Had this truck 6 weeks. Had an air valve clog and now the alternator blew up. I was in the middle of nowhere. Towed 216 miles home. Now I'm staring at a $2,500 bill or a ruined weekend (or two). Pretty sure I'm going to sell the car after this replacement. Can't imagine what else there is that could go wrong once the alternator is replaced (since everything then will have been replaced), but now I just have a sick taste in my stomach about it. Ugh. So, selling my mods including the wheels I just put on and the tubi muffler I got (see sig). Back to BMW I go.

 

Sorry to hear that you had alternator issues and were left stranded. Hopefully, it is not as bad as it seems. I can try to source some DIY instructions on how to replace the alternator, if you want.

As a side note, not sure if it is fair to place blame on the model/brand since you bought a used vehicle (at least 7 years old) which will need more maintenance. The appeal of buying used is the attractive price versus a new model, however, the tradeoff for price is added maintenance. This will be the same for any brand: Porsche, Range Rover, BMW, etc.

Good luck and let me know what I can do to help.

 

People don't have an issue spending thousands of dollars on mods, but seem to have an issue spending money on maintenance.

 

Paranoia will destroy ya....BMW isn't even the same league as Porsche.

 

The good news is that you said everything has been replaced. So, no need to worry. As stated above, maintenance is normal. Hopefully you'll have a while to recover before your suspension or air conditioner need work. My rule of thumb is be ready for $2,000 per year (per Porsche) for maintenance. If it's less, great. If it's more it's still better than driving up in front of your house and parking a BMW anyday.

 

I'll give you what you paid for it.

 

It all goes back to is you want to play you are going to pay. Its just the nature of the beast.

 

Yeah Bamascoot, Ill do you a favor and pay you what you bought it for

 

Triple AAA $100 a year>$2500 tow bill.

Cheap insurance.

 

Did the alternator pulley shred the V-belt? It may be a good idea to replace the water pump, idle pulleys, belt, etc. while you are at it.

I'm sure you will find number of people here who will buy the Cayenne back from you for the price you paid for it or maybe slightly more considering the money you spent on it.

I would keep the Cayenne if I were you. Good luck.

 

I tried to get the lowest price on mine thinking I would change a number of things under maintenance that other members mentioned (Pipes, belts, driveline suport). I did get a CEL that was not expected and caught a few air leaks and had to change MAF.
Was hoping that should do it ... next schedule change would be plug and coils. Getting stuck for sure will ruin a weekend plus unexpected cost and could understand Bamascoot feelings. Bamascoot once you have it running it will make you forget all of it :-)

 

AAA won't take you wherever you want to go. They'll take you like 20 miles. My insurance does the same. The tow bill was around $400 but work reimbursed me since I was on a work trip. The alternator repair was about $2500. Included a few hoses that busted when the belt shredded. Picking it up this afternoon. Swapping in a revmax valve body this weekend then probably listing on eBay for $20k next week.

 

That is awesome!

 

So was the problem the alternator or the belt?
How many miles on the vehicle?

 

Shop said alternator seized and when the pulley stopped turning the belt shredded. 115k miles.