Electrical problem
2004 BMW 320 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic 62600 miles

Hi everyone

At 62000 miles I had BMW give my 320i a last (thorough) inspection before the motorplan ended. They "found" that the engine needed to be reconditioned which they duly did.

They had my car for 5 weeks and when I eventually got it back, 2 days later it wouldn't start and the alternator light together with the oil lamp came on.

After towing it back to the dealership that did the engine, they diagnosed the alternator belt was damaged and that the battery had a dead cell. Considering the age of the battery, I replaced it at my cost but insisted they cover the cost of the belt.

Then, 4 days after this, it happened again - exactly the same thing. The car wasn't switched off for long (about 5 minutes) and there was no warning before this happened.

Now BMW claim it is the alternator that is not holding charge and want to charge me a small fortune to replace it.

My argument is that the chances of this happening so soon after they did the major repairs on the engine is unlikely and I want them to replace the alternator at their cost as I'm sure it is related.

Obviously I can't prove this.

I also think that if the alternator was broken already, it should have been picked up at the same time they found the engine problem?

Am I right in thinking the above? Could they have damaged the alternator doing the engine?

Any help I can get will be appreciated...

Ty