Belt tensioner/Pulley/Alternator HUGE Problems

[benspace90]

Going home from work yesterday i smell a electrical burning smell about 60 mph, 2500-3000 rpm....no big deal, I also noticed a VERY LOUD knocking noise coming from the engine bay that went along with the rpms. Slower and idle, faster when on the gas. Pinpointed it to the alternator pulley....it was moving quite a bit. The dealer was closed when i got off so i took it in today after work. I get about 1.5 miles from the dealer and i noticed a snapping noise ....air condition got hot, steering got hard. I knew eactly what it was.....limped into the dealer without stopping before! Lucky me! The service writter opened the hood and the belt was off the pulleys and the pulley on the alternator was laying on the bottom floor board id the engine bay....he said its something to do with the tensioner/pulley/spring. Theyve never seen this so thats all the could give me until they look at it, which wont be until next thursday. Anyone have any insight on this? How much could it cost? Because my warranty only covers up to a certain point. And they couldnt tell me that price, nor the repair price until they looked into it. GM warranty.

Any help/insight on this issue or warranty? Please help!

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Its a 07 335i 58,000 miles. No upgrades.

[Pyewacket69]

Going home from work yesterday i smell a electrical burning smell about 60 mph, 2500-3000 rpm....no big deal, I also noticed a VERY LOUD knocking noise coming from the engine bay that went along with the rpms. Slower and idle, faster when on the gas. Pinpointed it to the alternator pulley....it was moving quite a bit. The dealer was closed when i got off so i took it in today after work. I get about 1.5 miles from the dealer and i noticed a snapping noise ....air condition got hot, steering got hard. I knew eactly what it was.....limped into the dealer without stopping before! Lucky me! The service writter opened the hood and the belt was off the pulleys and the pulley on the alternator was laying on the bottom floor board id the engine bay....he said its something to do with the tensioner/pulley/spring. Theyve never seen this so thats all the could give me until they look at it, which wont be until next thursday. Anyone have any insight on this? How much could it cost? Because my warranty only covers up to a certain point. And they couldnt tell me that price, nor the repair price until they looked into it. GM warranty.

Any help/insight on this issue or warranty? Please help!

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Its a 07 335i 58,000 miles. No upgrades.

If I had to guess, I'd say your alternator finally seized, which resulted in the hyper tension on the accessory belt snapping off the pulley at that point. In the process of that happening, it could have also damaged the belt tensioner, if it was on the "load side" of the belt by pushing the tensioner beyond its limits. I suspect that's what your SA was telling you.

I have no idea of what the cost to repair will be, but I'd bet against cheap...

[benspace90]

Not really the answer I was looking for lol. I'll have to pay for whatever the warranty doesn't cover

[smc850ci]

If I had to guess, I'd say your alternator finally seized, which resulted in the hyper tension on the accessory belt snapping off the pulley at that point. In the process of that happening, it could have also damaged the belt tensioner, if it was on the "load side" of the belt by pushing the tensioner beyond its limits. I suspect that's what your SA was telling you.

Actually, I can't think of a better answer! If the SA can't guess at the repair cost, it would be hard for someone on this forum to.

but I'd bet against cheap...is the most correct answer! :cool

Good luck, I hope it doesn't cost too much.

[benspace90]

2-0.....deff not answers I'm looking for. Haha I don't wanna have to pay anything out of pocket! At the time they didn't know how much my warranty covers. Or how much the repairs cost....and of course they can't look at it until next Thursday.

[fun2drive]

BMW 180 amp alternator 661.00
Serp belt 63.49
Tensioner 125.95
Labor
You can figure this out pretty well assuming labor of around 120 and hour.
Prices from Tischer BMW retail
My guess is $1500.00

[Pyewacket69]

2-0.....deff not answers I'm looking for. Haha I don't wanna have to pay anything out of pocket! At the time they didn't know how much my warranty covers. Or how much the repairs cost....and of course they can't look at it until next Thursday.

This may sound silly to you, but your warranty documentation should tell you exactly what is, and is not covered.

This begs the question..."Have you looked to see what coverage your warranty provides?"

[benspace90]

Considering I bought the car not even a month ago, 27 days to be exact, I haven't received any information on my warranty in the mail. All I know is that it's 3 year/36,000 miles. Bumper to bumper. Its a gm warranty as well. I also know that I do have it because they searched the VIN and found it but couldn't tell me what and how much was covered. And that I have a rental for 5 days. Which does me no good since it'll be 8 days until it's fixed. That's also covered.

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[QUOTE=fun2drive;26271071]BMW 180 amp alternator 661.00
Serp belt 63.49
Tensioner 125.95
Labor
You can figure this out pretty well assuming labor of around 120 and hour.
Prices from Tischer BMW retail
My guess is $1500.00[/QUOTE


thats what my fear is....that my warranty won't go that high. I have very very little info on my warranty.

[Pyewacket69]

Considering I bought the car not even a month ago, 27 days to be exact, I haven't received any information on my warranty in the mail. All I know is that it's 3 year/36,000 miles. Bumper to bumper. Its a gm warranty as well. I also know that I do have it because they searched the VIN and found it but couldn't tell me what and how much was covered. And that I have a rental for 5 days. Which does me no good since it'll be 8 days until it's fixed. That's also covered.

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Seems simple then...

If its a 3-year, 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty, then you're covered, less whatever deductible applies.

If its not covered, then you got "taken" by whoever sold it to you.

[benspace90]

Thats what i was thinking, but then again why would they say "we dont know what your warranty covers" $200 deductible. If $200 is all i pay, even tho ill be without for a week and a half....ill be the happiest bmw owner yet! Fingers crossed! No news today.

[Pyewacket69]

Thats what i was thinking, but then again why would they say "we dont know what your warranty covers" $200 deductible. If $200 is all i pay, even tho ill be without for a week and a half....ill be the happiest bmw owner yet! Fingers crossed! No news today.

First of all, I'm hoping your warranty is as sold to you, as in "bumper to bumper".

And, even though you don't yet have your "official" paperwork, i also hope you still have some brochure or something that describes the coverage, as in marketing materials.

That may end up being extremely important if you end up having to fight for coverage.

Unless you've gotten bad vibes about the repair being covered, I wouldn't lose too much sleep... Yet... It's not time to drive off that bridge.

Do you have a web-page link for the warranty?