batt light come on dash, car cut out would not start!?

[loopee]

got the aa to tow me back and he said it could well be a alternater problem

at 34000 miles!!!!!

surely not on a bmw

could this just be a loose wire??

what other problems?, its under warrenty but i have to pay for a diagnostic check, god knows how much that is ??!

anyone else heard of this problem or knows what it could be ?

[GreenV8S]

What difference does it make whether it's a BMW?

[Frik]

It'll be more expensive to fix...

[M5Dave]

loopee said:

got the aa to tow me back and he said it could well be a alternater problem

at 34000 miles!!!!!

surely not on a bmw

could this just be a loose wire??

what other problems?, its under warrenty but i have to pay for a diagnostic check, god knows how much that is ??!

anyone else heard of this problem or knows what it could be ?

Certainly sounds like an alternator problem.

You should only have to pay for diagnostic costs if it turns out the faulty part is not covered by the warranty. If the part is covered, then the warranty should also cover the cost of diagnosing the problem.

[neiljohnson]

Most of the warranty companys i deal with won't pay for diagnosis at all it's a get out for them as some diagnosis can cost a lot more than the actual repair does. Sound like alternator or drive belt problem though which should be easy and very quick (ie cheap) to diagnose. Try talking to the warranty company and ask who there preferred garage are as with warranty work (we are a preferred repairer)we tend to do the diagnosis on minor faults free of charge.

[stickit]

had the same prob with my e46 m3.........batt light came on then broke down on the way to the garage at rush hour....nitemare!
had to get a new alternator which fixed the problem

[dadofbud]

[quote=loopee]got the aa to tow me back and he said it could well be a alternater problem

at 34000 miles!!!!!

surely not on a bmw

Mine went at 35000 miles, told this is quite common

[T-bagger]

If it's not a bad connection (unlikely) then i'd say 99% it's the alternator. E46 M3's seem to get through em even at such low mileages, you can just replace the rectifier pack on the back but this doesn't work everytime - so really you'll be wanting a new alternator to play safe.
Problem is BMW doesn't make their own alternators (like most electrical parts on a BMW), Valeo or Delco-Remy etc. do. Like the common Bremi ignition coil failure it's hardly bad design or poor workmanship on the part of BMW. However BMW should take some responsibility.

Sorry for going off on a tangent there a little, it's a debate i've had with some guys at work that has just overflowed!!