see how it's holding up on voltage etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dontpannic Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 You're both braver than I am lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerFish Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 (edited) You're both braver than I am lol I think stupid is the word! The battery drained over a few days of non-use so I jump started it, and the short trip to take the cats to the vets wasn't enough to charge it sufficiently to get me home. D'oh! E30 to the rescue! (Although it was too gutless to get the 330d going ) I want to replace the 330d, so I don't want to a) spent time fixing it b ) use a brand new part for a couple of weeks and ruin its resale value. Edited October 9, 2015 by TriggerFish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirkynut Posted October 9, 2015 Report Share Posted October 9, 2015 What about a second hand one off eBay or somewhere from a breaker? Cheaper and uses a genuine part rather than the rubbish a certain national parts seller of this continent pumps out! Kirkynut TriggerFish 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaanaleem92 Posted November 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 My car died... Alternator at fault... New one need fitting... but don't know how to do it... need advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave330 Posted November 19, 2015 Report Share Posted November 19, 2015 If you're not even up to typing "replace alternator e46 320d" into Google and looking at the multiple guides/videos, I would suggest taking it along to a local garage. It's not a big job, so they shouldn't charge you through the nose. Typing "320d alternator" into Ebay brings up a number of options in the £30-40 range if you're on a budget. But please double check it's for the right year before you buy. Try to buy a "known working/tested" unit, as you're not likely to have much comeback to a garage fitting a second-hand part. Worth checking with the garage that they are happy to fit your second-hand parts too. If that scares, you're looking at upwards of £250-300 for a pattern replacement from ECP/GSF. shaanaleem92 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaanaleem92 Posted November 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2015 Well i managed to fix it on Wednesday night... Bought a new alternator from euro car parts for 108 quid and fitted it in about 2 hours. It was frustrating and cold at times. Glad i got it sorted now :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave330 Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 Well played. That's excellent work. Might be worth posting up the guide you followed, for the benefit of others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
