battery/alternator helpppp

okay so i was driving home from the other day, and i gotta the red battery on dash and idrive says alternator malfunction, and then every single light came on on dash and idrive abs brake transmission service engine soon, everythinggg.. i also recently changed my starter, and they told me my battery was not too great at the dealer.. so anyways i gotta jump start and drove home w the car acting really weird.. limp mode basically stayed in one gear which idk why..
the next day i went ahead and charged my battery and started my car.. lights were gone exept for service engine soon.. the battery voltage w the car off was 10.67 w the car on it was 11.57 which means the alternator might still be working. untill the alternator light goes on again and bam voltage goes down like its waterrr the batter is testing 9.57 and keeps going down..
anyways now the service engine soon light is gone thank God, i just cannot escape from the alternator malfunction light..
so what i wanna know is could it just be the battery thats bad.. or the alternator
im a college student i cannnot afford both espcially if the dealer quoted me 1200$ over the phone. idk what to do any advice would be appreciated.
i drive a 2004 525i btw with 95k miles
thank you.

Come on.. Anyonee

Go to an auto parts store and have the battery and your alternator tested. Replace whatever it is that fails. Your battery appears to have a dead cell.

i wish but i live in michigan and the autozone by my house has a buncha clueless anti non american automotive mentality retards.. completely clueless clowns working there, last time i went to check my ses light the guy did not know where the obd plug went for God's sake

Pep boys sells a Bosch brand battery for under $100. DIY the installed and see if the problems persist. If so, then look for a rebuilt alternator...

Is it a good reliable battery? Also iv been hearing people have a lotta terrible issues when they don't register the battery at the dealer.. And considering the electric gremlin that took over my car the other day I'm literally scared to mess w anything in my car

If you want to play it safe, go to BMW parts counter and buy a BMW battery (it's around $220) and replace it yourself. You can take the car to any mechanic specializing in BMW, they can register the battery for you for around $60.

When you are buying the battery, make sure to buy the same AmpereHour rating as the current battery.

Originally Posted by SolimanG

Is it a good reliable battery? Also iv been hearing people have a lotta terrible issues when they don't register the battery at the dealer.. And considering the electric gremlin that took over my car the other day I'm literally scared to mess w anything in my car

I believe it carries an 8 year pro-rated warranty. It is probably manufactured by one of the larger battery firms, probably interstate, and branded "Bosch." But, given Bosch's general standards of high quality, I doubt they'd put their name on a crappy product. Plus, like I said, and 8 year pro-rated warranty adds buyer's security.

My advice, go buy this battery and install it yourself, and have an independent BMW shop register the battery. You will save a lot of money over a dealer replacement/registration.

In terms of "registering" it should I install it and drive my car before I take it to get it registered, and the thing is idk any mechanics that specialize in bmw's around me, sigh like I said I like in Michigan